What were the accusations of the Salem witch trials?

What were the accusations of the Salem witch trials?

The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft—the Devil’s magic—and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted.

What was the punishment for practicing witchcraft in Salem?

During the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Twenty of those people were executed, most by hanging. One man was pressed to death under heavy stones, the only such state-sanctioned execution of its kind.

Who were the prosecutors in the Salem witch trials?

In May 1692 Governor Phips created a court of Oyer and Terminer in Salem to prosecute the accused witches, appointing Thomas Newton to serve as prosecutor.

What are the Salem witch trials and why did it happen?

The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. By September 1692, the hysteria had begun to abate and public opinion turned against the trials.

How did the Salem witch trials affect the government?

Those accused lacked basic legal protections, including the premise that one was innocent until proven guilty. Those accused lacked basic legal protections, including the premise that one was innocent until proven guilty.

What happened to the accusers in the Salem witch trials?

What Happened to the Girls? Most of the accusers in the Salem trials went on to lead fairly normal lives. Betty Parris, Elizabeth Booth, Sarah Churchill, Mary Walcott, and Mercy Lewis eventually married and had families. Ann Putnam, Jr. , stayed in Salem Village for the rest of her life.

When were witch trials outlawed?

In October 1692, the governor dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer, and in December 1692, the General Court passed An Act against Conjuration, Witchcraft, and Dealing with Evil and Wicked Spirits.

Who accused Bridget Bishop?

Bridget Bishop was indicted again for witchcraft on April 19, 1692, along with Marry Warren, Giles Corey and Abigail Hobbs. <20> She was accused by Mercy Lewis and Ann Putnam. Her examination was held before John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin at the Corwin home.

What were Bridget bishops last words?

By Ojus K. Independent, Outspoken, and First to Hang “I am no witch. I am innocent. I know nothing of it.” These were Bridget Bishop’s last words before she was hanged for witchcraft, on this day June 10th of this year 1962.

What happened to the girl accusers in the Salem witch trials?

How many convicted witches were hanged?

19 convicted
Salem witch trials, (June 1692–May 1693), in American history, a series of investigations and persecutions that caused 19 convicted “witches” to be hanged and many other suspects to be imprisoned in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (now Danvers, Massachusetts).

What form of government did Salem develop?

The government of Salem in 1692 was a Puritan theocracy. In other words, the town was under the unbending authority of the church. The leaders of the church, and especially the minister of the church, were very powerful figures, comparable to our elected officials.