In early 1692 there was a 9-year-old girl named Elizabeth Paris who began having fits, violent spasms, and screaming outbursts. She was the daughter of the minister of Salem Village of the colony of Massachusetts. Soon after that, several more girls started having the same symptoms. A doctor diagnosed them as having been bewitched. The girls accused three women in the community of bewitching them. One woman confessed, to save her life, and the other two denied being witches. Bridget Bishop was the first to be found guilty and was hanged on Gallows Hill in Salem Town.
Many communities in the 1960s believed that the devil could come into your heart and try to lure you away from God. The leaders in these communities thought they had to intervene and stop it from happening. After the first hanging, people became crazy, and somewhere between 150 and 200 people were accused of witchcraft. The Governor of Massachusetts appointed a special court to hear all the cases of witchcraft. Spectral evidence was allowed, which is evidence based on dreams and visions. Nineteen people total were hung for being found guilty of witchcraft, fourteen women and five men. Seven more died in jail due to poor conditions.
By May of 1693, the Governor put a stop to the special court and witch the trials after his wife was accused of witchcraft. He forgave all the accused people at the end of 1693. In January 1697 the Massachusetts General Court decided that the witch trials were unlawful and apologized for what happened. In 1711 the accused were restored their rights. In 1957 the state of Massachusetts formally apologized for what happened.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/salem-witch-trials
https://www.britannica.com/event/Salem-witch-trials
Questions:
Have you ever heard of the Salem Witch Trials?
Do you believe in Witches and Witchcraft?
Do you ever think something like this could happen again in the United States?
Replies
I think the same as you do. I really do not believe in witchcraft, but do think that there are predjudes against others. If it did happend again, it would probably the same thing, but for a different reason.
This is the first time that I have heard of the Salem Witch Trials. I personally do not believe in witches or witchcraft. I could see this happening but I do not think it ever will again in the United States but I think there is always a chance.
I think I had already heard of this, Yes, I believe in this, I have some relatives who could be said to be healers but not as such witches of magic and cursing you and things like that, but if I'm not wrong, healers are also known as witches, so that's why I believe in this kind of things. And yes, I have thought that this could happen again.
I think the same as you. I do not believe in witches, but maybe there are people who can heal other. I really hope that this could never happen again in today's society.
I have heard of the Salem Witch Trials, we are learning about it, and reading about it in English. I dont necesarily believe in Witchcraft and Witches. I believe that something like this could happen again due to people being so gulible and lying.
I agree with you that I do not think there are witches. But I also think that something like this could happen again because are very deceitful.
Yes, I have herad about the Salem Witch Trials before. I do not belive in witches and witchcraft. There was something simular that happened in the 1940-50ish called McCarthyism or the Second Red Scare. It was like the witch trials but people accused others of being communist instead of witches.
I had never heard of those trials, where I grew up people rumored too much about the subject so on the one hand I don't believe it but because of everything that people told them and even more so the older people, I can believe a little. I think people are more civilized now so I don't think they'll make such a big fuss now.
Yes I've heard about Salem Witch Trials I think it's a very interesting topic. I do not believe witches or witchcraft is real, I think it was just something that people would make up for certain things. Yes, I do believe something like this could happen, we never know.
I have heard of the Salem Witch Trials before and we are learning about it in our English class now. I do not believe in witches because I think that people just get paranoid and then they start to believe everything they are told. I don't think something like this will happen again.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 5 Next