The Salem Witch Trials During The Spring Of 1692

Salem was known for its dark events and history, the Salem Witch Trials was a great hysteria that happened during the spring of 1692 in Salem Massachusetts . This all happened because a group of young girls were said to be possessed by the devil in Salem Village. After this happened, several other women were accused of witchcraft. The first witch to be convicted was Bridget Bishop who, after many times, defended herself saying she had nothing to do with any of the events. But was hung on June 10th, 1692. Sadly, many people died because of this hysteria. Five people were hung the following July, five in August, and eight others in September. This doesn’t include people who were convicted as well as seven others who were sent to die in a jail

Since there were so many people who were accused of witchcraft, jails began to get crowded, to solve this problem some people were sent to other locations, jails in Salem Town, Ipswich, and Boston . Many of the witches were considered dangerous, so they were held in dungeons and chained to walls to prevent them from escaping. Many people died in prison because of this hysteria. Sarah Osburn, Roger Toothaker, Ann Foster, and Lydia Dustin were all who died in prison. There were some people who were able to escape, such as, Sarah Bishop, Mary English, Andrew Carrier, and seven others. But one who was not so lucky, his name was Giles Corey. Giles refused to enter a plea and received a punishment called ”peine forte et dure”, which means “strong and harsh punishment” . This violent tactic consisted of the accused laid on the ground naked, and heavy stones were loaded onto a board while placed on the accused. The weight would get heavier until the prisoner either entered a plea or died . Others who plead were found guilty but were pardoned, such as Mary Post, Dorcas Hoar, Abigail Hobbs, and six others. Then there were others who had no chance and were executed, such as Bridget Bishop, Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, along with fifteen others. Bridget Bishop was sixty, Sarah Good was thirty-nine, and Susannah Martin was seventy . Now, many people say witches were burned at stake, but that was

Those who were found guilty, were then pardoned and also released the last few of those who were convicted from prison by Governor Phips the following May. Because of the trials, their colony went though some suffering, such as planting, houses, and barns were forgotten. As a result of all this, there was very little food and the taxes grew. Smallpox spread quickly, crop failures, droughts, and the Native Americans attacks were stronger after some years went by. Many thought these acts were because God was punishing them for their actions. To fix this, Governor Stoughton made a proclamation December 17, 1697, basically saying to humble them and forgive all the mistakes they made. In 1711, the colony passed a bill reestablish some of the names of who were accused or convicted. They paid 600 pounds to help the damage that they caused their families