Salem Witch Trials 1692

When, Where, Why... June- September 1692 Salem, Mass. Puritans fighting frontier war with Indians Bad economy Teenagers were bored Personal grudges

Who? 7 teenage girls began having “fits” & speaking in tongues Girls were ages 11-17 Accused Tituba of casting spells on them

Tituba A slave woman from Barbados Worked for a prominent preacher Told preacher’s daughters native folklore about witches Immediately accused of being a witch

The Trials At first, 3 women were arrested: Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osbourn Tituba admitted to being a witch All were considered misfits in society Unfair trial because there was never any real evidence yet they were all convicted on the testimony of young girls

The Victims The girls were randomly accusing people 19 people were hanged 1 man was pressed under large rocks 2 “evil” dogs were also killed for witchery 5 year old girl was held in prison for witchcraft

How to tell a witch Check moles Witnesses to powers Place rocks in her pockets and throw her in the river: if she floats, she is a witch.

Effects of witch trials Probably, none of the victims were guilty Led to a desire for modern court system with fair trials, an emphasis on hard evidence, impartial jury, and a citizen is innocent until proven guilty. People began to see that religion needed to be separate from government