Summary of Salem Witch Trials
Here is a summary of the events that took place during the Salem Witch Trials:
Events |
Summary |
---|---|
Initial Accusation |
A young group of girls were accused of abnormal/paranormal behaviour. These included Titaba, a slave. Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. They were accused of witchcraft and considered social outcasts. |
Spread of Hysteria |
The accusation quickly spread across villages, leading to mass hysteria. More and more people in the villages were accused. |
Trials |
The Puritan church and its ideologies dominated the proceedings of the trial. It was indeed flawed, and the accused were often pressured into confessing witchcraft; otherwise, they were faced with serious punishment. |
Execution |
Those who denied the accusation were executed. 14 women and 6 men were executed by hanging. Several others died due to harsh punishment. |
Aftermath |
The executions and accusations finally stopped when the governor’s wife was being accused It was during that point when the credibility of the legal system was seriously questioned. |
The Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials led to the arrest and prosecution of several men and women who were accused of witchcraft in 17th-century colonial America. In 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
During this period, the village of Salem was dominated by a religious group named the Puritans. This religious group sought to reform the Church of England and aimed to establish itself in the New World. The Puritans also followed a highly rigid ideology, and any deviation from the Puritan ideology was considered suspicious. This rigid religious ideology provided the foundation for the Salem Witch Trials.
In this article, we will look into the history, timespan, death toll, location, causes, consequences, and summary of the Salem Witch Trials in detail.
Table of Content
- History of Salem Witch Trials
- When Did the Salem Witch Trials Take Place?
- How Many People Died in the Salem Witch Trials?
- Who Was Accused in the Salem Witch Trials?
- Location of the Salem Witch Trials
- Reasons of the Salem Witch Trials
- What Was the Result of the Salem Witch Trials?
- Summary of Salem Witch Trials