Salem+Witch+Trials+-3rd+hour

Here's 3rd hour's wiki page for the Salem Witch Trials.

The Salem witch trials were a series of trials accusing the residents of Salem, Massachusetts of witchcraft/cohorts with the devil. They began in 1692 with the accusations of Abigail Williams and ended in 1693 by the order of England.

The Puritans traced their obsession with witchcraft back to the bible. In Exodus 22:18, a passage warns "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Before Salem, there were witch trials conducted in England, spreading to thousands of people. Mental illness automatically caused suspicion and an eventual conviction of being a witch, and "witch-hunters" became more common. The attitude before the 4th century was to treat mental illness as a physical condition. After this, people turned away from science and began to see mental illness as a posession of the devil. There were other signs of witchery; books were published on how to find a witch, the first of which being //Witch Hammer//, a works written by Dominican monks in 1486. The very first witch trial in New England was Anne Hibbons, who happened to hear her neighbors talking about her. Since she was said to have recalled their conversation with "supernatural" ability, she was put on trial in 1655 and executed in 1656. There were more New England trials of suspected witches including Rebecca Greensmith and her husband Nathaniel Greensmith, accused by a young girl named Anne Cole, who was suffering of "fits from the devil." This successful conviction set the stage for Abigal Williams' accusations of 1692-1693.
 * -Before Salem:**

In the winter of 1691 Puritan girls from the town of Salem would meet in the middle of the night, accompanied by their black slave Tituba, to perform "black magic" in the woods. They were opressed by their society, and were seeking to learn about their fortune. Among these girls were Elizabeth and Abigail Williams, the daughter and niece respectively of the local pastor Mr. Parris. These meetings weren't a one time occasion; the girls had been meeting for several weeks. After one of these occurrences, Betty Parris began to stare blankly as if she was hypnotized, and later began to make barking and choking noises. Abigail Williams soon followed suit and began mimicking this behavior. Robert Calef, who later wrote //More Wonders of the Invisible World// described it as.. //"They began to act in a strange and unusual manner by getting into holes and creeping under chairs and stools,// //and to use sundry off postures and antic gestures, uttering foolish ridiculous speeches, which neither they// //themselves, nor any others could make sense of."// Mr. Parris called the local physician, Dr. William Griggs, who diagnosed that the evil behavior was a spawn of witchcraft. The Reverend Parris then convened a meeting of ministers to pray for the girls, but the symptoms persisted. Ministers of the surrounding towns were now convinced witchcraft was the culprit. The girls stayed silent until the names of suspects began to be repeated--as soon as Reverend Parris mentioned Tituba, Betty Parris began to identify her as a culprit. She also cried out the names of Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. Three warrants for these citizens' arrest were issued on March 1, 1692. Sarah Good was the first person to be put on trial. John Hathorne, a magistrate, interviewed her by interrogating whether she was involved with evil spirits. Her own husband, William Good, testified against her; she was found guilty. HATHORNE: Sarah Good, what evil spirit have you familiarity with? GOOD: None. HATHORNE: Have you made no contract with the devil? GOOD: No. HATHORNE: Why do you hurt these children? GOOD: I do not hurt them. I scorn it. HATHORNE: Who do you employ, then to do it? GOOD: I employ nobody. HATHORN: What creature do you employ then? GOOD: No creature. But I am falsely accused! HATHORNE: Have you made no contract with the devil? GOOD: No.
 * -The First Accusations:**

-**Further Trials:** Over fifty people were awaiting to be convicted of witchcraft when a group of 15 ministers came to Salem. They warned against the use of spectral evidence, which means evidence solely based on a witness claiming to see the spirit of a person committing witchcraft. However, all of the convictions were based on spectral evidence--the magistrates didn't listen to such advice. Tituba offered up a confession of working with the devil, however she was never executed. She offered up Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne's name, claiming that they could transform into demonic spirits. Accusations spiraled so far out of control that a four year old girl, Dorcas Good, daughter of Sarah Good, was accused of being taken hold of spirits, and was chained and taken to jail. She was never executed, but suffered severe emotional problems. Perhaps one of the most shocking accusations was that of Rebecca Nurse, an elderly well known midwife. She was singled out by Abigail Williams and her friends because she was skeptical of their accusations. She was found innocent on June 29th, but then received such an outcry from the afflicted children that another trial was held and she was found guilty. Over 23 people were executed, imprisoned, or had lost property due to the trials.

The last trial was held in May 1693 but the public's response to the tremendous tragedy continued. In the decades following the trials, the issues primarily had to do with establishing the innocence of the individuals who were convicted and compensating the survivors and families. Various petitions were filed between 1700 and 1703 with the Massachusetts government, demanding that the convictions be formally reversed. Those tried and found guilty were considered dead in the eyes of the law, and with convictions still on the books, those not executed were vulnerable to further accusations. On October 17, 1711, the General Court passed a bill reversing the judgment against the 22 people listed in the 1709 petition. Also, monetary compensation in the amount of 578 pounds 12 shillings was authorized to be divided among the survivors and relatives of those accused. Repentance was evident within the Salem Village church. Members of the church voted on February 14, 1703, after nearly two months of consideration, to reverse the excommunication of Martha Corey. On August 25, 1706, when Anne Putnam, one of the most active accusers, joined the Salem Village church, she publicly asked forgiveness. She claimed that she had not acted out of malice, but was being deluded by the devil into denouncing innocent people, and mentioned Rebecca Nurse in particular. She was accepted for full membership. In 1992, The Danvers Tercentennial Committee persuaded the Massachusetts House of Representatives to issue a resolution honoring those who had died. After much convincing and hard work by Salem school teacher Paula Keene, Representatives J. Michael Ruane and Paul Tirone and others, the names of all those not previously listed were added to this resolution. When it was finally signed on October 31, 2001, by Governor Jane Swift, more than 300 years later, all were finally proclaimed innocent.
 * -The After Effects**

Witchcraft at Salem - Chadwick Hansen The Salem Witch Trials - Earle Rice Jr. Salem Wich Trials - K. David Goss The Salem Witch Trials Reader - Frances Hill A Fever in Salem - Laurie Winn Carlson http://psychictruth.info/WITCHES.htm http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/images/calef.jpg http://gardenofthewitch.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/malleus.jpg