Helped a lot, thanks!

Great! good work guiz

great

This article fails to mention that while being interrogated the original three accused where tortured, specifically the slave Tituba. It was under torture that she "confessed." Additional it fails to mention Cotton Mather's role in the Boston witch hunts prior to the Salem trials and the fact that Elizabeth Parris suffered from influenza at the time of her 'fits', likely infecting the others in her group with the same illness.

Thanks, cause it really helped with CREDIBLE information for my school history fair!

Helpful!!!

So helped me with my history paper that was due! Thank you Smithsonian! :D

Awesome!

This really helped for my school social studies fair!!

Freaking awsome! Love It!! :)

The comment from phoinex nekonada IS HALARIOUS

very useful

No, overall the information was correct. I've researched the topic thoroughly, and the author seems to know what he is talking about. One question though: in my research, I read alot about a gorgeous little yellow bird. What does this satonic bird symbolize?

The information on the Salem witch trials is interesting, but some of it is inacurate as it were.

no who ever wrote this is great

Thanks for the helpful info Man

good,thnxs

this really cool!!:)thnxs 4 help

Witch craft was & is real

This page was very helpful and informational. :D

I know that one way to spot a witch was if 1) They talked back 2) A person they knew got sick and 3)If they had a pet that ever bit someone

nice information

it was a facinating article. If you dont mind could you post more articles on the salem witch trials.

The "Witches" were so called having sexual relations with the devil.

this sucks

I don't think there ever was witchcraft.

ok ok with 1 way u get tossed into water with heavy stones tied to u if u float ur a witch and if u sink ur inocent so if u float ur dead and if u sink ur dead ETHER WAY YOUR DEAD talk about a one sided deal

ive always been interested in the salem trials and this helped alot for my paper i have to write... thanks, Julie Long

i think history is so cool :)

witches got their brooms form the wood so there is a place to chatch them and hang them after the longest night of all people that were scientis wre witches even if you know the sum 7+3 you were WITCH!!!

Thank you :(

yeah, sad day

Elziabeth (Betty) Parris Jr was named after her mother they called her Betty so they wouldn't confuse her with Elizabth Parris Sr. she was one of the cheif accusers in the Witch Trials. She was only nine at the time when the trials started, the accusations made by Betty and her cousin Abigail resulted in the death of 150 people.

Thanx for helping me with my research paper;) resource card #1! . This is basicaly how they did things in 1692: "ok!we will throw in the river. if you drown you're not a witch! if you swim then we BURN YOU AT THE STAKE!!!!!!!!" :/

First off I want to say that yes this was a horrible event that happened. Secondly I want to say that people on here need to learn how to spell. Not just because it is highly annoying but also because you'll need that to graduate high school. Lastly I am a practicing follower of Wicca, I've been to Salem, and I have to say being there I could feel the spirits of those who were hanged. Such a peaceful yet eerie feeling. And yes for all of you that keep saying " hung" it's not "hung" it's hanged. Hung is a picture frame, hanged is a person. Look it up if you don't believe me.

Witch Hunt All three women were brought before the local magistrates and interrogated for several days, starting on March 1, 1692. Osborne claimed innocence, as did Good. But Tituba confessed, "The Devil came to me and bid me serve him." She described elaborate images of black dogs, red cats, yellow birds and a "black man" who wanted her to sign his book. She admitted that she signed the book and said there were several other witches looking to destroy the Puritans. All three women were put in jail. With the seed of paranoia planted, a stream of accusations followed for the next few months. Charges against Martha Corey, a loyal member of the Church in Salem Village, greatly concerned the community; if she could be a witch, then anyone could. Magistrates even questioned Sarah Good's 4-year-old daughter, Dorothy, and her timid answers were construed as a confession. The questioning got more serious in April when Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth and his assistants attended the hearings. Dozens of people from Salem and other Massachusetts villages were brought in for questioning. On May 27, 1692, Governor William Phipps ordered the establishment of a Special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide) for Suffolk, Essex and Middlesex counties. The first case brought to the special court was Bridget Bishop, an older woman known for her gossipy habits and promiscuity. When asked if she committed witchcraft, Bishop responded, "I am as innocent as the child unborn." The defense must not have been convincing, because she was found guilty and, on June 10, became the first person hanged on what was later called Gallows Hill.

great info

this is do good.i lik it alot it

I thought it was just 19 executions? Am i wrong, because that is what a lot of the other resources are saying...

i love histiry yeaaaaaaa

how horrible

This is an amazing story and I can't believe all the tragedy of the people it makes me very sad :(

Hi i just read ur article and i thought it was cool. Who r the last living relatives of the salem trials?

that is true of what happen to them and i like this alot

I honestly find the salem witch trials to be moderately hilarious and figured since they were so naive into thinking these people were actually witches we can infer they must be mentally unstable.

Three years ago I went to the Salem Witch Museum and watched the showing. Very interesting. So sad that those people were so narrow-minded and did not understand what was happening. Is very interesting to read about and to view.

I'm wondering about your attribution of the quote, "I am as innocent as a child unborn." If you read the transcript at http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_NUR.HTM, you'll see (fourth full paragraph) that Rebecca Towne Nurse said those exact words during an examination before her trial. She was innocent, as it turns out, but she was deaf and couldn't hear some of the questions during trial. At the time, silence meant guilt. She was originally found not guilty but the judge ordered the jury to deliberate again and that time she was found guilty and hanged. She was 71, a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother, pious and loving.

the daughter of the reverend is not Elizabeth (actually his wife) but Betty

Supper history.

Re: "the abnormal habits of the accused..." Don't you mean the abnormal habits of the accusers? It was the 3 girls having fits that accused the innocent. I did not read anything abnormal about the accused except for Tabutha's "confession".

Illuminati

luke calvin is awesome

my mom saw one of then lynn

the problem with this summary is that it has a fairly apologist point of view, and ends with the debunked ergot theory--leaving the impression that those involved were less culpable than they really were. people suffering from true ergot poisoning, or from any other biologically or chemically induced convulsions and hallucinations, are not able to turn them on and off at will, and to strategically direct their hallucinations. it is well documented that the when not on stage in the trials that the accusers behaved completely normally. the fact is that the victims in salem town, who account for almost all 20 of the deaths, where are not randomly chosen-- after going after the usual targets of witch hunts--old, outcast women--the pattern of accusations was targeted toward acquiring land and property, settling old scores, and punishing those who spoke out against the trials and the accusers. the trial transcripts themseleves are full of bystander and witness objections throughout that the accusers are clearly faking, that they are seen to bite themselves and then claim that "unseen specters" causes the marks--the trials were protested en mass from the start--over 50 people signed the petition to free john and elizabeth procter and to denounce the accusers--and ann putnam jr herself in an open and publicized confession and apology, admitted later that she made it all up. here are the crucial facts--rev. sammuel parris, who was in all likelihood a bonafide sociopath, was angry about his pay, and began preaching in october the year before that those who opposed his salary and requests were in league with the devil--most of those opposed to his salary were also those who ended up in jail or dead.

I find Sarah Good's story to be particularly compelling. The community was 600 and there she was, a homeless mother who had to beg for her livelihood.

Just happened to view the film "The Crucible" and wanted the facts on the Salem trials. Coincidentally, last night I watched a documentary on the "Child Witch" atrocities that went on a few years ago in the Niger Delta area of Niger. Hundreds of innocent children, some as young as two years old, were denounced as witches by the Christian fundamentalist and Penecostal preachers. Some were killed, others beaten, had acid thrown on them, expelled from their homes by their own families, abandoned on roadsides. The scars on some of the children were horrible. Some of the preachers made money, charging the mothers to lift the "witch spell" from their little ones. Thankfully, an organization was formed and rehabilitation compounds started to help the victims. Ignorance and religion seem to meld very easily sometimes.

This is a truly inspirational story :( but very sad

everyday i visit this site it's my life :P

The beginning of the "witchcraft craze" in 1300 is to early. The so-called darken Middle Ages had relative few witch trials. The most are in the Little Ice Age.

It was a sign of the times. Don't judge, you were not there. Anything different was considered suspicious! People of the earth were persecuted then and are persecuted today. It sucks, but society claims to be correct in the way we are supposed to think. Hmm... I wonder

you know the bible say's he that is without sin cast the first stone. also in the book of Matthew chapter 7. God say's judge not lest you be judge.

I think the witches should be guilty for doing the devils work unless they were proven innocent.

im looking for wicthcraft not all this info but it seems pretty good infooo i like it it help me alot with my prject

People were such idiots back then. If I was one of the accused I would have been like''OH, HECK,NO! YOU DID NOT JUST ACCUSE ME OF BEING A WITCH!''

These people were such hypocrites. They said they were against evil and against Satan. They indulged in evils so much worse. A child died in jail. A young child. How does a baby "cast a magical spell" on someone? They can't even if it was real. They wouldn't know how. They killed innocent people because of a few bored little brats going around yelling "Witch! Witch! You're a witch, and you, and you, even though you're innocent lets have you die for my stupidity! Witch!". The one time people listen to kids and they pick the ones that get innocent people killed. Smart move adults, really smart move.

Alvaro, somehow? Somehow sad? Really? THERE ARE NO WITCHES!! This started as the result of a teenage girl's boredom and it resulted in so many deaths? Somehow sad? HOW ABOUT COMPLETELY?!? Come on now people, think. By the way, it's innocent, not enesant. There's no opinion about it.

:)

Thanks for all the help.

sarah goods daughter was called dorcas, not dorothy. -__-

This gave me all of my information for my research paper!!!!!!!!!

The information is fairly relevant and quite a help with my research paper. It had very good facts.

i liked the information alot thank u

hey who started it

This story is very interestimg but some how sad. No one reily know if it was true witched the town but in my opinon enesant people died.

it was good. nice job

19 were executed. 5 others died in prison

thank u for the in formation it was really helpfull im a kid at boys ranch and im really greatfull for ur help

This is a great text and I really enjoyed reading it.

i usually do not reply on any websites like this, but i have to say this article really helps me a lot with understanding of the salem witch trials! i am writing an essay about the witch-hunt and i have checked lots of websites and books to get something which are really short, helpful and informational. i think i get it here! thanks for this amazing article! by the way, since i am not an English speaker, this kind of great materials is very important and useful for me!!!! Great job!!

Take this account down and edit it. The girl's name was Betty, not Elizabeth, and Dorcas Good, not Dorothy Good, was the four-year-old jailed as a witch. I'm amazed at the misinformation that "Smithsonian" has published. Many consider it a viable source.

I normally don't like to leave comments but I'm currently doing a project in school on the salem witch trials and in cross checking my information I came across an inconsistency in your site. My other sources indicate Betty Parris and Abigail Williams were the first people to fall ill not Elizabeth Parris, who was Parris's wife. ( http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_ACCT.HTM and http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/further.html )

While it is true that Cotton Mather eventually cautioned against spectral evidence, he was far from a voice of reason at the time which this article's brief reference of him would indicate. He was, in fact, a major proponent of the witch hunt and one of if not the primary instigator of the trials. The ergot theory has also been thoroughly debunked (see work by N. Spanos and J. Gottlieb).

i really liked this article it was detaild descriptive and interesting

This provides me with a better understanding of everything happening and also a better understanding of the book! It was very informational.

This article was very interesting and very informational. I found it very easy to read and understand.

This is a good article about the Salem Witch trails and we are reading the Crucible book and have to act it out it class.

Another story that can be looked at is about the West Memphis Three, which is like present salem with trial. We are doing a report that covers both of their subjects and it's really cool.

I've recently read about the witch craft trails of Salem in on of the headline court case. I found it very interesting and was even surprised on knowing that even a lie or a superstition/ blind faith could lead to so many deaths.......

i find really interesting this case, but how this people should know if that people were or not real witches.

To be able to live in the town where the Salem Witch Trials started, makes me feel really lucky. Salem isn't even that old of a city, but it has such rich history. It's a really big shame that more than half the people that live here, don't really appreciate it. Looking back in the Salem history one can see the tragic losses of innocent people. The “witch craze” became popular in Salem and if anyone acted different they would be accused of being a witch.(Which i find bizarre) Bridget Bishop was the first person to be hung at Gallows Hill. Martha Corey was being trailed for being a witch and soon people started to believe that anyone could be a witch. I think when everyone was paranoid they started seeing things that they never noticed like a little fit from one of the girl was all of a sudden a big deal and they assumed that she was possessed. I believe that Increase Mather had the right quote for ending the witch hunts. He said “it were better than ten suspected witches should escape then one innocent person be condemned”.

I found this article very interesting because it taught me many things i didn't know about the Salem trail. It gave good information and the dates of the trial which made it easier to understand and more mysterious.

My class will soon be reading the Crucible! Hopefully not acting it out. (haha) Anyways, I'm very interested in the Salem Witch Trials and this was a great summary of what occurred! Loved reading it.

This article is a very good source of information on the Salem witch trials. I learned a lot of new things from it and better understand what exactly went on with the witch trials and what was happening in that time period.

Great article! I've always been fascinated in witchcraft. It was well explained and I understand a bit better how it all started

This is a very common phenomena among adolescent girls. taught not to express anger- they use peer pressure, isolation, slander and hysteria to express anger.

I was wondering if the first Gardner to come to America, wound up being a judge in Salem, about 1630, Thomas was his first name. Any info would be wonderfull.

This is a very stunning event that took place in Salem Mass.it is ver shocking on how people were being treated during this time period. People were accusing one another

Great article, explained a lot! Just read a book based in the time of the Salem witch trials and wanted a bit of background info. Personally, I think that there were practicing witches back in the 1600's, just like I believe there are now.
Don't get me wrong, I've never 'dabbled' in witchcraft and don't know of anyone personally who has, but I do believe in the unseen. Anyway, thought I'd share my.. thoughts. Night!

I don't think comparing the Salem Witch Trials to McCarthyism is inappropriate. There were possible witches in Salem. Many people believe that Bridget Bishop may have been an actual witchcraft practitioner, the Toothaker family (who were also accused of witchcraft)fully admitted to practicing counter-magic against witches and even Tituba performed voodoo and old folk magic traditions like fortune-telling. It's just that in both cases people went crazy and started looking for witches and communists everywhere.

I love learning about the witch trials!=)<3

i practice witchcraft and let me tell you it not the devils work no matter what people tell you its a religion of nature and how to nurture it. its about physics and making changes in yourself so you can make positive changes to the world around you. Please take my advise, people fear what they don't understand that ok its human nature but try and understand it before your against it. than you xxx

I have been fascinated by the Witch trails since age 5 or 6. They are such an interesting topic! My town had a little bit of witch craze slightly after salem did but not nearly as bad. I guess it was just the aftermath of what occurred in salem. Great article! Just what I needed for my research project :-)

i have always been interested in wicca or as people call it "witch craft" i personally havnt practiced it.but ive studied it and i actually just started researching the salem witch trials and i thought this article was very intersting....if u have any suggestions on where to read next let alone look for information please let me know!!!my e-mail is cranfield_ashlie@yahoo.com

I found this article very interesting because of my ancestry. My mom's side of the family is Mormon, and they have very elaborate family records that went all the way to the Mayflower. William Bradford [the first thanksgiving] is a part of my family tree, as well as John Hathorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Hathorne's grandson, added the "w" to his last name because he was ashamed to be related to his grandfather for what he had done. Family history is fascinating, especially since it's not very easy to find out nowadays. This article definitely made the "events" easier to understand and hopefully history will NOT repeat itself.

Likening the witch trials to McCarthyism is inappropriate.There were no witches but there were communists in government.

these things are really enteresting. to me its feels like a unsolved mystery and the students are the detectives

I really liked that story and I found that one of my ancestors was accused.

The Salem Witch Trials fasinates me because many were accused of things that they really werent. I would of hate to live during this time.

yes this happenned a long time ago and pple were naive and the judicial system and govt were in their infant years but it is still happenning now. when a govt wants to do something extreme or bring about a law that is hidious in nature than they instill fear and hysteria as groungwork for what they are going to do next. and in their wake the weak and innocent get trampled. in 300 hundred years mayb they will raise a museum in their memory and apologise for what we have done. but as the future generation will be acknowleding the past, will they be at the same time be responsible for the dispicable act of their time as we are in our time - i wonder. why cant we be brave and true to the human race and tell it as it is. mayb then the transgressors will think twice before they do the unthinkable. peace to all.

i love the history of the salem witch trials because my great, great aunt lived in Salem during that time period.

Fascinating article and, after 300 + years, a cautionary tale about justice.

Thanks so much for this article! It really helped me alot with understanding everything that happened

You guys should read "The Crucible" it's all about the salem witch trials. I'm sure you guys will enjoy it!
It's really interesting and what happens and all. It really explains it well detailed and they even use characters for it, it's like a play! ;)

I think that it is interesting in this story about the Salem Witch hunts that the ones accused were all women. Does that mean that no one believed that men sold their souls to the devil or were there male witches also, but they just were not in the list of original people to be accused?

it was very fascinating to read about because one of my ancestors that i looked up on ancestory.com was one of the 200 accused of witchcraft

This was 1692 people, no need to get all mushy about this. Yes, i get they were innocent people who were falsly accused, but this was a time in which there was no justice (so to speak) and people in these times were very naive and the government system was still in its begging stages. Now if something like this had happend in todays time then it would have been a big shock to me. C'mon people, slavery was still something that was not even looked as being wrong. History needed to go through this so we can be where we are today. Better them, then me. HAHA!!!

I just recently listen to novel on disc that was based on the trials. Enjoyed reading this bit of the factual accout to put it all back in order. Thanks for the article and posting.

who started asuming the witchcraft and what did they do about it. Who was the first victim of witchcraft and happend to her/him/them.

I love the Salem witch trials. They are so INTERESTING! I am using this topic for my history fair and I am loving it!,
I so reccomend this story.

A lot of this information I remember watching in an old Disney movie, Hocus Pocus. It's absolutley fascinating to see how a lot of this ties together. This place is definitely on my Top 10 List of Places To See!

This is all very interesting. It is sad to hear that so many were accused and put to death, over being accused even though they had no true evidence that any of the woman or few men were truly practicing WitchCraft.

But all in all, very, very interesting to search and read.

i have let all of this sink in and i definitely think that the events of this time period were tragic. many people have been black balled or made to be outcasts throughout history and this is one example. i do think that the places that these things happened at should be better preserved. one sight said that gallows hill has a baseball field and a park on it, gimme a break. people died there unjustly. its like building a playground on nine11 sight of the world trade center or shanksvilles field or the pentagon, just weird. and the one lady said that the jail is a gift shop or something. odd.... i would think the whole city should commemorate the people whose lives were lost to the ignorance or mass hallucinations of young vengeful girls. it is all fascinating and i hope people continue to learn about this.

great essay

I love the Salem witch trials, they are amazing to learn about. What drew Salem to such insanity? I have choosen this topic for my school history fair and i love it! But it is sad that there were somany deaths, that the accused didn't even get a fair trial.

The modern version of witchcraft is practiced by many today in America, inspired by the folkloric practices and herb-based healing of past centuries. People typically take up "The Craft" as part of one of the nature-based religions such as Wicca or Druidry, or just do it because it connects them with their imaginations and validates their sense of wonder at all the magic the world.

Or as I tell friends, a "magic spell" as done today is a lot like a Christian prayer that has been translated into the language of trees! That's a fanciful way of saying magic is done for the same intentions people pray for, but with a lot of the words substituted for natural things like water, salt, lavender, and incense.

Having said all that, I just wanted to observe that as everyone agrees, the Witch Trials were horrible and had nothing to do with the devil. Nobody today believes that there ever were people who sold their souls to the devil for special powers - that was a lie done in the name of religious paranoia, and many innocent people died because of it.

However, even if there were folkloric herbalists as I described above in Massachusetts in the 1690's - which seems likely - they were only wise women using herbs and folk magic because they thought it might help other women through childbirth or help the crops grow.

Strange and whimsical behavior? No doubt. Would it have achieved its goals? Sometimes, if only by luck. Did such people deserve death? Of course not! Salem highlights the need for people to accept and tolerate those who are different - then and now.

The Witch Trials is a significant form of history. I suggest that people take into consideration that there has been morbid events that occured in the early days and there will continue to be throughout time. People say that we only use 10% of our brains, but I think we only use 10% of our hearts. I wish that people were born being able to see the world in a postitive way and not be able to focus on the flaws. If this did happen, then maybe innocent lives would have been lived longer. Unfortunately, this is not able to happen because people have opinouns and character. The fact that Society still decides to execute people dissapoints me. "Two wrongs don't make a right." If someone commits a crime, such as murder, and the government or court decides to kill that person because they took another life, they are doing the same wrong. I want to be a lawyer when I grow up, and I will fight until I get my point across.
Thanks,
Natasha - A student currently at the University Laboratory School in Honolulu, Hawaii. - Grade 8

The tour guides in Salem claim the sisters were sent out to pick mushrooms and ate some that they were told never to touch. They had convulsions and hallucinations but were afraid to tell their parents the truth so they blamed it on a woman, that the family hated, as being a witch. The persacutions caught on with the other puritans and it went on from there. The ministers home is still there where he helped accused women hide.

The four-year-old was Dorcas Good, not Dorothy. The ergot hypothesis has been disproven many times over by experts in Salem's history. You also left out the hypothesis--one that has gained much approval--that the frontier Massachusetts, what is now Maine, and King Philip's War had a lot to do with the hysteria. Briefly, the Puritans equated the American Indians with Satan--they were the "Other." King Philip's War was bloody and brutal and much of it took place in what is now Maine. Many people (including some of my ancestors) moved back to Massachusetts to escape the brutality. Many of the accusers had either been in Maine during the war (one of them had seen her family slaughtered) or had family in the area during the war, as did many of the accused. Mary Beth Norton's In the Devil's Snare is an excellent book on this theory.

(One of my ancestors, Elizabeth Austin Dicer of Gloucester, was accused, tried, and jailed. She was released for the winter because her family was wealthy and the Court of Oyer and Terminer was disbanded before she was to return for sentencing. She and her family ended up in Maine.)

Blumberg worte, "he displaced people created a strain on Salem's resources. This aggravated the existing rivalry between families with ties to the wealth of the port of Salem and those who still depended on agriculture."

How? What rivalry? You can't say something like this and not back it up! :)

The problem with Dr. Caporael's hypothesis that a fungus caused the "fits" is that the fits were so rare. Were it a fungus, i.e. food poisoning of sorts, fits would have been a lot more common. Only a few hundred people were accused, an only in a single year. I'll have to look up Dr. Caporael's article and see what else she said about it.

My husband, son, and I visited Salem during the summer of 2009. It is a lovely place, both as a town and the surrounding natural landscape. We were there for research purposes. What disappointed me terribly was the "campy" nature of the remembrances of what happened there. People died for no other reason that the ignorance and fear of others. An entire town was caught up in what was essentially mass peer pressure, and people lost homes, livelihoods, and lives. And how does the town commemorate this? With a statue of Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha from "Bewitched"? OK...I can overlook that, and even giggle at the irony, but the site of the original jail is hardly marked! We happened upon the small plaque that marks the place (now a storefront) when my son needed to tie his shoe. The fact that the Salem Witch Museum is the most visited attraction is embarrassing....I had hoped to see something a bit more respectful of the human cost, and commemorative of the fact that these things happen, to a lesser extent, still.

THE Salem Witch Trials is very interesting and i am doing research about the trials for a project that I have for American History.

My Father was born and raised in Salem and I have loved the city since I can remember visiting there (about 47 years ago). Loved going to Gallows Hill, the Witch House, Peabody Museum, it's such a wonderful place. (And hopefully the Salem Willows are still there!) Still have family in Salem and surrounding area. The area is rich in history. If you've never been... GO! See where it all happened first hand.

To be able to live in the town where the Salem Witch Trials started, makes me feel really lucky. Salem isn't even that old of a city, but it has such rich history. It's a really big shame that more than half the people that live here, don't appreciate it. I can't count how many times or how many peeple have told me they hate living here. I mean sure, October is the worst time of year for us, because thats when the tourists really come, and there's still a lot of tourism still all year round. But to be honest, I can't think of a better place to live and learn about. Salem is a wonderful place and everyone should get to experience it.

i think the selam withcraft trials are depressing but at the same time interesting to study. hope i can learn more and get involved.

If you are doing a project on the Salem Witch trials. I suggest you watch the Crucible.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to fulfill it. George Santayana

It's sad that so many deaths and accusations were caused simply by a fungus. The fevers, rashes, hallucinations, and convulsions (along with other syptoms) were the cause of lives being lost. And they could've been stopped had the people in the Colonial Era had the technology and education we have now.

So this is super interesting :)

This really helped me with my project(:

I'm doing a research paper on what REALLY happened during the Salem Witch Trials, like if it was more than simply just people getting upset about people practicing 'witchcraft' or if it was just moral corruption. Please help?

This is the most interesting topic I'm glade I picked it by random

The salem witch trials were grusom and pointless, no one deserved to die just because they were different.

To those concerned; In consideration of the trials, it may be good to consider the preachers at that day and examine their teachings. Having done some searching, I found that some then and even today, have more respect for the devil than they do for God and hence go astray in many ways. "The wise will understand but none of the wicked shall understand."

i am doing research where i have to analyse a man for all seasons and the crucible by the illustration of the difference between historical facts adn a postmodern interpretation of history and i dont know how to approach the topic.

i would like to learn more about them

this is my favorite subject thanks for sharing the information with people :)

Crazy stuff but it's all true all being blamed of crimes never committed did not deserve what they got it kind of makes you think of how you judge other people because it can lead to painful things for the person being judged

It's very sad how things start in the past and how it ends.I did a report on Bridget Bishop and got a A+ on it.I did 4 papers long how it started and how it ended.

I am doing a school report on the salem witch trials. this website has helped me sooo much. i just wanted to thank you for actuly having a website that people can trust and know that they are getting good information :)(: Thanks Sara Jernigan

this was a very useful site to use it gave a lot of info about the people who were accused of being a witch but were not.:)

Well stated "Isn't it funny".... remember the phrase...

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Salem witch hunt- a heart-rending tragedy...innocents were killed then, even now they are killed...ways have changed...just that the way of the world has not changed.

I'm doing a project on The Salem Witch Trials... Thanks for that good information! It's a very interesting subject, and that is why I chose it for this particular project. I think it is very interesting that Sarah Good told Mr. Noyes, "You are a liar. I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life, God will give you blood to drink." Her curse actually became true! Mr. Noyes died of internal hemorrhage, bleeding profusely at the mouth. I've been doing research on 6 individuals in the Salem Witch Trials... they are:
Sarah Good
Tituba
Ann Putnam Jr.
Abigail Williams
Rebecca Nurse
Samuel Parris
Thank you so much for the good information!

That's really unfair. And all because of three stupid girls who didn't know what they were doing. And to think... it happened in OUR country. It makes me very upset, but it shows how easily people go along with things. Lots of people had loved ones taken away because other people didn't realize things fast enough.
Shame, shame, shame... :-( 100x

as is always a small town that was not developed yet and the only auhority to consumed by power made a hanious desion to kill these people had the right to live and be under a safe trial these trials should of never taken place

I believe no one was responisble for these killings exceot the people that actually committed the killings.

Glad thats all over!!! But they didnt desevre that i wish i could do something about it

well i think that they dident deserve what happened to them!!.. they probley dident have any prof of what they have done!! IN THE END THEY WERE INNOCENT...(guilty untill proven innocent....)

It is terrible what happend to all those accused!I feel very sorry for them:(

Hi, I think maybe people thought super natural things were happening because of ergot fungus on there bread. Witch is the main base of LSD. Sorry for my bad English.

How do I cite this article?

It gives a lot of good information on the Salem witch trial.200 people were accused and 20 people were hanged and then they stopped it and gave money back to the people they killed. It showed how religion was involved in everyday lives of the people.

This is a very interesting topic. It shows the different belifs of back then and today. But what really bothered me is that if you just called somebody a witch, they were accused and killed.

..We dont change much over the centuries at a base level,for many reasons..It is wise to accept that if we were alive in that time, how would we have reacted?..It is likely you would either be acused or an accuser.It is easy to point the finger at other times and say we know better and would have done better..It is likely you would be just as absorbed by the belief systems and hysteria as anyone involved. The problem with this thinking, is it's no different to the ignorance displayed in the hunt.If people continue to believe that only some of us can go off the rails, that only THOSE people are completely bad, that others are worse than us....This is the same thinking...We all have within us the potential for great thinking and abominable acts.The human brain is a complex subtle organ, of which we know very little, and we are just scratching the surface of its possibility's....To be aware of your actions, take responsiblity and observe others behaviours as well as you observe your own without acusing judgments, or presumptions is to become clear and free as a human..It is a constant battle with our various programming, due to upbringings and social cultural religious, and environmental conditions affecting us as well as our genes..It is best to become an observer,stay curious, look at all sides and evolve emotional intelligence and healthy intuition...Observe your own behaviours, your own life, do you point the finger easily?.. We project our own minds problems and happiness onto others..the mind creates everything we see, our entire world is our minds projections made manifest....Accept this stay compassionate about our similarities..If we knew better, we would do better, noone becomes insane by choice..Isanity is doing the same thing over and over even if it doesnt work...UNconsciosness is a very human state...UNtil it all becomes conscious, we will continue to be victims of our own deluded sleep state.....

The saddest part about all of this is that we have learned little to nothing from what happened during this dreadful time.

Look at the human race as a whole still believing and following the words of others to somehow instill some sort of hope into our meaningless lives. Meaningless because after we die we will be nothing and humans as a whole can't handle the fact that there is an end. So, we follow words and books of religious content in which no one has any solid factual evidence that it even exist and we judge and condemn and separate others with no real legs to stand on.

These girls had power, the judge had power, the rev. had power and it felt good.

There were no real "afflicted" it was a taste of something that gave them power and when people started to blindly believe them they fed on it and continued because power is what will at some point destroy us all.

The church and the government still have this power and we give it to them because we are followers and need something to believe in because we are a weaker species and we would not be able to survive if we didn't have someone telling us what to do and wrong from right.

I watch the Salem Which Trials and I wonder how we can pride ourselves on being so different when if you look at the world around you with open eyes there isn't much that has changed.

I mean true, we are not walking around calling people witches but we are wrongfully judging all of the time. Where did we become so simple? How did we allow this? We can be so complex but instead we found a book that is believed to "show us the way" and we ate it up.

Stop looking for something more and pay attention to what you have right in front of you. Let's look at the life we have here on earth and stop worrying so much about what is to come after death.

The name Rayne was a fictional name created for the fictional book witch child. There never existed such people during that time period.

I found this EXTREMELY helpful I'm writing an essay for my civics class about the death penalty, and I'm using the more historical stand point on the whole topic. I would however would have liked to know all of the sources used for this article so that I could also get the story behind eaach individual story included.

Ok where in this is there something about a few ladys with the last name of Rayne im just asking because i sware i read or heard something about a few ladys with the last name of Rayne but it seems that people dont care enough im happy to came and say this but i have nothing more to say to you people

this is a cool topic but i wish i couldve actually been there to see what it was like

This is a fascinating, yet traumatic, event in American history. It's also proof that humans are mostly idiotic! It's a wonder that we've survived this long as a species.

No devil, god or witch had anything to do with any of this, and we have, after thousands of years of recorded history, zero real proof that anything supernatural or metaphysical has ever even existed. We are flawed, silly little creatures who are on our own.

No magical god or fairy or supernatural being is going to lead us anywhere or show us anything. It's up to US to choose to take responsibility of our actions, flaws and successes. Once we accept that, hopefully we can move on and evolve to our potential.

PS: I'm nowhere near perfect, but PLEASE pay attention in grammar class kids! Many of the blog entries are virtually incomprehensible due to complete lack of punctuation and spelling errors. Everyone commits a spelling error or typo here and there, but many entries are virtually unreadable due to borderline illiteracy.

This is pretty interesting. i never watch the movie before, but then after i read the info about it, i decided to watch the movie. I'm sure it's gonna be a Hollywood's big hit!

I agree with a previous commenter that people should do their own research, but it might have been helpful were the article's author to include the names of several books on this subject.

The Salem witchcraft craze had a number of different origins. There were questions of land ownership, fear of the "other" -- native Americans plus Tituba and her husband John who were probably from the Caribbean. There was fear of female sexuality, oppression of indentured servants, an unpopular minister, "cabin fever" in the long winter, and so on. A feminist doctor came up with an ergotism theory for Salem. Ergotism caused several of the witchcraft crazes in Europe but I think Salem's tragedy had plenty of causes without spoiled grain being involved.

Marvin Harris: Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches
Chadwick Hansen: Witchcraft at Salem
Shirley Jackson (yes, -that- Shirley Jackson), The Witchcraft of Salem Village
Paul S. Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Possessed and Entertaining Satan
Laurie Carlson, Fever in Salem

There's even a Wikipedia article with a huge amount of (properly sourced) background. Good luck to everyone writing papers on this for school.

this is so cool i just watched a 3 and a half hour movie on the salem witches and only got a couple little notes and when i went on this site i got a whole page full of info for the social studies report im doing

im doing a research about this and i just wanted to know how did this affect or lead to many changes in the world? and how does it still addect us today?

how did they tell they were withches? like what tests did they do to tell? im doing an assignment for history and would love to know thank you

i love the way you put the salem withcraft on here because its good information

I really hated the fact that so many people had to die because of the whim of the people. The government should have interfered with this. I also didn't like the fact that so many people would follow others so blindly without thinking for themselves.

this site should keep doing whats its doing this site is amazing i learnde so much

the salem witch trail mad me cry it was so very sad that it happened

These people were afraid, in those times as it is in our time, people fear the things they do not understand. The fungus that brought on the cerebral imbalance caused the strange behavior that the girls experienced. We now have the technology to identify many of the illnesses that our forefathers were stricken with, but back then they blamed it on the devil and witchcraft. The brain can be effected by something as simple as a chemical imbalance. Diabetics sometimes have episodes where they will have cold sweats and weak and trembly moments, slurred speech and moments of disoriented behavior and sometimes become unconscious and slip into a coma, because of blood sugar levels. Epileptic seizures witnessed by a person who had never seen one might think someone had gone mad, especially a grand mal, they are the most severe. It seems that the fuel for this flame was the woman Titbu, maybe she was experiencing halcinations brought on by the grain as well, but what ever her reasons, she was the one who struck the fear into a whole village and caused many innocent people to die. Whatever the reason for the trials, the end is still the same. It's a very interesting topic. Love your site.

It dosen't matter if there innocent or not.witchcraft is a real religion and if the pilgrams and puritans moved becouse they wanted religious freedom then they should have understood.

I think it was wrong they accused 200 people of witchcraft and then punished them but then they said they made a mistake and just tried to cover it up like nothing happen

I Believe that this was all just a way to get rid of somebody they didn't like, or it was just a cover up and something to blame.

Why are people killed by their behavior? It doesn’t mean that they are doing witchcraft. What exactly lead them to be witches? Maybe they are practicing their religion because certain religions do this. I would recommend people this website http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASAL_CH.htm because they tell you what dates it happened and very detailed. I would not recommend this website to people http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/ because the museum might be fake, it might be just a regular museum. The Salem Witch Trials relate to the world today by the world being legal to do certain things we want. But the Witch Trials, you will be accused and be killed.

i think the Salem witch trials were ridiculous because nobody even had any evidence that anybody was a witch and people just made stuff up to explain what they didn't know. People still do that today, too. And i also think that Tituba was just making things up about having the devil come to her. They shouldn't have killed all those women just because of what the girls said. If they were possessed they obviously weren't in their right mind and could have just said any person's name that they didn't like.

I was kind of confused when I read that they killed people because they thought they were witches, which it was not really true. Because they didn't know if they were witches or not. Also it was kind of weird to know that if anyone would stand up for the people that are accused of being witches would also be punished for what they say. I honestly like the three websites because each one of them taught me something about witchcraft back then and how they use to believe all that stuff. The websites were enough information to learn about witchcraft and the city. Salem WItch Trials are similar to our world today because now people celebrate witches and scary things in halloween. Some of those stories are made into movies these days.

I feel this article really reflects the events that took place and allows me (the reader) to get a general understanding on how harsh times can turn even worse with fear and incompetence. The people taken for these allegations were put to death without even really being proved guilty of such witchcraft, it was a time of injustice and immature hate of fear for ones own self.

I dont think i would ever be able to believe that this is real. I don't get how people could have killed people and hurt them through witch craft. I think it is the same thing a voodoo and i don't believe in the either.

this to me is almost a racist thing back in the day. because they are killing anyone who believes or does things like magic. they are killing people that can make a difference in things but at the same time make bad things happen. why would you wanna punish someone for doing something different as you. there doing something no different than anything else. because what they are doing can be solved and fixed its not something they do that will be permanent

Do you think it was right that people were hung, put in jail, and accused of witchcraft? Why or Why not?

What do you think the "strange behaviors" were caused by? Why?

The first website was a little confusing. There was a lot of information and dates to process. The second website was good for touring, not for information. The third website I thought was the best. It gave good information that was easy to understand. I would recommend the third website out of all three.
The Salem Witch Trials relate to the world today because today people are still continuing to be accused or certain things. People are still doing witchcraft today as well. Also, people around the world are still getting killed, thrown in jail, or are in hiding because of accusations about "strange behaviors".

The Salem witch trials were crazy i mean back then men and women were hung for their opinion on life or even believing in the devil or witches. And now we can think whatever and live our live its just not fair but overall being hung was appropriate and you cant argue with the court thats just how it is.

I find the Salem Witch Trials very interesting. I disagree with the way people were accused, sent to court, and then either put in jail or hung. I feel like be hung for witch craft is a pretty extreme punishment.

If people did a little bit more research back then they would have found that witches didn't really exist. Everything these people were accused for were probably a health issue or something and they did not deserve to be killed.

The salem witch trials was interesting. There was many people killed because of the stupid decisions. The people were very crazy and they should have tried for help instead of death.

I can't believe that at one time it was legal to kill someone because they were accused of being a witch. If that was how things were ran now, I think everyone would be killed.

Here is my question how is it okay to executed only 20 people out of the 200 people? and when the towsn people decided it was a mistake they just apologize that is so wrong to do they took someones life away and then just said sorry how does that make anything right ?

I am going to college at Univeristy of Maryland University College as a History Major. In my one class (History 156) I wrote a small paper on this as part of a conference for participation in the class, it was one of three topics he gave to us and we had to choose one. I wrote my mini-paper on this very topic and provided documentation both from UMUC Library journals and books sources on this topic, including the work of psychologist Linda Corporeal. You know he gave me a "C", he said the paper was really, really good, but that because what experiments she did on ergot, and my including that evidence in my conference mini paper, they warrented that grade. I was incredulice to his lack of professionalism as a professor. We argued, not in class but in e-mails and telephone calls, that this was solid documentation of professional who shows that it was not the "devil" but was attributed fungus that caused the conditions seen not only by others before the trial, but also "during" the trial. He finally relented and gave me a B.

The salem witch trials were confusing but a fun topic to learn about.

Once again, I seek truth and find only an article with no references. I must question the veracity of this article. I hope all of the information one finds from the Smithsonian is not as lacking in proof of its veracity. The standards must be elevated to the point where real science is not ignored nor rejected and where the suppositions posed as truths are revealed with references that support the statements.

Really! How true is any of this stuff!? Witches do not exist.

this is an interesting topic

I think that the salem witch trials are all crazy and that none of it makes any sense. How could you think that anyone could be a witch and put like curses and spells on people. All of this is just some crazy people doing crazy things.

I think that instead of the accusing the people of being posessed by the devil the accuse them of being a crazy!

the salem witch trials were real creepy, it put to death a lot of women. it was real stupid because the stupid judge had the women killed any way

I think that the Salem witch trials where way unfair and they where really unfair trails like the water one most people would sink and in all reality someone is going to die during it and there is no way to turn back if the person is human so i just really think the trials where unfair

I think that if they stopped and looked at the situation from a different view, they would have saved many lives. They should have been focused on their religion, because they wouldn't have to believe in witches and they would have better guidance from the church. The teenagers just wanted to break free because their lives had so much pressure on it, puritans had high expectation for puritains. They weren't allowed to be themselves.

It was a huge rumor that killed 20 people for no reason.

It's horrible that they would kill someone even if they were only accused of witchcraft by one person. It's really bad judgment.

I think that those girls' "fits" were fake. And the fact that they were taken seriously is ridiculous. The girls were most likely spoiled brats who had total disregard for everyone they effected. And the maid and everyone else who pleaded guilty probably were mentally unwell or depressed.

Great article, it really makes me understand about how unjust these trials were and how easily it was for someone to get put to death without legitimate proof.

I really like how this article gives enough details to get all the information you need, but sticks to the point and doesn't drag it out. Some of the facts seemed a little "iffy" to me, but over all a good article!

I cant believe all of these events happened to people. All the commotion over if you were into the devils wishes and acts. i learned some important facts from this article. I thought it was actually interesting to read about the Salem Witch Trails but also kind of harsh by the acts committed. It makes me excited to read the Crucible.

many people were killed in this event and they later found out that they really were not witches. i don't understand how people thought there were really witches when the evidence is very sketchy.

i think the witch trials where neat and i am fascinated by it but i find it harsh that they would drown people to see if they where witches.

I learnt about the subject during my history studies in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. I think that history shows us many examples of mob-behavior that lead to disasters. In my mind I can even see the seeds of cruelty from Salem in the 20th century Nazism.

I think that the Salem Witch trials were very interesting. Tituba really does seem crazy though. She seemed crazy when she confessed to witchcraft and said the devil wanted her to sign his red book. It was nice that the people involved admitted they were wrong for convicting people for witchcraft. It was good that they restored families names. It was wrong to now formally apologize till more than 250 years after that. The Salem Witch trials were very intriguing.

im doing a project on the Salem Witch Trials, and its really an interesting subject. what i dont get is why they belived it was the work of the devil. the could just be talented, and they never really caught someone in the act of actual witchcraft. i suggest a book called Do Dead People Watch You Shower? its not about the trials, or witchcraft, for that matter, but its written by a medium and frankly, its really just funny.

I would personally like to point one thing out about the topic of witchcraft, not only in MA, which is my birthstate, but in general. Really when people say "The Devils magic" or whatever, that isn't the truth. Wiccans study religiously like Christains, and only select few of them are Devil worshipers. In actuality, Wiccans worship the basic same God, only in a different way. They worship things in nature and the "Gods and Goddesses" in mythology that co-exist with it, but overall still worship the God than many other religions do. And if anything is wrong, then it's the fact that people are 'Witch-hunting' because Wiccans and Pagans have differing religious ways, and they don't stop to get to know the whole history,

I can't believe that at one time it was legal to kill someone because they were accused of being a witch. If that was how things were ran now, I think everyone would be killed.

I can't believe that at one point in the history of the United States that people would go as far as to legally kill others, whether it be children, friends, family, neighbors, ect., just because they were thought to be following the Devil. It's ridiculous! I'm glad we live in a time that no matter what you believe you are still legally accepted. If not, everyone would be dead right now...

This website is very useful in telling people what happened during the witch trials and what the witch trials were. This topic is very interesting, but also sad. 19 people died of this and the only reason they died was because people thought the devil took over their bodies. Some of these people were young and had plenty of years to live. I feel this topic would be hard to write about. The Salem Witch Trials only contain horrible and disgusting facts and nothing positive. I feel during this time would have been a bad time to live because so many innocent people died for no reason at all. So sad to think about.

I am kinda frustrated with people reading this article and using it as research data. Magazines like the smithsonian and archaeology are used to bring attention to topics and are NOT research papers. They are a good place to find topics for a school research papers but again NOT a real research papers. If you are looking for research data try looking at actual archives (from the national archives maybe...it's real easy and some are even online), jstor, or American Antiquity etc...I personally like the paper and found interesting and wanted to research it further

Some of this info is definately wrong. Like it was based off of the book the Crucible, which is fiction. Historically based, but inaccurate. Elizabeth Parris was Rev. Parris' wife. His daughter was Betty Parris. Tituba was a married Indian woman. She was a slave, but not from Barbados. She was bought on the trip to Salem.

That was some thing that money nor saying I am sorry could make all better. I also find many things about this funny as well.

Why you ask well I will tell you.
There were many that were killed for this witch craft thing that has never been mentioned or wrote down. Those familes never heard any thing or seen any money at all for the wrong doing. They were swept under the rug so to speak never to be spoke of again. But there are those of us that knows and remembers.

The first three that were said to be the first to be killed over this is only what we are told there were many more that had happen before those were done. Things were just kept hushed and never to be talked about again.

http://www.trueghosttales.com/stories/pweem-witch-murders.php This is a artical I found that tells that this sort of things still may be happening. It never ended as it says maybe in that part of the world but it moved on to other places.

You writer of this peice did a awsome job on this and is well written and said. thank you for writing this.
Best to every one and have a happy Halloween every one.

very great stuff, my great great grand father lived their. great stories

i think that this is a great wed site because i am going a thing for school abd this very helpful. salem was one the most places to have witches and witchcraft.

This is a good source of research for Mrs. Moores class Callisburg,TX

only about 20 people were exicuted not thousands.

wow this is fairly interesting you did a good job it explains briefly n gets to the point

I wish it was easier to do and essay on this! There is so much information!

The Salem witch trials are very interesting topics to learn about.

I am researching this for my Socisl studies assignment and i have to list this website on a peice of paper wow u guys are doing the same thing as me researching the topic) only some of you are a least.

I love to look into are past as a people, and beleave that by looking at the wrong that we as a people have done to each other, that it never happens again!

However,it is happening again all over the nation! In the form of children and adults fossly accusing men and women of sexual misconduct in many diffrent forms. I do not want to take away from those who have been sexualy abuesed as was I. However, I feel a very stronge need to bring it to light the closeness of then and now.

Have we realy came that fare from where we started and where we are headed?

this was actually based on the illuminade. sacrifices

Dang sooo Much death...Sooooo Sad !!!!!

This Is So Awesome! I Like Learning About Creepy Stuff Like This. Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back In Time To Witness All Of Thisss!

thanks for this info. it really made me understand this topic a lot better.

thats so sad..so many innocent people died! its pretty cool though!

i have always liked reading and studying the witch trials. its pretty cool to think that magic can accually exist, but sad to think about what some extrmeists do when they go to far. i thought the article was pretty cool.

This is such an interesting topic. You don't learn anything about it at school and I think that's a shame.

i love this topic but you could use some names of the people accused of doing witch craft you should also say how old the people are if you know but other than that i think it was an amazing intresting article keep up the good work thanks

i'm completely aganist the trials. :)

These trials were so unfair, who takes what a 11 and 9 year old say seriously.

THIS STUFFF IS CRAZY

i wonder if i saw her family tree if i were there... (im an osborne)

i agree with iann petrash.iam doing a report and thesis on the salem witch trials and part of it is to put how the event affected history.but so far no websites i have visted has any of that info. good info. it really helped me.i think ill pass with flying colors! victory for all eight grade girls around the world!

SALEM WITCH TRIALS...

A reminder of Religion fanaticism...

what exactly lead them to believe they were witches? also what made them believe they were innoscent? personnaly, i think they were innoscent but there are certian religions that practice this stuff.

I have a question about Tituba , I have heard in some other websites that she was a native american slave. Here you say that she was a Caribbean slave.
Do you know for sure what her heritage was? I would really like to know, just out of curiosity....thank you :)

Would anyone know about the salem witch emblem/medalion?
Mother-in-law (deceased) was given one many years ago. Emblem seems to be made of clay-like material, round, embossed with a witch on broom, wording embossed as Salem 1692. On the back it has the name of Sarah W. Symonds, who died at the age of 60 in the 1800's. What could be the value of such a piece?

This has helped me and I thank you for that but I am still puzzled about a few things.

i think this trial is very intresting and kinda cool to learn about

I think that the salem which trials were strange and that they should not have happened.

Someone up above hit the nail on the head -- while the original few to be tried may have truly been believed to be witches, the many that followed were victims of jealousy and greed by their fellow citizens. Entire families sufferred and their homesteads and property confiscated. Many of the accusers profitted my taking or selling these properties. I came across this blog in an attempt to find the name of a man involved here whose name I have long forgotten. He was a hard farmer and hunter who lived off in the boonies. A family member of his was accused of witchcraft and he rode in to town, walked into the meeting/courthouse, and with several arms upon his body made it clear that he would kill any man, woman, constable or deputy, that either accused he or his or came on to his land to arrest he or his. Nobody ever mentioned his name again.

As a researcher, I wonder if anyone can authoritatively answer the following questions? (1) Were the people who stayed in jail and/or were tried and executed only those who pled not guilty? (2) What legally happened to those who pled guilty (if any)? (3) What legally happened to those who pled guilty and "cooperated" by naming "other witches"?

i found this to be a very helpful article better than some that i came across in my search for information on the witch trials

omg i was so confused because in my literature class we saw the movie "The Crucible" and I was like, wait this has to be the story of the Salem witches. But since I wasn't paying attention to the movie I found out it was the same story, two days before my report was due. I assed this website and it gave me good information of course I got a low grade because I was missing another page, however this website helped me alot thanks so much.

hi) I'm an Ukrainian student, and now I'm writing my undergraduate thesis on "Witch trials in Salem". It's really very interesting but horrible story. I've already found all the information for my work, but I want to ask you about the consequences of all those trials. Would you be so kind to tell me about how did trials influence the changes in your society and how did the rights for women change from that difficult times? Thank you. I hope somebody will help me.

Tituba confessed, "The Devil came on me"

hahah.
im doing an extra credit paper on this too.
thank you !

-Although Sarah Osburn and Sarah Goode denied being a witch, the servant of the Parris house-Samuel and his daughter Elizabeth- confessed to being a witch, or signing 'The Devil's Black Book', riding on broomsticks, and even accusing numerous other witches.

-Tituba was a captured slave/servant, and missed her religious ways compared to the strict wasys of the Puritans. She would tell Elizabeth Parris-who's house she worked in, don't forget-stories in which consisted of voodoo (her 'old' religious ways) and voodoo methods that involved telling fortunes. In time, Elizabeth-behind her father Samuel's back-invited other bored and labor-stricken girls to attend the games and stories. Afraid of being accused of sinning and pleasure, the girls did not want to be found out, and claimed the reason they used was being afflicted of witchcraft. They blamed Tituba-rightfully so-Sarah Osburn, and Sarah Good. Perhaps believing that she had infact bewitched the girls, Tituba confessed but blamed numerous other witches, starting the hysteria.

-----If you have any more questions, I'd love to answer them, free of charge. Just be sure to specify your email subject in all caps, stating what it's about-preferably 'SALEM WITCH TRIALS.' Thanks! ---Paige --------

I'm an 8th grader studying this for a history report, and would be happy to answer some of the questions above (by memory) and any others you might have. Just email me.

-The real reason of the witch hysteria is unknown-although some theories are moldy rye bread, boredom (because Puritans were made to work at an early age-6! And were never allowed even to kiss in public) and even a political cover-up.

-20 people were actually executed, although 19 hanged, 1 pressed to death, although total death toll awaiting in jail is unknown.

-'Goody' or 'Goodwife' was a common-folk term for the middle class.

-The hysteria began to slow down after the group of girls began to accuse non-believers and family enemies for personal reasons.

-The first three women-Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn, and Tituba-were of low social standards, being non-church-goers, slaves, and poor.

-When there were stated that many signed a confession, stating 'remorse and guilt' for what they had done, and someone argued that there were only two people, that is incorrect. The twelve judges, signed a confession, and a confession from either Ann Putnam younger, or Elizabeth Parris.

-The commonly posted cake made from the afflicted's urine and fed to a dog is known as a 'Witch Cake.'

I have been doing some family research befor our trip to Massachusetts this summer...It seems that I might be related to Mary Esty through the Esty side of the family. Can anyone help me to find websites, links, etc. to further my research.

that was a weird time of history

i have too ask would this be a good research topic for leaveing cert history .....i am very intrested in all the information that you have giving us !! but i would like too no so much more .....--can you prehaps send me a link wit more good info ...cheers :)

Unfortunately, you are passing along one great mis-representation on the actual numbers of people who were killed during the European witch-trials. Based on the most recent findings, actual court documents, and other available research, we now know that no more than 10,000 people were ever murdered during the European "witch-craze", or Burning Times, as this time in history is now referred to, and not the hundreds of thousands you quote here.

Most of those put to death were done so by secular courts in northern Europe during the Protestant Revolution, and not by the Catholic Church as so many have been led to believe. The Catholic Church actually killed very few people during this time.

Much of this misleading information was put into the common stream by the book "Witches, Midwives, and Nurses, A History of Women Healers" by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English. This book was written based on faulty research, records and their numbers were grossly overestimated...Much more information, has come to light since this book was written in the early 70's.

Google The Burning Times for the true facts regarding this time in history. Blessings to you!

this was cool to learn about

i fell sorry for thoses that lost tere loved ones over is whole dum thing.

This helped me alot.:) thanks

I absolutely love this article!! Its helped be so much on my paper. But could it be possible that there actually WERE some witches at that time and thats why everyone was so freaked out and paranoid?

I think that the Salem Witch trails were very hard maintenance and also very hard also I think it was very serious. I am very glad it ended then and not now because our world would me very hard hard maintenance and very serious.

Lots of good information, but I'm trying to write a research paper in first person view and if anyone could help, that would be greatly appreciated.

THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS IS ONE OF THE MOST INTERRESTING SUBJECTS I HAVE EVER LEARN ABOUT every since i was a lil girl my grandma would tell me about it

Im doing a report on the salem witch trials....can someone help? :)

i love that your bringing the salem witch trials to the front, to bring out the real idea of the puritan thinkings, and their harsh mentality!!!

This website really helped me on a project i did and it's kinda hard to find good discriptive details.

I love history, it's facinating, especially the witch trials, thank you for the info!!
-mike kroch

my comment is this; my mother told a story when i was a child that we had relitives from the witch trials i 1692 my mother,s madian name is Lewis she married a Howe. back in the day it was spelled How;; what is wierd is my mother her sister her aunt and her aunts daughter all married howe brothers my grandma howe said howe,s and the lewis families were destained too wed' because there was or is still to be some kind of curse or omen that was to have been said that the seed from the falsely acused and put too death would mingle and live strong in the future' I my self am not for sure of all this but it is fasinating and i would really like too pursue and find out if there is apossability that we are related too pursey lewis and elisabeth how ;; but i am not for sure how i would go about it as my parents have passed away and my grand parents and all the others have all so passed on any sugestions welcome

This is a great little quick summary about this topic
And this topic is overall interesting. ^^

Believe it or not, it all began because moldy rye bread in Salem caused hallucinations, such as flying through the air.

is this website in a book or just a website if it is a book where was it published

good article, but I think that they should have mentioned that when they apologized they sometimes paid soverigns to families. An example is the movie "3 soverigns for sarah".

this was great for my project...all the poeple saying they need more info and all that...the title is a brif history and when doing a research paper you need facts and detail maybe you should look at a site that does not say "a brief history"...do not judge this paper when you are the person who looked for the wrong information.

does anybody know if there was any proof of actual witchcraft ''spells,curses,potions,etc'' or is it simply as the article said quareling families and an ever growing stress of the situation?

well... technicall the crucible IS a book (as well as a movie)....

just messin'.
please dont send me hate comments.

well it's a book of the script i suppose.
whatever it is we're reading it in english so it must count.

I am a great-grand daughter (but add about 9 more greats!) of William Proctor, through my maternal grandmother, Mary Proctor. William was accused of witchcraft but found not guilty, and was therefore not executed. His father, John, was executed. He was one of John Proctor's 18 children, and his mother was John's third wife Elizabeth, who was found guilty but not executed due to the fact that she was pregnant. My grandmother has a brother, who has a son, so in my family at least, the Proctor name continues to go forward!

The Crucible is made up! Don't base your facts from that!! Yes, it is based off the Salem Witch Trials but Arthur Miller added drama. Abigail Williams did not have an affair with John Proctor. Just to let people know because I saw a comment above to watch The Crucible. Read books people!

whoa lot of comments, you should put an overall thing on how many people died specifically, like how many teenagers, men, woman and such. it would be helpful

The witch trials were horrible because now there is a fear of withces wether they are real or NOT!

so what happened did the hanging etc just stop becuase im doin this as course work for english and need to no HELP !!

Where are you getting your facts, Henry Miller? Tituba was more than likely a Native American, Abigail wasn't Parris's neice but a "kinswoman." Perhaps 60,000 Europeans were convicted of witchcraft not "hundreds of thousands," and they were of all ages and genders. The Salem witches were convicted under English not Puritan law. Do some research! You'the Smithsonian!

I think the Salem Witch Trials are really cool and easy to learn about.

Why Not Give all information on all those that were Accused and Exicuted. No Mention of J.Martin the last of them put to death. Nothing of her Husbin or 2 Daughters !

Can we entertain the theory of a mold or bacteria on Salem's bread stock, similar to psilocybin, responsible for mass hallucinations?

what role did the puritian reliogon play in general society????

i liked the trials

this is an awesome site!!!!

I really liked this site. I'm currently doing a paper for my English class and this site had a lot of credible information, the only thing that's missing is the bibliographic information. I would love to use this site but can't!!!
Pease contact me if this happens.
-Kalibugs

Acctually it was three girls who had fits, it started in an attic, and tituba was telling their fortunes. eACH GIRL SAID ONE WOMAN WHO'S SPECTER THEY SAW.

this is a great site. it really helped me with a project i am having to do. i am going to start coming to this website for any other projects i have in the future. thanks a lot!!!! it really really helped me.

does anyone have any info on Jonathan Corwin's age during the trial? I'm guessing he was older?

OKAY SO HOW WERE THE WITCH TRIALS ABLE TO HAPPEN?

my great great grandmother was a witch. It had taken me a long time to do the research. I was also informed that over the years my Mom informed me that i also have it. Mind you I Know what going to happen before it happens. I don't think I am however i do believe that i am a physic.

barbara shoemaker

i just love learning about all of this stuff! it is so interesting to learn!!!=)

double wow

This is an excellent example of the pseudo-pious ineptitude of Christianity. Since before the beginning of the crusades, Christians have always needed something to hate and/or fear. Sounds Like Elizabeth and Abigail were throwing some normal kid fits. This doesn't mention it, but I heard before that of the three women questioned, Tituba was beaten severely before confessing. Of course she confessed to something she didn't do. They beat her until they heard what they wanted.

Hail Satan.

wow

I think its very WRONG!!!!

one question i have is what happened to the girls who claimed people had hurt them even though they didn't?

I loved all the info and this is one of the many reasons the law now is inoccent until proven guilty.

i think it is wrong

The youngest person that died was a five year old girl named Dorcas! :-(

THIS REALLY HELPED ME WITH MY PROJECT.THIS IS A GOOD SITE 2 GO ON.

i would like to know alot more about the witches in the paragraph

Thx 4 the info learing about it in school it is interisting topic

They didn't have stricter rules on witch trials simply because it was not a common trial in America and that people's religous beliefs at the time overshadowed any sense of logic. Once the hysteria took over the people it was hard to stop. This type of trial was different then a typical criminal trial as the evidence was spectral and of the occult.Not concrete like a stolen cow or something. It was a much different time than today and is hard to compare to todays thought process and values(some anyway..). The puritan religion that was practiced commonly in MA Bay Colony at the time was so much stricter than any cristian religion you see today. It ruled their lives completely. Witchcraft was considered a crime punishable by death because it was to these pious people of that age complete blasphemy and could bring evil or bad luck on the rest of the community resulting in swift justice from god and disrupting their way of life. In these peoples minds the right thing to do was destroy the ones they found to be guilty or most suspect and all would be right.It would answer their problems. Salem also was going through a lot of political unrest at the time that did not help matters. If you are looking for more info on this subject there are several other sources on the net that blow this article away on facts and detail. check out the Salem MA witchcraft page. You can read actual transcripts from the trials. Just surf around or go to the library and find a good book on it.

This is very useful information so thank you for being so inormative but i can't help of think of all the defendless people who died falsely accused. It's such a sad scenerio. Why didn't they have stricter rules on witch trials? Why they'd judge without actually finding information out on whether the girls were lying or telling the truth(which you know they weren't)???

who is Reverend Samuel Parris and what influence did he have on the Salem, Massachusetts community?

all those poor people, they were accused for something really stupid like wearing red, orange, or any bright colors.

To see if they were really witches they would make some kind of bread and add rye wheat and the persons urine, and give it to the dog and if the dog didn't go near it the would accuse them of being a witch

is there another time in history that people hav been falsely accused in trials like this where it was all just nonsense

so in the article they said that rye could have been a cause in helping in accusing people, but wasnt most of it due to jealousy and other hatred factors? this just confuses me so much. Or is that just in the crucicle????? can anyone help???

I loved learning about the Salem Witch Trails. I think one of the most interesting interesting things to learn about, was reading the book "The Crucible". It was really interesting!!

do you have any unique facts? otherwise this was very helpful

i absolutely love learning about the salem witch trials...i know it was a very tragic event but i am obssesed!

wow i cant believe how many people were accused of a witch what a shame

Witch craft is very sieious and dangerous! the lord wouldnt want us doin g that kind of stuff because it is the work of the devil. Although the matter taken with the puritans is way over the top!!!!!

if you think the story is sad u shuld watch the video!in my opinion;all the people tha lied about all that stuff shuld of gotten executed lyk the people that got acused of being witches: the liers shuld of deserve the same faith!!

John Adlen's youngest son was accused of witchcraft. .. ( pilgrim john alden pricilla mullens that is a story I found in the ancestry.com pretty sad . but he had the charges dropped and all was well in the end.

History is forever repeating itself...people believing everything they read in the news or hear on the tv...you only need one little seed to start a whole harvest of panic, prejudice and paranoia.
The weapons of mass destruction in Iraq is an excellent example...

In brief,it may have all been due to a diet of moldy rye bread.

I am also related i was just searching some of the names in my family tree my mother was a town

i am related to rebecca nurse

I don't understand why witchcraft was so bad and that one simple gesture could get u accused and later prosecuted...

What no one understands is that not evryone who was accused was killed. over 200 people were accused and only 19 were sentenced to death. the rest pleaded innocent because then they wouldnt be sentenced due to the puritan beliefe of the power of repentance and salvation. also the only evidence given was usually spectral, or someone stating that an accusers apparition was harming them.

I read somewhere that the truth to this matter was actually discovered in a journal. One that was hidden in a church by the reverend that placed it there to protect his daughter. Is there truth to this?

i liked reading about the witch trials at first it was confusing but this website helped it make a lot of sense thanks (=

If you were asked personally, and this goes for anyone who reads this question, would you condemn or condone the Salem Witch Trials?

Being born and raised in Va., my family had the chance to go visit some really interesting places, one of them being Salem, Mass.; since then, I have become quiet interested in the whole affair that took place there. The things that were done to those accused was horrendous. How can you pile slabs of rock on a person, and not expect them to die? The whole idea behind this barberous act, was that if the person survived, he/she was guilty; if they died, thet were innocent. What a way to prove a persons innocence or guilt! They really had no chance.

jeanne wright
big-bird62@live.com

The Salem Witch Trials was a very stupid time. All of those innocent men and women accused of being witches just because some girls were acting funny? That is ridiculous.

the salem witch trials truly show a time of misinterpretation and extreme conclusions. the salem witch trials are a tragedy that must be observed and learned from not to be repeated in our present or future.

i think its really sad how they just killed people with like no evidence of them being witches. those little girls were probly just acting weird cause they were growing up. jonathan corwin and all his loser judge friends were lame. but on the upside thanks for the info it helped me finish my homework. finally..

this helped me finish my homework.

the salem witch trials were definitely stupid because they would hang people when no concrete evidence was provided. if the people who decided to hang them based their decisions on puritan tradition which was based on the bible they got the message seriously wrong because the bible preaches forgiveness and not immediate condemnation........

i cant believe that people in that time were that paranoid that they would send 19 people to death for some random thing that was happening in that century and accuse them of something crazy such as witchcraft. And they would make them drown themsleves to prove that they were not a wicth.

i think that the salem witch trials is a very interesting story to learn and know about.:)

i think this just makes me think that people back then were not really smart and they would get scared easily. but then again they could not explain some stuff like the girls behavior... but i still think it was stupid of the people who hanged the "witches" even more because there was really no evidence and i feel sorry for the ones who died

This website put everything in perspective, and gave more perspective on the "withcraft craze" during the 1300s in Europe, whixh sets the historical backround.

This article helped me understand a little more, my basic understanding is that this time in history was a time of panic and a time without answers.

i honestly don't believe in witchcraft & i don't understand how all of those people got killedn & hanged just from 1 accusation. :/

the salem witch trails was really an epic time and this site and this infermation really helped me to get a better understanding

the salem witch trails played a huge part in our american history. to bad it is`nt recognized as often as it should be.

this was very interesting to read but what would be nice is that if there were more facts. and it is sad that pretty much who ever was accused was killed. :(

It was very strange how people were being accused as witches and users of witchcraft without any real evidence and it was even stranger to see that people truly believed in the accusers.

Why were people that were simply accused of being witches arrested with no evidence but the word of the "afflicted"? Was it because they were scared and didnt understand witchcraft at the time? Why does Mankind destroy things that they have no understanding of? Connection to today: The Salem witch trial that took place is kind of like the terrorist that we have today, in the sense that you can just be accused of bieng a terrorist without any evidence and be searched and even arrested in some cases. From the three websites that were given to us I would have to say that www.salemwitchmueseum.com had to be the best of the three because it was stairt forward and interesting with color and pictures to help you visualise what they are talking about and that it wasnt just strait dates and facts like the first one was.

i think this is a very interesting topic, and i wish the article had more information. It feels like the tip of the iceberg.

Ive never really found this stuff interesting because it seems ridiculous how stupid people were back then. How you could just accuse someone of being a witch and then just like that they were put on trial and killed.Just seems pathetic that it was this bad.

This was the most insightful website out of the tree we were given. It states the facts clearly and adequatly.

seriously messed up, lot of innocent people died :(

Those 3 girls had no evidence that anyone practiced witchcraft whatsoever. And what made anyone thing it was the work of the devil? Its sad because so many innocent people were wrongfully accused and hung.

It is crazy how something can get so big, when there was no evidence to prove that any of the men and women were guilty of "witchcraft". i really loved learning about this time in history though, because it shows how hard it was to be a normal person back in the 1600's.

I think all the hysteria back in the Witchcraft Days was all for nothing, because really, all I feel the people were scared of was themselves. They obviously didn't trust eachother, and felt that they needed a reason to what was going on if someone didnt "regularly go to church" or wandered around without a job. I feel bad for the people who lost their lives because of a suspicion, but that is all a part of history, and that is why I am learning about it right now.

learning about the Salem Witch Trials was very interesting and i learned things about it that i never had even knew before :)

These trials were really interesting and actually pretty cool. So that 4 year old was accused of being a witch? Thats seriously insane. Honestly most people were just mentally messed up in the head.Out of 180 that were accused I bet only like 5-10 people were actually practicing like Tituba who actually was.Didn't most of her people practice witchcraft? I honestly think that the Puritans should have been the ones who were hung and the accusers. Those little girls are stupid.Little girls would do anything to get ride of people the don't like. So are the Wiccans the witches of the modern days?

I seriously want to visit that Salem Museum now though.

I think this time era was a very interesting time. I don't think it was very fair how they just wasted a ton of peoples lives just because they were acting wierd. I'm so glad the law is different now, otherwise we would have many people being convicted of being witches.

it amazes me how cruel people can be. Just by assuming someone is a witch they killed them. its ridiculous. ever heard of "dont judge a book by its cover"

I think this is crazy how the mistreated and killed these people when they don't even know for a fact that they were into "witchcraft" or even practicing it.

the salem witch trials were unfair and unjust. the so called "witch's" were wrongfully accused and killed. though the salem witch trials lasted less than a year they were still wrong to start in the first place. accousing someone of being a witch was to rid the blame of odd behaviors of people who were "afflicted" or possesed. athough i disagree with the trials i find them very interesting and believe that they were necessary to have at one point so people could get over there fears.

The Salem Witch Trials are sooo interesting! I'm glad we get to learn about them in school. And I think it should be mandatory for all schools to have to learn about them because their that important!! :D

I find the Salem Witch Trials to be a very disappointing time. The people prosecuting didn't have any proof or evidence that the people were witches. They decided the victims weren't witches if they died in whatever crazy act of cruelty they were put through. This whole thing was just ridiculous to me!

they're stupid for asking a four year old if she is a witch of course she is going to have timid answers. and they accuse her of being guilty because her answers were timid. then they realized they were wrong and tried to make families feel better.

Before reading this, I've never heard about the Salem Witch Trial before. It is unfortunate about the many lives that were lost, and just saying "Sorry" doesnt seem to have fixed what happened. Regardless of it all though, I found it very interesting.

i honestly did expect to be as interested in the salem witch trials as i am but they were really interesting because of all the innocent people that were killed and all the people whokilled these innocent people and how they should be ashameed of themselves. we look back now and think these people are crazy but this was the real world and their beliefs just as we have our own now a days.

learning about the Salem witch trails is very intresting. its cool to see how different life is now then it was then. mrs. dynda its the best!!

pretty good article think it pretty unfair the way that things turned out for the accused and the way that things happened back then...just for having a "fit" people were accused and burned at the stake or hung or drown for that matter.

Why are they killing witches for no reason and they arnt even witches.

Wow.This was so crazy what they did to people who were to believed to be witches. I think that it was completely wrong for accusing people of something just based on their actions. I found it interesting that they mainly only accused women and barley accused men.I was very interested in this article and makes me want to learn a little more about it.

It seems that people never really hard a real solid reason for assuming that people were withches, just the fact that peopl ewere acting a little different from the standards that they were used to, other people got suspicious and blamed it on the fact that they must be a witch.

It seems that people never really hard a real solid reason for assuming that people were withches, just the fact that peopl ewere acting a little different from the standards that they were used to, other people got suspicious and blamed it on the fact that they must be a witch.

What ever happened to elizabeth and her baby? it doesnt explain it competely.

i found the information on this website very helpful!

Thank for an interesting story but I dont get why those people were really weird and just out of the ordinary.

i cant believe that people in that time were that paranoid that they would send 19 people to death for some random thing that was happening in that century and accuse them of something crazy such as witchcraft.

Anybody who died because of a false accusation was treated un-fairly. There should of been real evidence that they were witches and not sick or medicine can not occur. Anybody with a dissability would of died because "they were possessed by the devil." It is a sad time in history.

From the first two young girls to be said afflicted seemed as thought something was not right, as though they could of actually been possessed. After those girls I think it lead to all the bogus accusation because its sent the fear throughout the towns. I think that they should of looked at how many people they had killed and realize that maybe we are just being a little to sensitive to every accusation. I think if they spent more time to investigate there would be less deaths and less hysteria. When I read the part about them apologizing for the deaths it seemed more as though they just said, "Ya sorry for killing your family member." Then they just move on as though they did no wrong. This was an interesting article and out of the three I believe this one was the clearest and most representative.

Pretty good readings. not a lot of for sure facts. and no one really knows if witches are haunted or not.

i cant believe people were so cruel back then, its wrong!

It Really Interesting how back then the could accuse people so quick of being a devil child without hard evidence and killed many people. Some would just accuse out of spite.

I've always been interested in witch craft and the Salem trials.Right Now Were Talking About it in school and i'm excited :)

I believe that the time period of the Salem With Trials was very dissapointing. Many lives were just thrown away for just assumption that someone was a witch and I do not think that it was right at all. Something more should have been done to punish those that were involved in the Salem Witch Trials.

I say that the Salem Witch trials was a very terrible time for women because they were being accused of witchcraft and killed for it, when they really didn't know why they were having muscle spasms and having weird behavior.

It was wrong for the people whom practiced witchcraft to try to force it upon the people around them.! No one should ever try to force their beliefs upon anyone else, it is their decision to believe in what they want and witchcraft is definately not a good thing for anyone to practice, let alone fore upon someone.!!! GOOD INFO.!!!

The Witch trials were a sad time in history and kind of unbelievable that people could be so ignorant. What made the Puritans believe that they were possessed by the devil? Did any of the victims actually believe that they were possessed or just wrongly accused? All three websites had alot of good information the one with the timeline would be helpful in writing an essay giving information on the step by step process of the trials.

The salem witch trials is a very interesting topic to learn about, but i want to know more about what ergot poisoning was.

I think it's unfair how the people that were mudering "the witches" just had to apologize to the families for killing one of their family members. Apologizing is not going to bring their family member back to life. I think that the people that killed "the witches" should have a serious consequence for their action!!!!

I think that the salem witch trials is a cool subject. I think it's messed up how they hung people who were accused of witchcraft & then after proven innocent they tried to say sorry.

This article talked a lot on how Salem felt about the matter and their beliefs on it. But how did other regions feel about witchcraft and did they have similar beliefs?

I never realized how big the Salem Witch Trials were and how much they were recognized as a part of American History.

this story reminded me of the dark age because of the same idea on the witchcraft and how these concepts got fixed by the enlightenment. I think this story is very meaningful because it shows how people might have thought, act, and perceive back then without the concepts of enlightenment.

I really like this site. As I read through text about the Salem Which Trials, it made me angry. To think that people would actually believe that there were Witches, I guess some people may think there is but not me. Back then i could go up to someone and just because they gave me a dirty look meant that they were a witch and they would probably be sentenced to death because of it. I do think this interesting though and im happy that in the end they apologized to the families who were affected but this.

The Salem Which Trials is actually a very interesting subject. Before today I had no idea what went on and everything that happened, and it seemed like for no reason. Everyone finally came to their senses and realized none of this could really happen. It was interesting reading about it though!

This helps me understand how much these people were afraid of difference. The so-called witches we innocent people just wanting to be different. im glad i wasnt born back then

Honestly, I am appalled to how cruel and crazy people can get when in fear of things they are not educated on. They had no other explanations for the ways that these women and men were strangley acting, so they immediatly go to "possessed by the devil"? And then they kill many others without concrete proof that these people were practicing witchcraft simply because they were accused by other fear driven people. Even if this is all over and done with, it is still scary to think that people are capable of doing things like this.

so why were people killed for being witches or whatever they were. and why were they sentenced to death, was it because people were scared of them for creating magic or something im confused.

cool...

I think that the actions of judges and townspeople were horrible. I can not believe that people would accuse girls as young as the age of four, and have them arrested. I think that the Salem witch trials was a big mistake.

It is very interesting learning about the Salem Witch Trials. It's very crazy that so many people were accused and hung without any logical reasoning.

It think that it was wrong to put the girls that were "afflicted" in a position where they were pressured into accussing the three women. If they didn't have real hard evidence on the three women for doing the witchcraft, there should have been no prosecution till there was further evidence.

It think that it was wrong to put the girls that were "afflicted" in a position where they were pressured into accussing the three women. If they didn't have real hard evidence on the three women for doing the witchcraft, there should have been no prosecution till there was further evidence.

this information about the salem witch trials was really interesting to read about. it's really sad to read about what happened to the men, women, children, and pets that were accused of being a witch or being associated with witchcraft. it would also really help to know about the ages of the people who had been hung during the salem witch trials. reading this was a real eye-opener about what happened to those unfortunate individuals during the 1690s. btw, great facts about the witch trials. really really amazing. :):):)

I just want people to acknowledge that these were normal people, it was basically a thing of jealousy. I like how they had an influence over the decition of proposition 8. I'm surprised.I realized that this was such a tragic time for the family and friends of the innocent lives on the men and women.

I think that this time in Salem history was a tragic loss of innocent people. The “witch craze” became popular Salem and if anyone acted different they would be accused of being a witch. Bridget Bishop was the first person to be hung at Gallows Hill. Martha Corey was being trailed for being a witch and soon people started to believe that anyone could be a witch. I think when everyone was paranoid they started seeing things that they never noticed like a little fit from one of the girl was all of a sudden a big deal and they assumed that she was possessed. I believe that Increase Mather had the right quote for ending the witch hunts. He said “it were better than ten suspected witches should escape then one innocent person be condemned”.

this topic is very interesting. I have always wondered about the witch trials and what really happened during that time period.

the way that people were hung without proof of witcraft is very disturbing. Many innocent civilians blamed by children had to suffer because they were acussed of afflicting others with the devils magic. so unfair

Many people who were accused were really just crazy people or had odd behavior, Many were murdered because they were mentally sick. This teaches me that we need to be careful about how we treat our society, and just because someone is different, it doesn't mean we have to make a huge assumption or exaggeration about them.
-April Shippen

"More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft", wow that is a lot of people accused of witchcraft.

very interestingg

The Salem Witch Trials are interesting to learn about. I cannot believe the justice system though. It was so bland and inaccurate. I am so glad that the system has improved. I also feel bad for those who were accused when they had no idea why in the world they were being accused, it sounded like many girls and women were forced to confess and that was disturbing to hear and read, very interesting though.

This webite was very useful and provided me with tons of greats facts. It made the work we had to do soo much easier.

To me, the "ergot poisoning" theory is the only logical explanation that holds water. Remember, LSD is probably the most powerful substance that you could ingest. An incredibly small dose of 200 micrograms (1 drop about the size of a pinhead) can produce hallucinations beyond a persons wildest dreams. Just imagine what a slice of bread that is riddled with ergot could do. And worst of all, these people had no idea that this "trip" was coming on, how long it would last or what was causing it. So you had people looking at other people and seeing demonic figures. Then, you had other people feeling the effects and probably thinking that they were actually possessed by the devil.

I believe the ergotism theory is the only one that would be possible to support such a phenomenon. Lets face it, there are no such things as witches or black magic, etc. It is very possible that the area's grain supply became infected with ergot (a fungus which grows on rye, wheat and other grains). Since this is the basic ingredient used in the manufacture of LSD (discovered accidentally in 1938 by the swiss chemist Albert Hoffman), it makes more than enough sense. I experimented with LSD in the 70's and I was just about seeing things that weren't there on very small doses (200 micrograms) so I could imagine what eating one slice of bread that was riddled with the fungus would do to you. So, between the people who were tripping and thought someone took the form of something hideous and those who suddenly became overwhelmed by the drug may have actually thought they were taken over by unknown forces, it had to have been mayhem. At least when I took the substance the first time, I was told what to expect. Then on subsequent trips, I knew what to expect and I knew how long the effects would last (8 hours). But at such large doses that those unsuspecting people ingested, they may have been hallucinating for months!!

I have recently rceived copies of my mothers families geneology and learned I am a descendent of Rebecca Towne Nourse and stumbled upon this site while doing research. I remember reading that some posters are also related so here is my email address if anyone would like to compare notes. Thanks, Christine

i love the topic on the trials if only those many men and women could have seen the light of day one last time then that would make this article complete im writing a article on the trials and didn`t realized that the trials were such a tragic time for the family and friends of the innocent lives on the men and women very sad indeed

this is a great site! im doing a paper on witch hunts, and i think this is really good. not too long, but it has a lot of info. it was also really cool to read the comments of like people who are realated to people who lived in salem at the time. i used to live in boston, and i went to visit friends and we went to Salem and to the witch museum and it was amazing! this is a great topic, and very fun to learn about. keep up the good work! adele

this comment is to all those who are requesting more info in this report: this website is not going to rewrite this article just to please you. i'm sure they worked very hard on it already. and by the way, it says BRIEF history of the Salem Witch Trials. i understand your frustration...i too am writing a research paper on the Salem Witch Trials, but don't waste your time. it won't do anything but upset the writers of this lovely article. just sayin

Yes, this IS a great topic to learn about but tread it carefully, Witchcraft is indeed real and should NOT be taken lightly. The "witchcraft" you read about on this page is the black witchcraft it is forbidden and wrong. White witchcraft,or Wicca is the study of nature and the cycle of things, such as the moon or the seasons, over all it is a way of life, so if you love nature and have always felt you had a deeper purpose then study on,and take the year and a day journey to becoming a witch but if you want to study for lust of power, back away slowly, no good will come of it.
Blessed be to you all,
I hope you make the right choice
Jessi

As a direct desendent of Sarah Wildes & Rebecca Nurse (both 7th gt grandmothers i found the article very interesting for such a short piece. The Wildes family came over from England in mid 1600's and being a small community many of us are related to many involved in the trials. I have always found the history of this area interesting as also desended from John Winthrop, Ann Bradstreet and many more. Keep up the good work Thanks

i have read a wonderful book on the salem witch trials. the name of the book is SACFIRCE and im not really sure who its by. this website has helped me with my facts that i need for my research paper.

THANK YOU 4 THE INFO THIS SHOULD HELP WIYH MY REPORT

i think the theory about the fungus...is true. I never looked at it that way. that would explain the weird movements, but all those hangings and dead ppl who did nothing, but for the slave, who knew what she saw. It could of been a lost dog or cat, and she took it for the devil. but the dreams, she might of been crazy or i really don't know. But im sure all the girls at some of that rye so there ya go. just a uncomon mistake that no one in history could of predicted, with the technology they had.

i'm doing my term paper on this. unfortunately it's due tomorrow hah. well thanks for the brief background, it's been a help last year i did my term paper on the european witch trials, but i find this story way more interesting

THANKS FOR POSTING THIS SALEM WITCH TRIALS ARE IMPORTANT PART IN HISTORY AND ITS RLLY INTERESTING I READ THIS AND PUT THE INFO IN SOME EXTRA CREDIT FOR MY HISTORY CLASS THANKS ALOT

It may surpise many that the fear of witchcraft continued well into the 20th century. While conducting research for a documentary in the mid 80's I discovered a case in York County PA where a fellow by the name of Blymire (SP?) was accused of witchcraft around the 1930's by another resident who was enduring a series of misfortunes. If memory serves me right, the fellow having the bad luck was advised by another that he was the subject of a curse created by Blymire. Ultimately, an altercation occured and Blymire was murdered. At the time of my research, Blymire's house still stood but the present day resident would chase away the curious with a shotgun.

I have found that my family was related to two or three of the women who were tried. Of which one was hanged. Not all the persons claiming others were `witches' were young females; at least one very unrepentant male also was responsible. The religious climate of the times in `puritan' new england was no exuse for what was sanctioned by a religious oligarchy.

This was a pretty good article for a brief summary. I can't help but wonder why people keep bringing up movies and fiction when there are so many non-fiction, actual, factual books about the subject. I have also read In the Devil's Snare by Mary Beth Norton. Also anyone who posted about the girls learning fortune telling games and getting caught should know that part of the story hasn't been proved. The fungus ergot may have been responsible but I'm in the personal opinion that greed and the young girls finding a way into the spotlight is what caused it. Girls/women weren't even allowed to testify in court without a father's or husband's permission at this time. The men, in my understanding, helped push the accusaions. Also, King Phillip's War played a part. Aside from displacing many individuals in the area, it caused a terrible fear of Native Americans. Many people saw their villages and families destroyed by the natives and since the Puritans were British, anyone who sided with the French were enemies. The natives also for the most part were still being converted from their "heathen" religious practices and tribal rituals. Thus the reason the devil was always a dark man, just a symbol of the rascism the Puritans held. None of us today can fathom what was going through the minds of those there. We don't have the same culture, the same living circumstances. We are now a lot more tolerant of differences than we were then (not as tolerant as we should be however). By the way, if I'm not mistaken, if they pleaded guilty they weren't hanged they just ended up sitting in jail. The ones who maintained their innocence and went to trial were the ones executed. Lastly, I'm still very young, 19, and I only have one year of college under my belt so I see no reason why people have such horrible grammar and spelling, mine is by no means perfect, granted, but some of these posts were unneccessarily atrocious. I'm also terribly sorry that this post is so long.

the salem witch trials are so interesting to me but i hate the girls who accused those poor inocennt souls of witchcraft and condemed them to die. id've hung THEM if i knew they were pulling "the townfolks leg" as the saying goes.

Often females would finger other females as witches to garner brownie points with the patriarchy. Women themselves must take some of the blame for the way women were and are historically treated. Females often lack the courage to stand up to the way organized religion and other institutions manipulate and treat them. The lack of power and the humiliation to having to submit to males causes females to find a way to fill the power vacuum in their lives. They do this by abusing, gossiping and mistreating other women. This has always gone on. As long as women continue to upkeep and attend organized religions, which constantly harp on female inferiority, they wiil feel second class. Stop believing male propaganda, stop attenting church just to look good in public. Stop believing that you have to play nurturing and supportive roles for everyone, you don't. Put yourself first. And if you don't have the courage to do any of the above, don't take it out on other women out of fear of standing up to men.

this really helped me with my salem witch trials research paper and note cards. now i have a little less stress and can think more with less to do.

This was very helpful for my historical fiction book report. I read A Break With Charity

I read a book called Sacrifice and the person who wrote it was abigal's great great great great grandson!

This Article is really good. i really like the topic of the salem trials. im doing a report on it for Adv. Literature

After the initial frenzy, what remains is a revengful attepmt by the Putnam family to exact pain on the Towne family and anyone associated with the failure of the Putnam's land grab into Topsfield, specifically, Sarah Wildes, Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Bishop & Edward, Phoebe Day, Sarah Cloyce, Mary Easty and Elizabeth Howe and the Hobbs family, who were all either related or friends as were the Jacobs and we know that John Averill nephew of Sarah Wildes married Anne Greensleet, who is the daughter of Ann Pudeator, this whole affair was personal. The Averill's and the Wilde's were surveyors, so they were target's and the Towne's family owned the land the Putnam's wanted, so there you have it, that's my story and I am sticking too it. P/

wow thx that actually helped i always thought it was something different but i am certaintly intrested my 8th grade class got to choose a topic about the colonial times i picked salem witch trials XD

I'm doing a 8 page report, On the Salem witch trial. I need as much information as possible. There are so many different stories, on what really happened. What made this all occur? Who were the young girls? What were there ages?. ANY INFO. Would be more than appreciated!

I researched this site just to see how much influence the church really has on peoples lives; like the way they had an influence over the decition of proposition 8. I'm amazed. They used the bible and the church to justify the hanging of people that they thought were witches. The writing of the book Malleus Maleficarum (the Witches Hammer). They used the bible and the church to justify slavery. They did the same thing with proposition 8. What next?

I think it is terrible how the accused witches were treated in the late 1600's they did not know for sure but they were still hung. maybe the accusers were trying to get revenge on the people that werre accused you never know.

I just finished reading a book called "the shape of mercy" and I wanted to see if the facts were true. WOW!!!! like seriously i was astounded to find that almost everything in there was real and what i found more astounding is that this makes me understand what it was like back then. I just finished reading another book with the richer class in England during the same time and now with the poorer you really realize how different their lives where. I got so attached to the different people that were executed and everything that it startles me. wow. i even cried when some of them died. really you guys this is touching stuff and i hope that none of you forget this sad time in history cause seriously, i am not!!!!

I think it is terrible how the accused witches were treated in the late 1600's they did not know for sure but they were still hung. maybe the accusers were trying to get revenge on the people that werre accused you never know.

i enjoyed this compilation; although not complete, i'm sure, it was still a bit of insight into something thats held my fascination for more than 30 years. the information about a toxic fungus causing the "outbursts" experienced by the accused is very enlightening...and highly likely. since we obviously were not around during those times, and all of what we go by is mostly speculation, talk passed down through the centuries, bits and pieces of literature, etc...its amazing what conclusions we can draw from these resources that are available to us.

Jane, I am also a descendant of Roger Toothaker. There is even a family tree hanging in my parents' house that shows Roger and all of his children with their birth and death dates (All of which match up).

As an Archeologist I translated some very early documents, and wall writings, which you no doubt have read. 'Suffer thou a witch, for residing within is the compassion for the sick, the pain of the wound, the hands of the new borne gently handled' I believe this scripture was purposely re-written by Flavios Alosis some time before 325 A.D. Alosis also wrote the Devine Revelations of John, since it is in his hand, and didn't exist until 315 A.D. Alosis was most responsible for the Catholic Church coming into existance, along with all the atrocities they committed, and commit until this day. We did not know of religious war until the Catholic Church showed us the way. Tell me what is evil, and no doubt the Catholic Church can top it. A witch in the Bible was once described as a healer, until it was re-written. The Bible you know today has be re-written many times. You might ask 'why', if it matters to you.

i think killing didn't solve any thing.all it did was make it even worse. didn't help

This is a crazy topic to learn about. Personally I hated the movie because of Abigail Williams.

Wow! The Salem Witch Trials has always been interesting to me. I just hear witch trials and immediately grabs my attention. I am currently doing a research paper on it and learning much more than before.

i think this is a very intersting topic i am excited to learn more about it

OK OK Dorcus was a mistake made on her arrest warrent. Her real and true name is Dorothy Good (google it if you disagree!) She was 5 at the time and she was jailed but was bailed by her dad for 50lbs (something like that). But her name and age are always mixed up. she is in wikipedia too if you want more information.

As you may know Isreal Putnam, that is general Isreal Putnam faught at Bunker Hill. Yes, he is in relation to the Putnam family who took part in the famous Salem Witch Trials. He was born in Danvers, Ma. He did however move to Connecticut. In Danvers, Ma lyes the Putnam House to where he was born. Also in CT Putnam Cottage.

Hello your article really got me interested in this topic, I have a theory that maybe the so called black man was indeed using some sort of prophetic power and knew by giving the girls the moldy bread it would stir up a rucus in the town, I also (i believe) read in your report that one of the girls told one of the accusers that GOD would give him blood to drink, then he supposedly died of some rupture a few months later(which caused him to choke on his own blood)thats spooky to me, they say the Lord works in mysterious ways maybe this was an act of informance about the cruel conditions the women were kept in, I understand the women were very dominated and possibly under a lot of pshological abuse and probably physical abuse,so maybe this was an awakening of womens equality in our country and world.

it just goes to show that the courts do not listen to you today, just like they did not listen back in the Salem days.Innocent people died, and for what? HEARSAY, and may have been something in the food they ate.!! Sad, very sad.

What specifically were the girls doing before they were "afflicted", I've been researching but all I can find is the thing about the egg white in the water thing.

Get over the ergot theory, people. It is just a way to try to make a chemical responsible for the ugliness that lies within the human race.

First of all, I want to thank the Putnam family for chiming in. I was curious if this was a ancestor to Israel Putnam, as I am a descendent by marriage. My direct ancestor was Governor Joh Endecott, who died well before the Trials. However, I must point out to all who have problems understanding those times that they need to study the history back then. My own ancestor, recorded as a very fair and just leader, treated Quakers harshly and was bitter towards them for no other reason than their religious practices which were different from his own. Add to this the fact that England did not immediately recognize the Salem Village church, the influx of slavery, the problems with the food, and the hierachy of land ownership, similar to what is seen today in India, and you have a very volatile mix. While it is most unfortunate the witch trials occurred, to judge those events by today`s justice and moral values is both unjust and unfair to the period. It would be the same as judging slavery today.

It is so sad that this is still going on today in Nigeria http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/nigeria/3407882/Child-witches-of-Nigeria-seek-refuge.html

Not to step on anyone's religious toes, but you need to read Aurther Miller's "The Crucible" or at least watch the movies made from the play. While you're at it read Ianesco's "Rhinoceros". We have experienced fear and paranoia as a nation many times in the past and as a result of many causes. We must never forget the consequences of being mere lemmings thoughlessly running herd like to the cliff. If we aren't condemning people for being witches, then we are condemming them for looking like the enemy whoever the enemy is for that particular day and time. We've done in the past, we've done in the present, and we will do it in the future. I read your reponses and few elaborate on the lesson that we should have learned by now but we haven't. We continue to suppress and malign the unfortunate and minority due to fear. I have no hope for us.

I love how half of the people who commented on this website only came here because of a project... I'm probably the only kid who's come here because I felt like leaerning more about DORCUS GOOD, which is the name of the FOUR year old. Well,here another website: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SALEM.HTM BTW, Dorcus was a clairvoyant and a telepathic

I am doing a project on this for English. And this site helped me a lot.

this is awesome

Did u know that the pets were also tried and most of the tome put to death

Legit story! Gave me the info I needed! Thanks bro:)

I feel I must remind many that these people were not practicing witches or even wiccan. tehy were ordinary people, some practicing Christians - like Rebbeca Nurse. It was pretty much a thing of neighborly jealousy. The Devil in Massachusettes, by M. Starkey is a really good read.

This is a very interesting story. The thing that occures to me is that we owe so much to the unfortunate victums of this time in our history. I am certain that many of our laws were crafted is order to prevent this sort of thing from ever happining again. For those of you who are into research I would like to sugest that you see if you can find out who named the town Salem. I read in THE HIRAM KEY and/or THE BOOK OF HIRAM by CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT AND ROBERT LOMAS, that the city of JERUSALEM was named for an ancient goddess called Salem represented by the morning and the evening star. ie. the planet Venus. Jerusalem, Originally Uru (built for) Salem If Salem was named by people practicing an ancient religion they may have freely admited that they were witches, not knowing that they would be killed for it. It still does not make it right but it would explain why so many were found. Just a thought. Rob

I took a class at Ramapo College on the History of Witchcraft. Socio-economics played a great role in the paranoia on both sides of the Atlantic. Women who had property and those of independent means were often singled out. Also the age of enlightenment encroached on areas that women once dominated as in midwifery and folk healing. The "Age of Enlightmentment" saw the rise in male physicians and the diminishing role of wise women and cases of women being accused of causing miscarriages and other forms of physical maladies wasn't uncommon. What I never learned from my class on the History of Witchcraft was the following excerpt from the article: In 1689, English rulers William and Mary started a war with France in the American colonies. Known as King William's War to colonists, it ravaged regions of upstate New York, Nova Scotia and Quebec, sending refugees into the county of Essex and, specifically, Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. (Salem Village is present-day Danvers, Massachusetts; colonial Salem Town became what's now Salem.) I was also wondering if there were also physiological reasons for the paranoia at that time like Ergot poisoning from bad grain. Ergot often affects rye and if rye was a common grain in the Salem area and affected a whole community's grain supply you would have mass paranoia because of the Ergot affecting the grains to make flour for bread.

I've always loved learning about the salem witch trials. But i never knew so much. I loved learnig about the salem witch trial's because i've alway's been told that i might have had relatives in the salem witch trial's. So thank you for telling me more about the salem witch trial's.

So sad to hear about what had happened in our country back in the 17th century especially with the Salem Witch Trials. Ignorce was common back then, along with superstition and the unknown. In fact any real witches back then didn't actually get killed, it was the innocent that that was killed. If a person belives in witchcraft and the magic that they can do. Then they should know, they didn't get murdered or hanged, or put to the burning stake. they were smarter than that. Magic is real, more so when you actually believe it. that is...when magic is well performed. That is you have to believe it; for it too work for you. For those that died at that time is history, and it is interesting to know our history. talk about with the trial today, a person can be convicted by the testamony of 2 people. so actully there are innocent still today being put in prisons and jails, because of false testamonies of people that bears false testamony against thier neighbor or friends. What we need to do is learn how to live with each other. Even with those who are different from others, including religion, race, or gender. I suggest; like others has already said. research and read for yourselves the trials and remember it is still being practiced today. It may be called something else now. but still the same thing. History does has a habit of repeating it self.

People in the 1600's were very strict when it came to religion. However,nonetheless, they took it a little over the edge and they let their imaginations dominate over true and just judgment according to the Word of God. They messed up, yes, but witches were real and still are real, and it was okay that the Puritans wanted to make sure that nobody in the village was influenced by anybody who was practicing demonic powers. Whether anybody thinks that there is no supernatural,you go ahead and think what you want, but there is.And by the way- Witches aren't good. There is no such thing as a good witch- that's only in the Wizard of Oz. Let's get real here, people. BEsides, the Salem Witch Trials wouldn't have happened if the "possessed" girls hadn't had first visited the Indian witchcraft-storyteller, Tituba. That's how it all started. So, really it was the stupid girls'faults;and the truth be told, they were lying about being under a spell.

Sarah Nourse (pronounced "Nurse") was also among the first nine of the Salem "witches" to be tried and hanged, although she was NOT a witch. She is a distant relative on my husband's paternal side of the family. Sarah was an old woman who had the misfortune to be caught up in a land feud and was "framed" because a wealthy land owner wanted her property and she would not sell it. Therefore, she was plotted against, accused falsely, tried, and hanged as a witch. Her husband tried to get her to claim her innocence, but her family knew she was a rightous woman and would not denounce her God. She faced death bravely. Years after her death, her innocence was proven and her family was able to pay the three coins required to clear her good name. Unfortunately, her name still went down in the history books as being a witch when she was just a 71-year old woman with age spots and hard of hearing. She was a dear woman. I would love to have known her.

While Puritans may be considered "Christian"(maybe only in name), certainly they were not following Christ in this matter, as Christ would have cast out any evil spirits present and healed the person, restoring their health and right mind. It is interesting how quickly people will jump on the "bandwagon" of a natural explanation for the "symptoms", which, mind you, did not explain the "peculiar sounds" they would utter. Is it so hard to accept the possibility that there is another realm besides our own physical realm? - that of a spiritual realm, with actual spirit beings, capable of causing all sorts of mischief, and actually leading, and deceiving the ignorant on both sides to do their bidding? Evil spirits are real, and I have personally seen young children in a third world country delivered from the torment of such.

Many many million women were accused of being witches yet none of them were. Women were burned at the stake simply for delivering children or using herbs for healing purposes or looking or acting in any manner that those men always dressed in black, in the supposed name of God, didn't like. The men of the Christian church. And as far as what took place in Salem, if the history books say that a few hundred women were jailed or killed then you can bet there were 2,000 or 200,000 that were murdered. Patriarchy definitely ruled during those years. Any truly gifted of spiritual women had to remain silent or they were burned. There are so many books of truth on this subject but most definitely not in any high school history literature. I am very surprised at all you commenters. It isn't an interesting subject, it's a very tragic subject. The number of women torchured and burned and murdered was between 10 & 15 million....

PBS did a series also where the ergot theory was more fully explained for those of us unfamiliar with the 1976 book. (the series also included a little dramatization of Dr. Hoffman's bicycle ride). After the initial 'fits' the girls understood the power that they had unleashed. One of the more interesting points to me was that they wouldn't hang pregnant women, but even after November 1692 the chief judge wanted to go back and retry those that had been pregnant.

If only I had this page and all the other pages in the web back then, I would have done well in my "Witchcraft" assignment. I find it fascinating to just learn about the brief history of Salem Witch Hunt and looking forward to learn more from the web. Thanks for the info, dear editor and author.

This is a good article for starting a research project. It gives the basics and keeps it short, like a research paper should be. Witchcraft was defined by Britons as the "Devil's magic", but witchcraft, nor Wicca, are even close. For one, Wicca does not believe in the Devil, and to do the Devil's work in magic would require a conscious effort. It could be argued though. Second, I read people saying they feel sorry for all of those innocent people, as if they were witches they were guilty and should be murdered on that note. Remember Christianity has a history of murdering innocent people on religious fervor, no different that what has occurred in present day America with Islam. It is not the religion it is the person that does good or bad. One should not be persecuted on religion for any reason at any time. When we do that, or for any other reason for that matter, we are no different than those of history we see as ignorant today.

For a day by day account of the trials I strongly recommend the book "The Salem Witch Trials - A Day-By-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege" By Marilynn K. Roach. The 688 page book lists, in extreme detail, the whole affair. If you have questions about the book Email me at pattersonsports@yahoo.com

Just to reminde every one. History repets it self. It might not be the same group of people. But some group some were is having the same thing happen to them right now. So before we pass jugement on them we need to look back so that we don't make the same mistakes agin.

Interesting story. I love the Salem witch trials. So, I must say, thank you for the information.

what a great story!very interesting topic.

The stories are all great. The websites are full of inforamation, however, untill you ACTUALLY go to the sites nothing really sets in.

That's really sad. Loads of innocent people dying because of someone being stupid and paranoid.

Here's a link for a more in depth story. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_ACCT.HTM

I think the girls that started everything should of been hung, that would of stopped the hanging of innocent people. I hope when they were alive they weren't able to sleep for what they did.

This article drew my attention when I saw it was about the Salem Witch trials. My Mother Rosalind Putnam, is a direct descendant of Ann's Family. I have been looking for more info and this has been a good find. Thanks to every one that posted ideas for further research. Robin

I think that those girls' "fits" were fake. And the fact that they were taken seriously is laughable. The girls were most likely brats who had total disregard for everyone they effected. And the maid and everyone else who pleaded guilty probably were mentally unwell or depressed.

I have seen through history how ignorance and fear make people act irrationally, kill innocent persons and then try to fix things by saying "I'm sorry". Many injustice actions had been done for that reason. I think now is about the time to learn of that history and change letting people be free.

I was so interested in this in sixth grade, it's still interesting. Nice artical, it brings back nice memories. I'd hate to be accused though, and the blood thing was really interesting. But I remember my history teacher once saying that sometimes, when people were tried for being witches, they'd tie the accused to the boulder and if she sunk and died, she'd be innocent, but if she could escape, she'd be a witch and she'd be burned. sad, huh?

There is so much more behind this conflict though. It's mainly a conflict that happened in Salem Village between the Putnam and Porter families. It's very interesting indeed. Putnam vs. Porter. But you'll notice that the Porters were never accused and this is primarily because of their powerful status in the village. You can also say that it was a conflict over Rev. Parris and the Putnams against the Porters.

If you're looking to write a research paper on this article, you're going to be sorely lacking in information. Not that this article isn't a good one. It definitely gives the gist of the Salem Witch Trials. Seriously, the internet is an infinite source of information, as is your local library and book store so why are people complaining about an article that was written as just an overview? Heck, if you want more information all in one place, just plug in Salem Witch Trials on wikipedia.org. It'll give you a more comprehensive view of it.

Cool history lesson. Rev. Cotton Mather is one of my ancestors and until today, I always thought he was one of the people who had "witches" executed.

Oh, Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." Beautiful pictation of the event.

Ok, you dont see Witches handing out propaganda. You dont have witches knocking on your door trying to save your soul. You dont have witches trying to "recruit" for their religion. You dont have witches making movies on how evil Christians or Muslims or Hindus are. Witch's usually keep to themselves and believe it or not, try to do no harm. There were no Holy Wiccan crusades! And as for the comment that the witch trials are the reason that we are innocent until proven guilty?? Try seeing someone you love get arrested for something they didnt do, and you know this because you were there, and until you beg, borrow and sell everything you have to get them a lawyer.... they are nothing but a number. You have to PROVE you are innocent now just like you had to then. The only difference is that now they dont burn you at the stake, press you with rocks or hang you. If you didnt have money then to get yourself out of jail, even when the trials were over, you stayed in jail. Just like today. Imagine that.

Salem was not the only town in Massachusetts that got caught up in witch hysteria in 1692. Several other towns in Massachusetts participated in it as well. Andover had more accused witches than Salem, though Salem took it far more seriously in the sense they actually went as far as hanging the accused. It was a lot more complicated series of events than three little girls making up stories to get attention and a town taking them too seriously. And Arthur Miller's ridiculous "The Crucible" assertation of an affair between then 11 year old Abigail Williams and the 60 year old John Proctor is pure fiction. An excellent paper by Jedediah Drolet at Cornell University suggests that the trials were really the end result of family feuding, disputes over wills, and unhappy real estate transactions (Massachusetts was going through a bubble back then, too). Many of the "afflicted" were inlaws to those accused or had been involved in real estate transactions with the accused. Although at the beginning of the case the accused were the usual suspects of low socioeconomic status, most of the later accused were from more affluent families with high standing in the community.

I have been to Salem, MA, and highly suggest you take a trip to Salem. Go in the fall and take both the day and night tours. Judge Hathorne was the great great grandfather of novelist, Nathaniel Hawthorne, he added the w to his last name to distance himself from his ancestor's involvement in the witch trials. Judge Hathorne never apologized for his involement in the deaths of innocent people. The paranoia started with a group of girls who were caught dappling with the voodoo that was told to them by Tituba. They claimed that Tituba put a curse on them and falsely accused others to exonerate themselves. Only one girl later in life confessed her involvement in the plot and apologized for the deaths of the innocents. The elderly gentleman that died (it took him 3 days to suffocate from the weight of the rocks being piled on him) was asked if he had anything to confess or say, and he only stated "more weight." It is all very interesting!

I went to the Salem Witchcraft Museum and they have a great presentation for schools, and the guides are very well informed. They have amazing wax figures, and their gift shop is great just before Halloween. They explained everything that had happened, and give you the facts. The show was really informational and very interesting. The graves of the murdered are near the museum, too. It is an amazing experience.

I thought that this article was very imformative and interesting to learn about. Overall, great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Setting aside the story for a minute, Salem is a fascinating place to visit. If you are fortunate enough to visit over Halloween all the better. Call ahead to book a room to stay as in October the rooms tend to fill up more than a year in advance. As for the article itself, its a very mere outline as to what happened and why. Visit Salem for the real story behind the witch hunt that even included livestock as being "possessed".

I've always been interested in the Salem Witch trials, and this topic gave the jist of what happened. But for some people who really want to get into the history of Salem, where could I go to learn more about it, such as little details, that otherwise are left out of brief history lessons?? I'm not a student, nor writing a book. Just a stay-at-home mom, brushing up on my history, now that we have moved to the beautiful state of Massachusetts!! I LOVE IT HERE!!! Holly

You did a good job, but I think you could have found a little more information. I have a couple questions: When and why did the witch accusations begin in Europe, and where they for the same reasons of the trials in Massachusetts? Also, weren't suspected witches burned at the stake instead of hanged, like Joan of Arc? I'm confused! Like Alex, I'd like to know more about Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams?

I had an 8th great grandmother at those trials, Margaret Stephenson Scott. Glad they didn't go after her children too, or I wouldn't be here.

this was awfully interesting to me but OH SO SAD... i feel really bad for all those ppl who were accused falsely and then were executed... :(

Why don't you people writing papers actually check out a book or something a little more academic than an introductory article. Might as well do a report on a history channel show.

For those of you who are interested in this topic, there is another incredibly detailed book (for those of you complaining of the lack of source citations) that presents quite a bit of new information on a, as one poster put it, "well worn topic." It's called _In the Devil's Snare_ by Mary Beth Norton. One thing that those annoyed by the lack of "hard" evidence need to realize is that there is little; what exists is scant and mismatched, and there is also evidence that suggests much of the historical record was destroyed. There are, however, transcripts of court hearings (The McDougall-Littel American Literature Anthology for 11th graders includes "The Examination of Sarah Good" to pair with _The Crucible_) that you can read, but read them lightly -- it's not as if they had tape recorders to record the instantaneousness of the trials. Further, I agree with some of the people above who have attempted to point out that times were very, very different -- no electricity, no religious beliefs save those of the Puritans, plus a high mortality rate and bitter social rivalries; these are all things hard for us to wrap our heads around. Being a witch meant something very, very different than it does today.

i just learnd about this in us history!! :]]

This story can be found in "The Devil in Massachusetts" Great book

Did anyone see the Discovery special about 2 years ago? Ergot poisoning was the cause of the fits and seizures. I believe ergot is a bacteria on wheat when it gets excessively moist. The side of Salem that had the hysteria had heavy rains. That was also true for the witchtrials throughout Europe. Ergot is an ingredient of LSD.

This is a very interesting topic. I still feel bad that so many people were accused of witchcraft and were executed without proof of it. History is my most favorite subject and witchcraft really interests me. I'd like to learn how people starting getting accused of witchcraft without proof and why someone started it. But the part I hate hearing the most is when people get executed for it. I'm still into this topic and would love to hear more about the history of witchcraft.

i'm a junior in high school and on Friday(Halloween) we watched a video in English class about the Salem witch trials. the video was about an hour long and it had all the same information as this 2 page report did. i find it interesting!! and we are going to start reading eh crucible soon.. i'm excited. my friend and i are going to visit Salem soon too!! We live in upstate NY, so it's not a long drive.

This is a very timely subject, given our politics as of late. I'm sorry to say that the context is very vague and general. There is more information in the play "A Crucible" by A. Miller. A biography of 'Tituba' holds much more information as well. I am a direct descendent of the mentioned 71 yr. old man. His name was Giles Cory. According to family history, both he and his wife (Elizabeth) were in their 80's at the time of these atrocities. He was laid in a shallow ditch as bags of heavy stones were laid on his chest and asked, "Is your wife a witch?" , where he would answer "Bring on more stones!" supposedly it was more than 400lbs. laid on his body before he succumbed. Elizabeth Cory was hung days later. (I hope my spell check works) Yet another compelling and tragic part of our History. We must learn from previous errors.

a time in history we should never forget.we should always rember the innocent people who died and also remember how easy a witch hunt can start no matter the subject.a truly interestin subject to studey.the first book i read about it in 6th grade keep me fasanatide from front to back.

Today i was watching a show on discovery channel and it was about witches and the religion and i thought it was misunderstood that witches arent evil figures ans worshippers of satin but its just a way of life that people dont understand. I bet it is hard for witches but i think it so cool to be a witch i have always loved magic and mysteries.

The child's name was actually Dorcas. The best way to get information regarding the Witch days in Salem is to contact the Peabody/Essex museum in Salem Mass. The Essex portion of the museum was formally called Essex Institute and has a comprehensive library of newspapers etc from that era. My sister-in=law was the head librarian for many years and was an authority on all things 1600's and Witches. She gave my son a copy of a newspaper published in the 1600's. I am sure all of you students doing papers on this subject will be helped by making this contact for pure information.

While this whole episode was immensely tragic, it seems what a lot of people are either forgetting or unaware of is that most of these people had come from other countries where "legal" tradition was GUILTY. . .until proven innocent, which is still the case in some places. They were acting on their legal traditions, and one has to wonder if the history of these local events affected the (future) residents of this area, such as John Quincy Adams etc. and therefore led to the development of the Consitutional rights that were created to protect the innocent first.

Not much has changed - throw a negative ad on tv, appeal to people's fears and emotions, and -- even with resources like the internet in our information age -- you get a very large percentage believing anything and everything. It's especially true in unevolved countries in the middle east and, unfortunately, in adolescent-level countries like the U.S. (the country I live in).

Witchcraft is a dangerous thing to get into... It's not some fun and games that people just get into cause they want powers... once you get in you get deeper and deeper and harder and harder to get out of. The powers aren't just simple. People overrate and underrate witchcraft... for more info on people who came out of witchcraft you should look up some of Rebecca Brown's books.

I read that a hallucinogenic fungus grew in the wheat that year.

Nature is not a witch. The witch hunt is not over. If you believe it is, you have {know} understanding of the forces witch are destroying the earth. Which ever cross you bear, happiness or the budda, you still add to the myth that your history or herstory is important to the earth. Empty mind, fill belly. The uncut tree, no cross to bear.

this was a great report, why are people bashing it? if you want more info about it why not research it yourself? why do you want someone else to do it for you ?

Gods word was the same back then as now and will be the same when we are gone,it condemns any form of witchcraft but it also says you should not murder.You will say that you dont believe the bible and you will create your own reality but what you are staking your eternal destiny on,you also must believe by faith.Oh, but we have science you say,so thats your god? Science has stood corrected constantly throughout history and isnt absolute.IF THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE TRUTH,THEN NOTHING MATTERS!You might as well make your own rules and change them when convenient.I say its Jesus the only way.

Pick up a copy of The Crucible its the story of the Salem witch trials. It will tell u more about Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor.

If anyone is interested, you can order the "Puritans vs. Witches" CD by Dr. Paul Jehle at Vision Forum. https://affiliates.visionforum.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=237_0_1_18 Just click on the link and search for "Puritans vs. Witches". This is a great CD and very informative.

In 1692 everyone relied on rye to make bread. When rye spoiled it grew a mold that caused LSD to become present in the spores. The women who made the bread were often poisoned by these spores and not always at once, it was gradual. Halucinations were a symptom, as well as paranoia. Also, many people from Haiti were slaves in the homes of the people of Salem, and they also too part in making bread. These slaves still practiced their religion of voodoo. Imagine the consequences when all of these people were jacked up on LSD. Not pretty. There are many theories as to what prompted the behaviors and it certainly was not because of real witches. For those who believe these people were truly cursed and were somehow witches need to study history thoroughly. Education helps break down archaic behaviors, and stereotypes.

The Salem Witch trials is now believed to be caused by ergot poisoning. Ergot is a fungus that grows on rye, wheat, and other grasses and it poisons who ever eats it. It causes Convulsions and Illusions and is also used in LSD. It is thought that the girls were sufffering from that because they ate bread or some kind of grain that was contaminated with it. The adults didn't know what it was, so they thought of witchcraft.

Interesting article to be sure, witches being purely spiritual? False. Witches and the practice of witchcraft is very much true and alive today. Some of you make some very good points in your postings but to answer a question asked, it says that Rev Parris was the first ordained minister in the village, it doesn't say he was ordained IN the village. Assumption tells me that he very possibly moved there with his family and he was already ordained. Personally speaking, I think he should have hung up his cassock and retired in humiliation after this farce by his family.

One of my ancestors was accused of being a witch in Salem. She was found "not guilty" and then her husband sued the court for bringing shame on his name. He won and he collected the money. their names? Mary and Thomas Staples Kristine

It is very interesting to understand how this all came about. Quite literally, the local economy at that time was suffering and the colonists needed to put the blame on someone. So people pointed their fingers at their neighbors causing hysteria. Ironically, today our economy is suffering and the fingers seem to be pointed at the sub-prime mortgage lenders. We can really learn from the Salem Witch Trials. By the way, I live near the areas mentioned where the trials and hangings took place. The physical structures such as the prisons are no longer present today. They were destroyed shortly after the witch hysteria because the local government was embarassed by what had happened that they didn't want any continued reminder of these blunders. Today, Salem has museums and tourist attractions that have simulated versions of the prisons and reanactments of the trials. Other than the court documents little else remains as a reminder of that period.

Thank you, The Putnam's family tree, Kenneth Putnam

It is true that some Roman Catholics were accused of witchcraft. One was a young Irish Catholic girl who was caught praying the rosary in Gaelic, her native tongue. She was accused of praying to the devil and was killed. The Salem Witch Trials affected our history & is one of the main reasons that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." (Article 1 of the Bill of Rights)

This is a marvelous outpouring of interest, and by people of all ages. I absolutely agree with Elizabeth and others that children these days are not taught proper grammar and a love of their language. As for the story, it was indeed a nice summary. I am particularly interested because John Hathorne was a collateral ancestor of mine. My three-greats grandmother on my mother's side was named Joanna Hathorn(e), and she had a cousin named Nathanial Hathorn(e). His uncle, not his grandfather, was Judge John Hathorne and known as the hanging judge of Salem. Nathanial did change the spelling of his name to Hawthorne to distance himself from his despicable relative. My mother named me Joan Hawthorne after Joanna but modernized the first name to Joan, something I regret to this day. I did, however, get even when I published my book of poems under the name Joanna Hawthorne. Revenge is sweet!

Salem is a wonderful example of sociological intrigue. People were actually driven by the strength of their beliefs to kill innocent people. I was born in Salem and live in Danvers now. It has charm and uniqueness, and is a great place to visit. The mystery of what actually caused the symptoms, in both the accused and the accusers, has never been completely determined. The hysteria, trials, and murders are shameful. It is sad that things like this continue to happen in many forms of war, and violence till today. The North Shore of Boston, Essex County, is an amazingly diverse and tolerant part of the country. The author did excellent in briefly explaining the primary issues of this time in history. Very good article.

I think that it is great that you want to inform people about the history of our country because there are many foul things that have occured and our government chooses to "sweep them under the rug." Our government is still condemning innocent people to prison and to death everyday just for believing differently and it is an injustice to all Americans who care about our "true" rights and freedoms.Your site was very informative and it sheds some light on a very touchy subject for some people.

I am amazed by this. Who knew? Unless you haven't noticed there are many stories of the supernatural online, but this is the best!

The terrible practices which occurred in Europe were also perpetrated elsewhere by Europeans(Spanish),re the Great Inquisition promoted by the Catholic Church. The evidence can be read/seen in the Palace of the Inquisition in Cartagena, Colombia, which is,in itself, a beautiful place full of beautiful and friendly people. One unsettling fact is the method used in an alleged heretic's trial to determine guilt or innocense. The woman, who could be accused by anyone, could prove her innocense by sumitting to the "dunk test", which consisted of tying rocks around the accused and throwing her into some deep water. If she stayed submerged, it was deemed proof of her guilt. If innocent, she would surely have surfaced! I am thinking that was an easier affair than being burned alive at the stake, as happened to Joan of Arc.

Ergot is the fungus that makes LSD isn't it? Those people were tripping!

i go to salem every year and were planning on going there for our honeymoon next year.i love going there every year we learn new things about salem. you learn more going there then what the history books tell you there more than meets the eye.the only thing i can say is if you never been to salem you must go to find out for yourselfs.just go and have fun....

I would repeat the point that a lot of the best information on this topic can be gotten from the Danvers Historical Society and Archives. Danvers, MA is the land where Salem Village was. Most victims were from there, and this town has not commercialized the trials in the way some interests in Salem have. Rebecca Nourse's house still stands in Danvers, and is a very important place to visit for those researching the witch trial frenzy of 1692-3.

I too found this article interesting. John Alden, son of John Alden of the Mayflower was in is 60's when he was accused of witch craft during the trials on May 28th 1692 . Although, he later escaped.

Also, Ergot was found in the crops at the time of trials, ergot is a parasitic fungus that grows on wheat, rye, and barley. Ergot poisining causes hallucinations and delusions. Something like that in the middle of deep seated social tensions is like dropping a match in gasoline.

i live in Massachusetts and as a resident of Mass learning about salem and visiting i find it to be something we can all take to heart. Knowing that the peolpe then can have bad dreams and be hung for what that dream is to much to bare. I now have bad dreams so i wonder does that make me a witch?

We're not out of the woods yet. If the fundamentalist bible thumpers are not held in check, something similar could happen now. They believe there is "evil" [the Devil at work] in the world and they know who to blame

Great article and a good reminder, as it seems many of us have forgotten; witness what our courts are becoming today. History sure repeats itself. What the domestic violence industry has become is a perfect example.

I'm a decendent of the Mathers. My grandfather has done extencive geneology research on our family and the Mather name is still going strong. I am glad I caught this article. I can now do some of my own research to help my grandfather.

The salem witch trials are a really interesting subject, but i for one also have a great love of history. It still manages to floor me how young girls could just randomly accuse innocent people of being followers of the devil. I feel greatly for the innocent people who had to suffer because they chose to believe a couple of young girls over grown women.

Just another perfect example of how people are killed in the name of religion.

Go find books on the subject if you are doing more research. Although internet is the new encyclopedia, it's best to go get a book. I would personally like to go to the musem in salem. Wish there was a way to be sure of what happened then to make people go crazy.

To Sara B. I am a direct descendent of Rebecca Nurse. I did not know about the "6-feet" occurance. That's disgraceful. I'm horrified to know that my great great great grandmother was treated in that way after her death. I wasn't even aware of my relation to her because I was adopted in my infancy. I met my birth family 2 years or so ago and learned of this. At first I was pretty amazed. Now, the more I find out, he more angry and saddened I get. Again, thanks for the info. Best regards Rick

I often find it interesting how history repeats itself. If this sort of event had just come to rest in Europe it could be assumed that most people should have realized how little validity it had. It is a sad string of events but I must admit very interesting to learn about. What an amazing period of history to have lived in.

Wow, I remember Learning of this when I was in school. Reading it again when im older is really something. It really makes you think how the world once was, and how much we have changed in our thinking. But then again it also shows how much we really haven't changed... hmmm

It is very sad what happened to those people. And even sadder if anyone thinks of what it did to their families in the years after. very interesting read though

I lived near Salem...and what people have to do..is visit there today to see for themselves the history of what Salem is all about.

Nice job on the paper and thank you for paying attention to proper spelling. The 4 year old was named Dorcas, as a person said. I'm not so sure about the present-day names of the towns though. Whoever wants to know more or needs to know more about the accounts of the Salem Witch Trials, really needs to visit present-day Salem, Massachusetts. Go to the local places like, The Witches Dungeon and let them perform for you.It's an eye-opener. Go visit Laurie Cabot also, if she's still alive.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the ergo fungus that was proposed to have caused the halucinations and reactions, wasn't that the basis for the research into the discovery of LSD? So basically if I understand this the girls were essentially halucinating on the natural basis of LSD?

THE SALEM MASS. THAT IS KNOWN TO US NOW ISN'T THE SAME SALEM MASS. AS THEY REFER TO.

THIS IS QUITE AN INTERESTING TOPIC. I HAVE AT LEAST LEARNED SOMETHING COOL ABOUT THE NATURE OF WITCH TRIALS IN DIFFERENT PART OF THE WORLD. AM FROM NIGERIA.

i have heard alternately that the girls ate jimson weed, or that the grain had ergot which caused them to trip, or that is was a land dispute that is verifiable in land court that caused some people to accuse others of witchcraft, just to steal their land. all are believable.

Especially to Mary Truman, I would like to add that Rebecca Nurse was also one of the Towne sisters. A fantastic movie about the Salem Witch Trials is "Three Sovereigns for Sarah," starring Vanessa Redgrave as Sarah Towne Cloyce, who was the lone survivor of the 3 Towne sisters. If you are related to the Towne sisters, as Mary Truman and I are (as well to the Tyler women and children, of Andover, who were also accused), you will find the story and performances especially heart rending. You will be particularly unnerved when you see poor, little Dorcas Good in jail, watching her mother taken to the gallows. I think that anyone who watches this movie will come away with as much of the real emotion of the trials as anyone 300 years removed from it can possibly have. Also, as far as reputable info for a paper or project, I'd recommend http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/ . Enjoy!

I find it interesting that people think of this as something in the past. Recent history seems to point to there being forces around us that would resurrect the logical equivalent of those times. Most notably in the Middle East but even in this country, there are those whose purported Christian beliefs could easily morph into a new version of this or the European Inquisitions of the past. I suppose the lesson is that these types of things are close to the surface in groups within all societies and they must be carefully and respectfully kept under control. I was once told that no more than 12% of the Germans were Nazis and a similar number for Communists is Russia. This election year raises the fear that we may not be far from that threshold.

I've always been interested in this part of history, the early settlement of our country and how the people lived. The Salem witch trials are a very dark part of our history. I feel connected to this era (1600's) since my first husband was a Hasbrouck, whose ancestors settled near the Hudson River in New York in the 1600's, and now my second husband is a Sewall, a direct descendant of Samuel Sewall, the repentant judge in the trials. I tell my children that they have a lot of history in their family tree, and they need to learn about it.

salem is a really cool thing to read about and the thought of witches and worlocks in the 1600's is really cool to think what they experinced and the fear of witchs running around there town must of been terrifying. in my opinon they should have a class in this in high school or at least be mentioned in history class it would be less boring. -M&M

There is a good book out called the "Crucible" by Aurthur Miller. It is based on the withch trials. You should all read it!

Wow !!! What a great story.........So sorry for the families of these poor women............But God is good they tried to turn things around a little too late but they did......God Bless America

For those of you interested in more information regarding the hypothesis, that the fungus ergot may to blame for the strange fits that afflicted the girls who were later pressured into accusing others for bewitching them, may want to look at the website of the PBS series “Secret of the Dead”. One of the episodes entitled “The Witches Curse” explains the hypothesis in greater depth and builds a circumstantial case around it.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/previous_seasons/case_salem/index.html http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/previous_seasons/case_salem/clues.html http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/previous_seasons/lessons/lp_salem_videos.html

Mary, I believe the 'Towne sisters" were Mary(Cloyce), Sarah(Easty) and Rebecca(Nurse). Only Sarah surrvived. I am related to E. Proctor as her people were Bassetts. I agree Starkey's book is a very important place to start when trying to make sense of this horrid episode. As for Dorcas Good, recently many feel that her name was Dorothy- However, look at a lot of the surrviving contemporary evidence at the Esseex museum, Her name was repeatativly spelled Dorcas. And it was a popular name at the time. And I believe she died in prison, not hung, and not released.

How are we gonna judge cases that occured in the 1600s, in 2008. There were different variables then and apparantently actions taken then, were supported and believed to be appropriate by the popular culture.In like manner, a numner of present crimes and their corresponding penalties will be frowned upon by future generations.

This was my History Day topic last year! I wanted to learn about this SOOO badly! But my teacher picked my name so yay!!!

I was researching the colburn family tree some years ago and was suprised to learn Bridget Bishop was the wife of one of my distant gfathers. I can not remember what his name was at the present time ,I will have to look it up, also a strange coincidence, my stepmothers father was named Cotton Mather.

I am related to the Parisses and the Williams. How weird!!

my sophomore year, we read this story about a woman accused of being a witch during the salem witch trials. she was found guilty and they hanged her. the next day they went back to get her body and they discovered that she was still alive. was that really witch craft or did that woman get extremely lucky? that was two years ago and i still remember it.

This article mentions nothing about the fungus on the rye plant. This fungus causes LSD symptons and had effected the rye crop of this time.Much of the witch trials were a direct effect from bad rye.

The most recent history of the witch trials is "In the Devil's Snare" by Mary Beth Norton. This article seems to get most of its information from Norton's history. The contention that King William's War in the Northern Territories impacted the trials is Norton's. The Starkey book mentioned above as a "Modern Inquiry..." was written in about the 1930s, hardly modern. Starkey's thesis is one of religion run wild, most historians have moved past this view. The theory of ergot poisoning, a theory from the 70s, is also mentioned in this thread. Ergot is a fungus that grows on rye and creates symptoms similar to those the young girls displayed. Ergot was quickly dismissed by historians when they could not figure out why ergot would only affect girls under the age of 15 who supported Reverend Parris. "Salem Possessed" by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum suggests that the tensions between Salem Village and Salem Town were at the heart of the trials. Norton relies on this theory to deepen and develop her own theories. Finally, The Crucible is a work of fiction and not of history. It is also not an examination of the Witch Trials but rather the Red Scare. A wonderful play, to be sure, but not a replacement for history when studying the Witch Trials. A quick look at Tituba is a good reason not to use fiction. In all accounts from the time of the trials she is described as Indian. 200 years later Hawthorne wrote a poem about Giles Corey in which he describes Tituba as half Indian, half black. Arthur Miller completed Tituba's transformation and made her a black slave. Even some of the displays in Salem, Ma (not where the trials happened - that was modern day Danvers) show Tituba as black, due to the influence of Miller. The trials have been widely studied and written about, but there seems an endless fascination about this event. Keep studying.

It's too bad that they didn't have the technology back then like we have today, or they would've realised that the rye bread that they ate back then contained the ergot fungus. The ergot fungus, gives a person vivid halucinations similar to taking L.S.D. It's a shame they didn't know this back then, it could've saved a lot of lives, & prevented a lot of senseless cruelty.

For my Eng 102 class I'm supposed to choose a topic do a research essay, The witch hunts were my 2nd option!

If you really want to know about the Salem Witch trials take a trip to Danvers MA. That is the true Salem Village. Where this all took place. Go to the Rebecca Nurse Homestead at 149 Pine Street in Danvers. There is Rebeccas home . They give tours through the summer months and other times by appointment. It is truly worth the trip and is history you can see and learn about,unlike Salem MA which has based it's tourism based on the "Salem Witch Trials"

Abigail, I just want you to know that witches are real.

dont you think that if they were really doing witch craft they would still do it in jail like they supposdely in court with all that pressure and stress of being a witch i think that would be huge hint that thay are not doing any witch craft?

Yes, a sad time in our history. However, let's all realize that God is real, and Satan is real. Satanic power is nothing to take lightly. People of the 1600s knew this and tried to exterminate Satan. However, it seems a case of hysteria and mistaken identity. God uses all things to His glory - the witch trials brought us "innocent until proven guilty".

Interesting comments on this article. Anyone completine research, no matter what the level - high school or college - needs to check additional sources simply because this article is one of many on this sad chapter on hysteria.

This is an excellent summary of the history of the Salem Witchcraft Trials, which I read about extensively while a graduate student working on a master's degree in English. Perhaps one of the most remarkable parts of the tale is that the Father-Son preachers, the Mathers, objected to the trials, or, specifically, to the use of "spectral evidence" in those trials. The Mathers weren't noted for anything resembling liberal, tolerant theology!

I really can't add information but can recommend a visit to the Salem area. We went to Boston a few years ago for a 'working' vacation. It turned out to be the best one ever! All of the history there is almost overwhelming. Their efforts to maintain it is superlative. Likewise with Plymoth Rock and Salem. We enjoyed Salem so much we drove back in our rental for another day. The history and reenactments are so realistic you will think you are back in 1692. It still gives me goose bumps thinking about it. I'm from Southeast Missouri which was still just woods back then and I absolutely loved seeing how our great country started. Even our teenager was amazed to see her history books in real life. I encourage all of you interested in the witch trials to take a trip there. It is more than worth the money, and something you can never read about.

BTW if anyone wants to learn about the salem witch trials is the read the book "A Break with Charity"its a really god book i read it in my literature class

Salem Witchcraft... the "rumor" was spread by a slave. 20 people died. =(. 19 hanged, and one crushed beneath stones. The people were soooo superstitious

Did anyone know, that alot of people who were accused as witches, were wealthy landowners. They would be accused of witchcraft so they could be imprisioned for as long as it took for their land to be taken by someone involved in accusing them. Once again, the rich become richer and more evil, and the poor stay poor and honest. Similar circumstances are still happening today. If you think we have no political prisioners now, you are wrong. There have been cases of trumped up charges, where the landowner is framed, his house and land seized and then distributed amongst those who imprisioned them in the first place. This took place as little as 20 years ago. How many more will this happen to? We will never know for sure

THERE R SO MANY CONFLICTING STORYS ABOUT WITCH. NOBODY KNOWS 100 PERSENT WHAT DID GO ON

Research this: Grain storage in the Salem Ma area during the "Witchcraft" time frame. Ergot bodies These folks were eating grain that had LSD in it. The ergot bodies in the rye stored in cool damp places (the only storage these folks had) had significant quantities of L.S.D. as a fungal byproduct. So that could lend it self to paranoia, strange behaviour, all manner of physical and psychological manifestations.

Salem trials shows Christianity true origins. Extremely religiously intolerant and trying to make Women look inferior in the eyes of god & like the harbingers of evil. This happened in every continent. I.e. Wiping out of the Mayan civilization..... and Columbus taking converting the Carribean in christians and then slaves. (Just to name an exteme few)

I took an educational walking tour of Salem last summer and found out that there was more than religious paranoia behind many of the withcraft trials. Although the article makes no mention, the motives were often greed, jealousy and anger at one's enemy. Anyone could be accused. The sheriff of Salem was a well remunerated and hated enforcer who would not accept a plea of innocence to the charge of witchery. To convince the accused to tell the truth, the standard method was pressing under heavy rocks. The article mentions a 71 year old man who was pressed to death. He happened to be a well-off landowner whose property was coveted by the magistrate. When accused of witchery, he refused to plead guilty and so was pressed under increasing weights of rocks for several days. Most people would recant and face trial, but he would not, and so he died in rebellion against the injustice. Interesting stuff. And this was all happening before the Colonial Revolution of 1776 and the forming of a nation.

I hope everybody knows that there are still witches today...

I FEEL THAT THIS WAS A TOTAL MISTAKE THAT OUR SO CALLED ''FORE FATHERS DID TO THESE RESIDENTS OF SALEM ;[AND THRU OUT EUROPE]; ONLY THRU EDUCATION AND TOLERANCE;SHOULD THIS NEVER OCCUR AGAIN!!!!

...while it isnt set in the colonies, i recommend a film on the methods of how people were accused and interrogated...it goes by two separate titles, one is "Witchfinder General", and the other is "The Conqueror Worm"......it stars Vincent Price as Matthew Hopkins, a man who really lived, and had the protection of the English Crown as he literally cut a path of terror through 16th century England.....

well,you think that was cruel? try slavery,or black men in jail for rape in the 60's but exonerated after the guilty/or (supposed victims) were dead?

When I was 11 years old my Girl Scout Troop took a trip to Salem to learn about the witch trials, Now that I am older I find it intresting to know about what went on during that time period and upset to know that innocent people were killed for others stupidity. But when your 11 years old, hearing about this SCARES THE PO*P OUTTA YOU!!

There are so many good books out there and two that contain a vast amout of information: Salem Witch Trials Reader and Malleus Malefircarum also know as The Witches Hammer. It is sad that even today many who believe and practice are must where a mask so to speak because it is still not acceptable so when you do your papers include that. Remember what is not understood is always considered not acceptable. There are many out there in todays times, most people don't know them when they see them.

It's sad that Satan uses paranoia and small things to try to undermine humanity. He seeks to corrupt and destroy. The religous leaders thought they were doing good to kill everyone, but they were actually doing what Satan was trying to accomplish. They thought they could handle evil, but only God has power over that. Jesus protects us from evil and gives us the athority to cast away darkness, but they went about it the wrong way. We have to use these awful times in history to prevent them from happening again.

The catalyst was a Caribbean-born slave named Tituba Indian. I have often wondered how/why she escaped execution. Also, novelist Maryse Conde adds several interesting angles to the trials in I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem.

This is a great summary for those who are looking to just learn more about what the salem witch tirals really were. I think it was well written and put together. But for those of you who are complaining about wanting more detail, the name of the artical does say its a BRIEF history.

I understand this was a "brief" history, but i was sad to see no mention of Rebecca Towne Nurse. She was one of 3 sisters to be put on tril, was found guilty and hung. Her story is intresting because she was an upstanding citizen of Salem and her conviction was what started the public outcry against the trials. I am also intrested in her bacause i am a decendent, and is whom i was named for. Anyone looking for any information on Rebecca Nurse can find her biography and all documents relating to her trial, and other "whitch trials" documents, at about.com.

We just finished reading "The Crucible" in English. It was very interesting.

Have you considered that this was a monitarily motivated fight between two sets of competing merchants. Start by looking at the addresses of all the people involved and what location their stores were located. Elain

Wow. That's horrible that people were just like accused of something like that. It is really interesting to learn about though. Especially for me because it's really quite funny that my name is Bridgette and the said first "witch" to be hung was named Bridget and she was hung on June 10th. That's my birthday. A tad freaky if you ask me.

Have been to north beach Boston, Lynn, Red Rock park, Swampscott, Salem, Ipswich. Very interesting part of the country. Not too unusual the acts of 1692-93 should be attributed to the ancestors of the persons from this region, given their current social and political beliefs. ACORNS don't fall too far from the oak! They find witches in people who believe differently than they, and false Messiahs behind every oak tree.

Another concrete example of why the authors of the constitution were so right to stictly seperate church and state.

I find it amazing that no one in these comments seems to realize that most of this was about people being greedy. "The displaced people created a strain on Salem's resources. This aggravated the existing rivalry between families with ties to the wealth of the port of Salem and those who still depended on agriculture." Throughout history whenever one group is doing better than another group or people have to pay out more money to help their fellow man someone or some group of people will get blamed. Over the years the following people have been blamed at one time or another Irish, Black, Hispanic, Jewish, Indian, Muslim any and all immigrants coming to the USA. We will not even discuss how many of each of these groups have been murdered over the years. People need to quit blaming others for the mistakes they make. Seems to me life would be a lot nicer for most if they owned their actions.

This is a prime example of the stupidity of religion itself. It's not a tool of faith and of godly virtue but a enslavement of a peaple and it's population that uses fear, brutality, and organized hatred to persecute those whom we do not know opr those who don't wish to see the world as others wish it to be seen. It's no different than the mafia where it extorts money from people over fears of an unknown that can never be confirmed or proven just hypothetized about. In the end a small number of people enslave a population to false ideals and beliefs for there own greed and power hungry ways while not benfiting society at all. Since the birth of the worlds three most major religions: Christianity, Islamm, or Judasism, we've learned that these three will never bring us peace. In fact they've created hell on earth and have killed, tortured, stolen, and raped there way accross the face of this world to it's every known corner. If mankind ever evolved to a point that we no longer could distinguish between race, region, and cultural differences we'd still have the insanity of religion to fuel the fires of hate that seperates us all.

All of this history is very intersting. I love to learn all about the whitch hunts. I'm all into the paranormal and things like that.

The names of all people(i.e.,judges,sherrifs,constables and libelous accusers) should be published under the FOIA, to reveal the scores of current prominent families in Salem, and their decendants that went unscathed(i.e,no scarlet letter, or tarnished family names)and were able to lead relatively charmed lives.

OMG I read the book "The Sacrifice" by kathleen benner duble about the author (Many greats) relatives Abigail Williams. The book was such a sad book. I almost cried. I HIGHLY recommend it to any older 10.

Well, witchcraft is still practiced today, called Wicca :P and the reason they were burned back then cuz the "christians" had everything backward when it came to the bible but eh that's what happens when ppl don't know what they believe in. I am a christian myself and talked to a few modern day witches, things haven't changed much

18 people died and a dog, not 20

I think the Salem Witch Tials are very interesting. I always watch something about them on the Discovery Channel when I get the chance. I cant help but think of all the innocent people that were killed in these trials. But were they innocent, I dont know, but thats probably the most logical explination. I mean, crushed to death by rocks? That must have been a pretty painful death to suffer though. Like I said, I watch stories about this on the Discovery channel and the 71 year old crushed to death kept saying, "More weight" until he died. There was also another person who got hanged that I thought that was interesting. There was a women convicted and hanged because the judge thought she was a witch and she said a curse that went, "God will give you blood to drink" and the person who hung her coughed up blood and died years later. I thought that was really ironic. All and all, very good article.

The subject of witch craft and the seemingly endless interest in "magical powers" is a testament to the curiosity of our species. Morally wrong (by Christian standards) but still all too inviting to children and the curious, witch craft lives on. It has and will be here as long as our species has a mind open to interpret and experiment with the world around us. Its just too bad the same amount of curiosity could not be spent studying Christ. But he just promised "ever-lasting life". I guess that's not as cool as Snape.

I find the Salem witch trials really interesting! I have also read quite a few books on the subject. Oh, and thanks to the people who left URLs for websites about the trials!

Interesting; I read that some research was done on the trials and they discovered that the wheat fields may have been tainted with a bacteria that got into the bread. When people ate the bread, they began doing strange things. They were in effect, hallucinating. What is scary is that people are still targeted today if they are considered different. Not much has changed in over 300 years.

Everything that we were taught in school growing up(a few miles from gallow's hill) is that if you denied being a witch you were hung. The ones that admitted it were thrown in jail. It is a sad story, but you must remember that it was a time of mass histeria all over. It was about wealth and influence. For those of you who can and are REALLY interested, a visit to Salem, Danvers & Beverly is a must. There are tourist from all over the world who visit. In fact the local paper listed over 75,000 people on Halloween.

Sounds like it was used as a means to combat vagrancy.

I am also descended thru the Towne family...Mary Towne Esty, Rebecca Towne Nurse/Nourse were both hanged as witches during the Trials. Another sister, Sarah Towne Cloyce, was also accused and convicted, however the Trials and hangings ended before she could be hanged. She was released from jail and, along with her family, moved away from Salem shortly after. Anyone descended thru this line is also probably related in some way to Lucille Ball...the Townes were direct ancestors of hers.

I remember learning about that in a book but I thought the three girls were only trying to get some drama and action into their lives. Am I wrong on that?

i've heard this many times but it never fails to amaze me. this interests me so much

I am a descendant of Roger Toothaker who died in prison awaiting trial on witchcraft charges. I was wondering if other descandants of the Toothaker(s) have responded to this article. Ironically, I am married to a descendant of Deputy Governor Danforth.

no lie, my 10th great grandpa, George Jacobs Sr, was a pastor and was convicted of withchcraft by his own grandaughter ang he was hung.

A lot of this article is accurate however, not all. The Salem Witch Trials were basically caused by combination of paranoia and fear caused by religious fanaticism, and three very bored little girls who got caught dabbling in something with Tituba, that they knew would be condemned by their parent. They ultimately lied to keep out of trouble, and it snowballed from there. It also ended up giving them the opportunity to get back at a couple of women in the village who had been harsh to them. Reading the actual trial transcripts is a real eye opener, and there are a number of good books that document the events as they unfolded, using actual documentation written at the time. It was my understanding, too, that most who were sent to prison never made it out due to starvation and illness, and that their families ended up in ruin as well...as far as the "compensation" is concerned, for most of the victims and their families, it was much too late.

I LOVE THE ARTICLES FROM THIS MAGAZINE. I ESPECIALLY ENJOYED THI ONE ABOUT THE SALEM WITCHES. I HAVE ALWAYS FOUND THAT TOPIC INTERESTING AND EVERTINE I SEE SOMETHING ON THIS TOPIC I TRY TO READ IT.

Merry Meet! I must correct the comment made by Elisabeth Fokes. Wicca is a resarrected form of Witchcraft(Which has been going on for 1000's of years). Gerald Gardner justsohappened to Re-introduce the World to Witchcraft, in his ever-so-famous book. Furthermore, the Word Wicca comes from the English Word "Wicce" which was tranformed into Witch. I, myself, am a Modern Day Wiccan(Or Witch). For anybody who may be intrested, there is a Great Book detaling Wicca, Called "Wicca, a Guide for the Solitary Practioner" by Scott Cunningham. It has a good bit of historical information on Wicca and Witchcraft. Lastly, some people may not be aware of this, but there are still quite a few Men who are Wiccan, myself included.

I read the play of this book. I love the story and it is so interesting that I just want to go back and actually "experience" the things. I want to learn more about it and probably discover the truth!

I have stumbled upon this website, and appreciated the brief and very informative article about witchcraft. A fascinating topic pointing out the lack of understanding on the part of the leaders of that community. The plight of those accused of witchcraft is devastatingly sad... I am also totally appalled at some of the posters. The consistent lack of appropriate grammar, poor puncutuation, and horrific spelling, saddens me to no end. Are these individuals an example of our current educational systems? NO WONDER our nations' children can not compete on the international level. These examples prove that our educational systems need overhauled. It is clear to me that most of those posters, did not even bother to use their "spell check" before sending their comments. I am 60 years old, and learned to read, spell, and write in grade one in a one room school house on the prairies of Nebraska. I am forever grateful to the 18 year old young woman, who taught me these skills. I am very sorry that the Smithsonian has to be subjected to the ignorance of some of those previous posters. Thank you for your article, and thank-you for allowing me an oppoutunity to verbalize my concerns.

An interesting tidbit for all of you report writers: The reason primarily females and youth were afflicted with the symptoms of witchery resulted from their diet. As stated the area became very populated, and many suffered financial difficulties. Therefore, the men who had worked all day were fed meat as a food source, whereas women and children often consumed more wheat products due to financial limitations. Thus women and children were more likely to be afflicted by ergot poisoning. Check out some microbiology websites, this is one topic almost always covered in an introductory micro course! Good luck, Jamie (Mn)

It astonishes me to see how many people believe in this. To think that people think they can really perform witchcraft is horrific. There is only ONE being that can perform these kind of acts, and it is certainly not "witches" or "wiccans". I don't believe these people control my destiny, or that they can make things happen to other people. The only people I have EVER heard of that THINK they can do these sort of things come from a long line of mental illnesses or are in a drug rehab center! I'm sure there are logical explanations of these wierd happenings.

read the cruciable. it's good.

Since ergot had been known for centuries in Europe, you'd think someone might have thought along the lines of that or some other food or contamination problem. I guess because of their religious zeal, they were prone to think of supernatural things first. So over 20 people were murdered. Lesson learned, I hope.

History is so full of Life and Death. I really enjoyed reading all the comments. Women as a whole have come a long way. (BABY) I was raised a Christian and thought there was no other "right" religion out there. Once I got older and read and heard people talking about their "religion", I left my mind open and learned alot. I still consider myself a Christian but I would also say I am Wiccan. I love mother nature and always have gone out of my way to preserve it and nurture it. Thank you for such an interesting read. Have a blessed beautifal fall day. Take a walk and smell the earth getting ready for a long rest.

my american literature class just finished reading 'the crucible', which featured all the people mentioned in this article. the salem witch trials is very interesting, i loved learning about it.

My ancester was Mary Nurse, a highly respected, wealthy woman in Salem. She had a great family and believed in God. She was murdered at the age of 71 after being falsly accused and convicted for being a witch. Read up on her story. Very sad. She was murdered because someone wanted her fertile wooded land that backed up to theirs. There was not a clear boundry. It just said wooded area. There was fueding. Her neighbor wanted it all so she accused her of witchcraft. Her neighbor was the crazy one! Her neighbor said she was visited by spirits that said to go to the town huxtible (sic) and tell him Mary Nurse was a witch and murdering people. Even gave names of people who had died of things like heart attacks, etc. My ancester was a sweet mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her family had to watch helplessly as she was murdered. She believed in God! She is the one that said, "I am as innocent as a new born baby". She was always very dignified, cooperated, and proper throughout the whole trial. I can't picture what was going on in her mind as she watched all these crazy people talking about spirits, accusing her of murder and them believing it. Then having a rope put around her neck and watching people happy to see her die. She died, proud and brave! (Her crazy neighbor got her land) My herritage..., I'm proud to have come from her. I'm glad I didn't come from the crazy neighbor!

I studied this topic in English last year. I enjoyed it. Those girls were faking, they made it all up, the whole thing about witchcraft was fake. But this is one of the best things to learn about. Did anyone read the play?

Finally, someone identified the site of the witch hysteria as Salem VILLAGE, which is currently Danvers. The modern city of Salem has captured this sad historical event as its own for commercial exploitation.

The information provided on Bridget Bishop nee' Playfer is largely inaccurate. She was not "promiscuous," in the current sense of the word or the 17th Century usage. She outlived 2 husbands. She is noted in the description of the time, "as wearing too much red lace," which she routinely had dyed to maintain the vibrant color. She kept a tavern that was not licensed and therefore not paying the King's tax and allowed young people to gather there and play "shuttle board." She also owned a lot in (what is now downtown) Salem Village, Essex County that was confiscated upon her death. She had previous to 1692, been accused of witchcraft when a "poppet" was found hidden in a building, but was found innocent of the charge. After her hanging her husband, Edward Bishop, and his son and daughter were all arrested for witchcraft. They bribed the jailkeeper and were allowed to escape. Bridget Bishop was "rechurched" by the First Church of Salem. She has yet to be pardoned because it required an agreement on the part of her descendants not to sue the State of Massachusetts.

There is a great movie called the crucible based on the Salem witch trials its very interesting

Great Article All these people saying "We need more facts" ... try opening a book. Those paper things in that place called the library. (2 syllables ... sound it out). It's called "A Brief History", for Pete's sake not "A Term Paper"

I think it should also be mentioned that many of the accused "witches" were widows living on prime real estate. What a great opportunity for local government to seize property.

I wish that our education system weren't failing. I'm horrified at the number of comments here with glaring grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Witchcraft is not "the Devil's magic". Witches do not get their powers from "the Devil". In fact, witches do not believe in Satan, who is a Christian concept.

I found the article intresting. If you truely want to hear more indepth information.. There is a 3 book series in the library on the witch trials. it is one of the best books i ever read. The Witch Trials is a very graphic book.. It also said hundreds of thousands of women died during the witch trails around the world. Another good book on the witch trials is Salems Darkest hour.. A very good book..

As a witch, I find it appalling every day how many people associate Wicca with the Salem Witch Trials. As mentioned before, Wicca was not founded until the 1940s. Please, everyone who reads this, remember this and please remain respectful of the witches. Wicca teaches us to respect every living thing, regardless of differences in beliefs. Wiccans do not turn people into toads. We do not sacrifice animals. And we absolutely do not fly around on broomsticks! Merry we meet and merry we part. Blessed be.

this story has it wrong in some parts. heres a shortened story of how it all went down: the small town of Salem, had just hired a new minister, mr. samuel parrish. a few weeks later, his slave, titabuh, began to teach the village girls games that showed their fortune and future. eventually, the minister found out about it. soon, the girls found out that when they acted as if they were being "bitten" and "scratched" by witches, it broght them attention, that they werent used to. and they liked it. the girls continued to act as though they were being beaten by witches and they were asked who the witches were. the girls, some of which were, abigail, anne puttnum, and ann puttnum senior, began to list names. obviously though, the accused were in deed innocent. the government officials began to make trials, to tell if someone was indeed a witch or not. some of which were, being hanged, burned at the stake, or sometimes, being crushed by countless numbers of boulders. exactly 20 innocent people died. to get an even clearer understanding of the salem witch trials, i strongly reccomend the movie, "Three Sovreighns for Sarah." ( i might have spelled that wrong) i watched the movie a couple days ago, and it was horrifying to watch how cruel those girls were. it was not at all a boring movie, and i think you would find it most interesting.

The comment about watching The Crucible (the movie) was good, but reading the play is even better. According to research, the accusations and trials came to an abrupt end when the even the governor's wife was accused. John Proctor could have saved his life by confessing, but he refused because of the legacy it would leave his children.

i was actually reading a book called "The Sacrifice" which was about the Salam Witch Trials. It had many characters in the book with the same names as the people who were accused of witchcraft in this article. I think it is neat how the book actually makes you kind of know what it was like for the people during that time. I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the trials or just to read it because it is a great book. Note:The book is a children's/young adult book.

According to Durant, many of the witchcraft trials in Europe were motivated by desire to acquire the property of the accused witch. Usually they were widows who had inherited sums of money and property.

Rebecca Nurse was my great great +++ grandmother and I have visited her homestead in Danvers, as well as Salem Mass many times. Anyone wanting to watch a historical account of this event is urged to find a copy of "Three Sovereigns for Sarah" It is a little slow at times, but a great movie for the accuracy of the witch trials and was filmed on location at the Nurse homestead. Any other relatives of Rebecca, Sarah and Mary might like to join the Towne Family Association http://www.townefolk.com/

Mary and Sarah were sisters and Rebeccah Nurse was their sister too, Mary and Rebeccah were hung, Sarah escaped to another town. Their mother Joanna Blessing Towne was accused as a witch in England prior to coming to Ma.I still say greed and jealously were the biggest evil, people ran with it and all the accused suffered terribly with their lives, property and health.

this is fascinating, always will. if you guys are looking for a good read as well as a different take on the story read "The Crucible". not exactly accurate but they got the names right at least and the writing is superb.

As I've always said.. Nothing good has *ever* come from organized religion and nothing good ever will..

It's kinda sad to realize that back in that time if you were accused of witchcraft you would most likely be put to death. And all those people were innocent. It doesn't matter if the families were compensated, innocent people were accused and had to pay for something they didn't do.

This article mkes me ill. I have over 152 generations of paganism in my family both Irish and Italain (celtic and strega magic(k) and more then one of my family members died during what we pagans call the burning times. For those who do not know it Witches dont believe in the devil. The devil is a christian based idea. Christians didnt exsist until way after the pagans had already be around. The Christian religion was created by men to keep women out of power because men didnt like the idea of a female giving orders and worshiping a women instead of a man (aka) goddess vs god. They took pagan holidays and turned them into their own so they could originally convert pagans and bring them into thier religion which they called Christianity. They figured if they switched the names and a few of the dates but kept the concept for the most part it would make it easier for pagans to cross over. Hence Ostra aka Easter and Yule aka Christmas. If you people out their would do your research and look it up you'll all see what I mean. The Burning Times was just stupid men with ego trips trying to control the masses so they could keep their power. Dont hate me for telling you the truth people and for those who think I'm lying look it up and do your home work.

it is really good we don't see these kind if things going on in our modern world.witchcraft is something i know to be evil but those accused of witchcraft were treated and are still treated in some parts of the world today especially in africa is very very bad and unicef must see to it's stopping

If you want to learn more about this, you should read the first chapter in "After the Fact" you can find it any where, ebay should be cheap considering that it's still used by many highschool AP classes (such as mine) and colleges who teach Early American history.

Don't forget poor Rebecca Nurse. I live in Danvers and frequently visit her homestead. It's a wonderful place. Her grave is there and also a monument to those who supported her during the trials. http://rebeccanurse.org/RNurse/Homestead.htm

I've read one reason for the accusations was greed not witch craft, some owned large plots of land making a few jealous, does this have any validity? Land and goods were confiscated when they were found guilty and hung, Miles Corey wouldn't answer the charges and his heirs kept his land and property. Does anyone know about this theory?

I visited Salem in 2008 with my 8th grade class. We saw the place where the hangings occured. We walked around Salem, and learned about how some were convicted just because they maybe sneezed odd. It was amazing to learn about how people did things back then. This was really good and legitimate information. Thanks for sharing.

Salem witch trial very interesting.

http://members.tripod.com/Lord_Grey_Wolf/burn.htm#list2

The term "Witch Trials" is a soft term for mass murder. These slaughters in Salem, England, Scotland, everywhere that Christianity held sway, are a strak reminder of what can come about in the name of religion during difficult times. The old, the infirm, the loners, those who knew the arts of healing, those were the targets of this hatred. Be ever mindful that the vast majority of these innocents were women. Then look to today and see what religions offer as roles for women.

for information regarding real people that practice real witchcraft see witchvox.com...it has accurate information on the practice of witchraft (wicca) and can banish all the inaccuracies the general public has..blessed be

For those who don't know, look up "ergot poisoning".

Here is a little more informaation people might be interested in. When the bible was being transelated. There was a mistake by one of the monks working on the king james version. He transelated, Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to Live. When in fact witch should have been poisoner. To this day the mistake still remains. This has brougt many problems to the practicing witchs of our time and the past. A witch does not believe in the devil, That is a christian concept. I believe more research should be done on the bible and this mistake should be corrected. This is my oppinion, and I am welcome to it, lol. I have been mistreated, lost jobs, ect.. because of a man that lived many years ago. When will we as a religeon finally be allowed to worship, as garanteed by the constatution? Blessed Be Master Elf

Why is everyone asking for more info when the title states "brief"? Actually this article is a nice refresher. Events such as this should be forever kept near the front page of American life.

Wow. If you question a four year old girl about her mother being a witch, duh she's going to be timid! I would be! Geez, these people were paranoid! It is SO interesting though.

It's true these witch hunts were a very bad thing but this statement is simply false. Hundreds of thousands of supposed witches—mostly women—were executed. Hundreds of thousans of people WERE NOT executed. For the real facts on what happened, check out anything by St. Louis University professor, Thomas Madden. Even though these trials were bad, they were far less widespread and intense than most people believe. Thanks!

There is a really good play called "The Crucible" i'm not sure how excate the facts are, but its a really good play to watch. there was also a movie made of it..starring Daniel day lewis as John Proctor and Winona ryder. ohh and one of the judges name from the trial was Judge Danforth

I believe witches but I don't believe they would hurt anybody. When I went to purgatory chasm in Newport, RI where they would push the witches off the rocks and I could feel the lost souls of the dead around me.

I studied the witch trials and hunts throughout Europe and in the country and this article is a good start to the American trials. Sadly, the truths of the European trials and what the church was truly searching for will never be acknowledged.

that was really interesting, i was watching a movie,(not really serious, monty python.) and they accused a girl of being a witch they wanted to burn her, i thought they had even more ways of killing a witch

people fear what they cant understand, hate what they cant conqure i guess its just the fury of man(women too) Nas

All i can say is im a glad i dont live in 1600s. Shocking treatment to people the greed of some was more inportant than a persons life. In most cases it was the lords or governers of the states spreading rumoures so that they had more land intitlements and the the finacial wellbeing would be much greater giving them more room for control and stability. At a time were people did not have the knowladge or no how in these bisare devil storys they were frighted in too hanging people and a few other ways of exacuteing the ment be guilty wich was a lot worste than hanging. Storys which turn your blood cold. I would like know more about Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams? .

Another good read with facts is "The Devil in Massachusetts; a modern enquiry into the Salem Witch Trials", by Marion L. Starkey. This is 'an authentic historic narrative' which tells the names of the accused and their fate, as well as their backgrounds. My relatives are in the list; Mary and Sarah Towne, often referred to as 'the Towne sisters'. You won't be able to put it down until finished!!

Dear Erin, I very much hope that you will research the 'Burning Times', as the decades-long mass murder of OVER 10,000 women in Europe is called, My number is correct. This was initially a fear/hate response to accusations by ignoran tpeasants to people (originally just women) who MAY have been practicing another religion than Catholicism or early Protestantism. Eventually many men and children, and, believe it or not, even animals were accused, tortured, and condemned! Remember the massive killing of cats in British history, which led to the Great Plague by allowing the infected rats to multiply uncontrolled? That was part of the hysteria; please Google and or Wikipedia any of the teerms and words in the excellent posts here, Erin...there is so much to learn about our cruel European history =(

i really love the salem witch trials. nothing else like this has happened in history. and if it has it hasnt been very public. but thats what makes it so cool.

The four-year-old girl's name wasn't Dorcas, it was Dorothy, but it was spelled wrong on the arrest warrant and the misspelling got carried over into other literature.

I think that instead of the accusing the people of being whitches the accuse them of being a tad crazy! so maybe all of this could be based on a tiny lie that got out of hand, and maybe we all need to get back to the basics.

i thiink this is a very good topic for 7th & 8th graders to lean about!!!!!!!

this is so awesome! i hope you decide to make another web page about the Salem Witchcraft Trials.

Blessed Be to all , as you do your research on THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS, please educate your peers and family on the good that witches are about. Help us banish the sterio -types of the wort nosed , green skinned , turning children into mice creatures. We are beautiful being inside and out. We don't wait until festive holidays to speak and smile at one another, we do it because we are content with our lives and loves. This is because we ARE earth loving , tree hugging , barefoot in the park , getting close to the elements and ourselves type of people. So the next time you're out and a random person is smiling at you for no perticular reason , or helps you out without looking for anything in return but your well being. You may have just encountered the love of a witch being spread to you through a force greater than life itself , a force of hope , that everything will be ok if you just allow it to happen. Remember "HAPPINESS IS A DECISION". Teba Tituba W.

I would be making an unwise generalization if I said this about all of you, but SOME of you seem unable to grasp the facts that a)things like this were considered much more serious and mysterious in those times, and b) old laws were quite different from the ones we have today. Also, some of you might need to consider taking a remedial English/grammar/spelling course; your grammar is terrible. I do, however, think that it is a horrible thing that all of those people were killed.

I teach high school and the truly sad part was once they burried everyone after the hangings they did not dig "six feet." When the first rains came limbs were exposed and they had to re-burry most. In fact, Rebecca Nurse's family was so disgusted they removed her body from a mass grave and burried her on her propert. I leanred this when I visited Salem in 02.' A tour guide told our group this.

read this whole page it so sad that we live in a world so absent mineded i feel so bad for all those people who died they did nothing wrong .weather they belived in something magical was there own bussines,sometimes we all have a piece of magic in all of us, it strange we are stiil repeating history wearther it is religion or what color we are.it should not care god made us all different for a reason we all have diffrent back rounds for all of us to learn from each other.we all have been touched by the graces of god in our heart as well of those who have been presacuted in salem wicthes trials.we do not have the right to judge one another that is god and god alone.............

wow this is really all true i am reading the crucible in my english class and im looking up info about the salem witch trials and all i can say is wow

im doing a story on the Salem Witch Trials and it is a very interesting topic

how many people were imprisoned?

Giles Corey, to answer a question above, refused to enter a plea when charged. Under the law at that time, one could not be convicted unless one entered a plea. Mr. Corey knew his chances of acquittal were very slim, to say the least, and knew likewise that conviction would bring about seizure of his farm and other assets, leaving his wife a pauper. When he refused to enter a plea, the authorities decided to induce him to do so. Although torture was nominally forbidden, he was taken to a nearby field and "pressed:" a board was set on his chest and heavy stones were set upon it in an attempt to get him to plead guilty or not guilty. Mr. Corey's only words were "more weight." He eventually died of suffocation, unable to expand his lungs against the stones on his chest. Because he was not convicted of anything, his farm passed to his wife, as he intended. He was a remarkable man: most people in his situation would enter a plea of "not guilty," in the hopes that the court would acquit them and allow them to return to their homes and families. Mr. Corey, having realistically assessed the situation, sacrificed himself to protect his family.

This is a really cool topic. If you want to learn more about it, read The Crucible. I liked it. I also wonder, who decided these were the ways to test if one was a witch? I think that would be highly interesting to learn. (Being a Grammarian, I also agree that the people in today's public education system are royally screwed in the way of education. ^_^)

This is also a topic that is frequently presented in college history classes. In my History ! class at a local Community College a very illuminating project presented the actual historical records of the trial and the presentation by Cotton Mather. (Note for Alexandra) I agree with Elizabeth, people, you need to study history, not just Google up data, or use Wikipedia. History does repeat itself, if not remembered. Personally, I think the state of required K thru 12 is abysmal due to lack of funding by local, state and federal governments and that most people with high school educations are hardly literate much less functional. When I got to college as a freshman and sat in a Geology 1 class, I thought, "why isn't this taught in high school." And then there's Physical Anthropology which teaches that the fossil record traces the fact (not theory) that the gills of a shark have the same number and identical placement of bones as in the human ear, and the it's fin has the same number and idential pacements of bones as in the human hand.

what happened to those people is scary to think about but very interesting to learn about.

What a deeply shallow article, which could have been written without ever visiting Salem. I live in Salem and I am descended from two different women, from different families, who were hanged in 1692. One would expect Smithsonian to publish a more original take on this well-worn subject.

i would like to know what the historians quote, and think about the trials. i need to know how they interpreted those events.

the salem witch trials are a very fascinating subject and it interests me alot.

To kill another human is against Christian beliefs. Yet, they hanged too many people, contrary to to God's word. Religion is about increasing the wealth of the church, not to spread the word of God.

I do agree with the fungus theory behind the causes. However, often the motivation behind most of the crimes is money and wealth. I am not sure if any records are available from those days but it might be interesting to study and trace the whereabouts of wealths of those who were accused and/or punished/killed during that unfortunate period. This might throw some additional and interesting new light on the subject ... but then this is just a shot in the darkness.

Witch Hunt, Spanish Inquisition, Getting rid of infidels, fight against religious extremists... "We humans are happiest when we kill in the name of God." Holly Cow! That's a good concept, not for B.King or McD.

Reading the comments above so many of them don't realize how little religious freedom there was in the early days in New England. The men mostly the leaders of the church were in charge of everything, what they said no one question. You went to church, if not you were punished. The women had no rights what so ever they could not speak in church or in the meetings. So when some of the women started to question the leaders, then the though they could be witches came up. It got carried away from that like a wild flower. The purtians did not come to the America for religious freedom, they came for freedom for theirs and only their religion. If you did not like it then things happened. You most likely would be punished.

I entirely agree with an early comment about the inflated expectations of many of those who posted comments, those who expected much detail from an expressedly basic article to assist in writing their college reports. What equally worries (and astonishes) me is the semi-literate nature of a not inconsiderable number of postings made by those who are currently in the educational system. A preponderance of appalling spelling is the foremost feature. The 'cut and paste' nature of internet-based study only aggravates this. It is characterised by the adoption of statements without critical thought (and often without due attribution - ie plagiarism), combined with poor grammar and even worse spelling. The educational system must address these problems for what they are. Poor literacy must not be overlooked in assessments. As for the blind and unattributed adoption of other people's thoughts, these same students will, if left unchecked, do exactly the same thing in universities - where plagiarism is treated seriously - but not see anything wrong in doing so.

Great job Elizabeth, I agree with every word. If anyone wants more info on the witch trials and wants the real feel watch Three Severeigns For Sara. This movie is very touching and moving. You can find it at amazon.com right now for $19.99. This is the closest to the truth as possible movie wise. As for the crucible all is well, but it is fiction as well as fact. In the crucible a lot was changed like ages of the characters as well as afairs that never really occured. The best way possible to learn is researching online and the library. Look at every website and read, read, read. Trust me. For others that can adventure into Salem, Ma, they have great historical tours that can teach you about all the history. Also great museums. You will learn about more than just the trials as well. Good Luck and Happy Trails.

who were the so called "troubled girls" that were said to be possesed by the Devill?

I am astounded by how many people have posted complaints on this page (mind you with improper spelling and at times, improper English) demanding that the person who did the research for the page do your own research projects! As an historian, I am nothing more than dumbfounded by your lack of interest in doing research on your own! While the internet is a source for information, by no means should it be your ONLY SOURCE. This is by far not the only page that I have looked at concerning the Salem Witch Trials (and yes, I have something that many people consider antique these days - books on the subject at my local library) that I have seen with demands of similar discourse. As for the author, You did a nice job on the summary. In response to a few of the posters: the person who asked why it only happened in the Northern Colonies instead of also the Southern ones: Simple - the Puritans lived in the North. Please look at the history of the colonization of the United States and it may answer some of your curiosity ;) For the person who seems to think that Wicca and the Witch trials are the same: Wicca was founded in 1948 by Gerald B. Gardner. Lastly, as a person who is descended from several women named Dorcas, it was an actual name, not a "nickname" of Dorothy.

Why do you think the witch trials occurred in the Northern Colonies and not in the Southern Colonies?

For the person who wanted the names of the judges at the Salem Witch Trials go to site: http://www.Salemwitchtrialsfacts.com and you will find their names.

these people should not have been accused like they were. these people obviously didnt know teenagers if they believed them over the adults that were convicted.and anywyas there is nothing wrong with magic and witchcraft. i myself am reading about wicca and its very interesting!!! ;)

I am a decedent of Maragaret Scott who was one the last woman killed in Salem Trials. This is a recent discovery and we don't know too much about her yet. I have been fascinated by the trials since working on the play The Crucible in high school. It was neat to find this link to the story. It is especially neat since I am Wiccan. I am not saying that these woman were witches as in following a religious bend, but they probably were healers in their village and had much to much "power" for people to be comfortable with them. The children could have heard conversations about this and choose those who their parents disliked. Hard to tell. I do find the theory about the grain to be the most plausible reason for all that happened.

If any body out there knows the name of the judges at the witch trails please E mail me.Thank You

After many years of family research and finding that the Dodge Family of Beverly, Mass was in our family tree, I began studying the Salem Witch Trials. No Dodges were accused of witchcraft but interestingly enough several of those hung were in-laws to the Dodge clan. It puts a whole new focus on history when you realize that your kin was impacted. For those who have posted comments that they feel this website is lacking in information on the witch-trials, let me point out all one needs to do is "google" the words and you will find many sites with additional info. An excellent one is www.salemwitchtrials.com. Watch the movie "The Crucible" which is about the trials. Some facts are changed such as John Proctor's love interest with Abigal Williams and their respective ages, however the accusations, trials and hangings are the real deal. Good luck to all in your pursuit of life's history and it's mysteries. Signed 60 years young, Valerie.

I'm a descendant of Susannah Martin, who was hanged in Salem in 1692. She was an outspoken older widow who lived in Amesbury/Salisbury and was named as a witch (presumably because she was "casting spells" on her neighbors animals who died)and tried. She denied the accusations, yet they hung her anyway. It is very sad to read the accounts, and although we may never find out the truth, I do NOT believe these women (and men) were witches. It is sad when superstition, rumors and fear take over people's hearts and they act without thinking or considering the source or the consequences.

THIS ARTICLE ON THE SALEM WITCHTRIALS WAS VERY INTERESTING, I'M VERY INTERESTED ABOUT WITCHCRAFT EVEN THOUGH I DO NOT BELIEVE IN IT

The Salem Witch Trials were an event that is not lost in history.The subject is one that I have spent a many of nights wondering about and I am sure that I will spend many more in the same way. I understand the realm of the unknown. Learn it well or we may be destand to relive it.

For all those who say facts are needed, it's not possible, there's too many unanswered questions around these trials.

i love reading about a this stuff i've always been interested in the witch craft and its history

well to let those of you know there are still alot of so called Witches aka Wiccan or Pagans who are still getting critizied for their Belieffs. I have done alot of research on the religion it self and it has nothing to do with the "DEVIL" or "DEVIL WORSHIP"...

I think that this is a good web site but, you need to put on more about the afficted childen in this event . Like boighaphies.

I'm write a research paper for my engligh, this information, was very help for. I Thank You ..

I have been seaching the Salem Witch trails and thngs for the past 10 years. My son acually did it by getting me to watch Charmed, I know thats the Wicken Way nor is it really posssible sometimes when I am waching it I wonder if there are really witches out there that can do good stuff like that , even though I know its only a T.V show, it makes me really belive that there most likely now or in the 1600 the are good wiches out the waching over us.Some poeple think its crazy and its not even posssible at all but I beleive it really could be or is true. Thank u for the things u gave me to reas and discover. I hope to fine out more. Alli

i think this is a very interesting topic, and i wish the article had more information. It feels like the tip of the iceberg.

well can i find the date of last change???????

THis is a very intresting topic to do and a very good one for a reasearch papper for any seniors

I am the GGGG+Granddaughter of Sarah Pease and although the death of the others accused is important, I would like to learn what happened to Sarah and others like her after the hysteria died down. This article is well written, but only a beginning to a great many that have been written.

how did this website find the informatio n. if a book what book?

im doing a reaserch report and this helped but i need an authors name and when this article came out.

I learnt about the subject during my history studies in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. I think that history shows us many examples of mob-behavior that lead to disasters. In my mind I can even see the seeds of cruelty from Salem in the 20th century Nazism.

Iam doing a web hunt on the Salem Witch Trials, for school. And I have really always been interested in stuff like this, and it seems like people have alot to say about Witch Craft,and the trials of the Salem so called witche's. And there is alot of theories about it, but no one will ever know the REAL story or TRUTH about any of this. And that really suckes, but we just have to accept things for what they are and how they come to us. C ya...P.S I beat myself up pratically because I really want to know the actual TRUTH, but thats life and every thing happens for a reason. So like I said we will never know the actual truth. J.B

This was fascinating, not just the 'brief history,' but all these comments. A few are by people whose ancestors were directly affected by the witch trials; many are by students looking for help for research papers. My problem with this article and others in what's mostly a gorgeous, glossy magazine is the lack of footnotes and bibliographies. If the editors would simply ask the authors to provide this rudimentary information, students could seek out the works they need and read them firsthand.

I am very interested in the facts and the names of all who were named as witches,and those who are there ancestors.My mothers maiden name was Owens. I have heard that there were witches in our family. I would like to go back into the book of names to see if any of those accused of witch craft are ancestors. Please let me know if and where I could find this book.

this is good for my hisocial fiction book report it helps a lot on the book i read called "the witch of blackbird pond."

i cant figure out how to get this page in MLA format. could someone help?

I think this site is very helpful for many of my projetcs!

Hi. I think its totally stupid that people didn`t have fair trials. I think the judge was friends with the person acting and teamed up against the suspected witch. Or The beleived possed person was really acting screaming,throwing theirself around the room and the judge beleived everything. If you should tell me they should have a judge thats not gullable and unfair!!!

this is very sad to many and to me tell more about the kids.

I love history. This is one of my favorite units. I`m part puratin but that dosent mean I agree with them.

This act of violence was very rong!

omg this is so great!!!! I got an A on my project

I'm very intrested in historical witch trials i love the movie The Covanent because it was so good, about different withes and everything else. I try to get on the Internet to look up the witch hunt in salem. My friends think i am wierd because i enjoy reading about things like that but its the truth. see you later

I am a student at a University in California and we were discussing this in our American Lit. class yesterday. Someone mentioned there has been information brought out that the grain, eaten by both humans and animals, may have been tainted with a mold spore or some other biological naturally-occurring toxin and that is why people had "fits" and that the cattle dropped dead. There are so many things we now know about now that people didn't at that time. Also, people can consume grain or other foodstuffs that are contaminated in some way and all react differently. This may be akin to people eating poisonous mushrooms or other such things that people now consume to intentionally produce hallucinations. Something to think about. We also brought up the point that when people are confronted with things that are unknown to them, they still sometimes react by ostracizing or labeling the people involved as suspicious.

This is horrible:( I am a report on them and everything is so upsetting. I think the girls should not have said that those people were doing it if they wer'nt.

Ok, so I have to write a short story on this topic, and I can't figure out a way to start it. Can anyone tell me what events led up to any of this happpening?

i have heard that the 4 year old daughters real name was dorcas. i read this in a book written by a historian. is her name dorcas or dorothy or is dorcas a nickname of dorothy?

hi, i am doing a history day project for school and i was wondering about the things below. It would be awsome if your able to answer these questions. You might heard from me and 2 other of my friends again. thanks a lot. -Was the Salem Witch Trial a hoax or not? -How did they deciced to stop. -What changed there minds. -Wat are there names?

The abuse of judicial process which was evident from the very beginning in the Salem Trials should be a lasting warning to all Americans. This is what happens when you allow the religion and the government to make common cause. If anything deserves to be classified as "evil" it is the behaviour of the upright Puritan community which allowed children as young as 4 years old to be pressured into making testimony that enable their own parents to be executed. It is all a matter of public record. The Puritan community preferred to be drawn into a maelstrom of paranoic fundamentalist superstitition rather than investigate the matter properly. In the end it destroyed the reputation to the extent that the remaining residents decided on a name change. The perpetrators of this persecution were allowed to get away with a partial apology and the claim that they never meant to do harm. I find that the hardest thing to believe about this whole incident. The rhetoric of some of the candidates in the American election seems to reveal that religious mania continues to keep the electorate from looking at the facts as it did during the time of Salem, Massachusetts when the entire community was in the grip of self-destructive "Christian" paranoia.

the salem witch trails are very interesting, but then seem a little off to me because it was young girls who were accusing older woman of witch craft. what i wonder is that back then families would pass on farms to the oldest son. the younger children were most of the time left nothing especially young girls. these girls feared they wouldn't be married and have no land. so my question is "were these young girls targeting older woman for competion of marriage and land? once these supposed witches were exacuted, their lands were avaiable. plus these women were not ever given a fair trail. these women said they were innocent, but still the courts didn't believe them. that is something to look at. but of course maybe it was diease that caused these strange behaviors to young girls only.....

tells you every thing that you would want to know

this is a really good site to find info on. I am using it for a project for National History Day. It is a good thing i found this or i would have been completely lost.

I personally think this website needs to have more information about the Salem witch trials because at our school, a lot of people are doing this project so if you got more information on this topic, more people would probably come on your website than most people do now!

Wow!!!!!!!! Salem sounds like a awesome place!!!that whole thing was freaky

thanks, im doing report on this topic and i had great information! awesome.

is the ipaswitch clan real and did it even happen like in the movie the covenet

This information helped me with my research, but do you have any more?

Thanks for the info. I'm doing my history fair project on one of the witches Bridget Bishop and this info helped!

I REMEMBER A STORY THAT ONE OF THE ACCUSED DENIED BEING A WITCH BUT ADMITTED BEING ROMAN CATHOLIC AND WAS HANGED ANYWAY. I WAS ALSO UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT COTTON MATHER WAS NOT THAT HELPFUL AND THAT THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK WAS ACCUSING THE GOVERNOR'S WIFE OF BEING A WITCH.

One thing puzzles me which no one seems to have mentioned. In the 3rd paragraph of this excellent summation, the author states that: "Controversy also brewed over Reverend Samuel Parris, who became Salem Village's first ordained minister in 1698..." But then in the next paragraph, we have the following: "In January of 1692, Reverend Parris' daughter Elizabeth, age 9, and niece Abigail Williams, age 11, started having 'fits.'" So how could "Rev." Parris be regarded as a "reverend" in 1692, six years before he was ordained? And if he wasn't ordained until 1698, how come he wielded such authority in 1692? And--even more to the point--why on Earth would the Church ordain him after such a horrible fiasco as the Salem Witch Trials--which were the scandal of all New England by that time? And, of course, I shouldn't even have to point out that the Salem hysteria had nothing whatsoever to do with any form of actual Witchcraft. None of the accused (with the possible exception of Tituba) were practitioners of Witchcraft or any other magickal tradition. They were all devout Christians. This is a case of fundamentalist Christians turning on their own people, in the complete absence of genuine Witches. And it is certainly ironic that today, Salem is the "Witchcraft Capital" of the entire US, with more actual Witches and Wiccan businesses than anywhere else. Blessed Be, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, Headmaster Grey School of Wizardry www.GreySchool.com

If my memory serves me correctly, Harriet S. Tapley wrote "Chronicles of Danvers" which is very accurate. Also, Richard Trask of Town of Danvers Archival Center is a recognized authority on this subject.

Actually I have researched Sarah and her daughter, and while in prison, Sarah's daughter, who was 5 years old at that time was also charged with witchcraft and killed. After the loss of everything she held dear in life, and just before hanging, Sarah's final words were; God shall give you blood to drink, and her executioner (Hathorn)died 20 yrs later, as a result of an aneurysm (he choked on his own blood). The author of the House of Seven Gables was the great grandson to Hathorn (sp), but changed his name to Hawthorne out of shame over the shameful Salem witch trials and other similar incidents brought about by his ancestors. The author, Hawthorne lived in the House of Seven Gables after his great grandfather and father, and at the time it only had 4 gables, but he discovered 3 more that had been renovated and then he wrote his book to try to atone for his ancestors sins.

Im doing a project on salem witch trials I think it's really interesting please though use more detail

Hi i am researching the Salem Witch Craft Trials for my National History Day project and I was just wondering if maybe you could mention the amount of people that were accused and the many methods that they may have used. Thank you.

I am doing a huge project on this topic and i think you need more details and spacific events....and some of the names are wrong....i really think you should try to do more research and update the site....

I'm sorry but most of this article contains basic, superficial material. Whereas it's well-written, it could have easily been comprehensively written; the overall significance of the Salem Witch Trials demands a profounder treatment.

I'm doing a Social Studies Fair Project about this topic...Thanks for helping, it's a big help.

I am doing a project on this particular topic and this website helped a lot. However, I need websites and links with an AUTHOR!!! (HELP!) Unless it a government site, I can't use it w/out an author. Any suggestions? Oh and by the ways i think Jessica (?) was asking the four year old's name,, I'm pretty sure it was Dorcas. (That's what it said in some books I've read.)

THIS IS AN AWSOME TOPIC,but it gets booring after awile

THIS ARTICLE IS TITLED "A BREIF HISTORY OF THE SALEM WHICH TRIALS" SO IT DOES A GREAT JOB OF GIVING YOU THE INFO THAT THE TITLE DEACRIBES. THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME WITH MY PROJECT... I ONLY NEEDED A SUMMARY OF IT AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I GOT. TO THOSE OF OYU DOING EXTENSIVE PROJECTS TRY TYPING HISTORY OF SALEM, OR SOMETHING MORE DESCRIPTIVE IN THE TOOL BAR WHEN RESEARCHING. IT HELPED ME ALOT WHEN I DID PROJECTS IN IT FOR ENGLISH AND HISTORY SEVERAL YEARS AGO. YOU COULD ALSO TRY RESEARCHING EACH INDIVIDUAL YOU HAVE A QUESTION ON,YOU WILL DEFINATELY FIND THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESIONS THAT WAY.

First of all you morons if you want more information then go to another website or article. If you didn;t notice the title says "A BRIEF History of the Salem Witch Trials," so it isn't supposed to be "more detailed." He did an excellent job!

I think that it is stupid that all these people had to die beacuse some possesed girls said so that they were practicing witch craft.

hello do you know any other refrences we could use we are doing a project on them please can you respond before christmas thank you.

but how did they effect history?!!!!!!

hehey this is so cool im doing my socil studies project xthat is wrong 4 people to acuse people to whitch craft people dieing for something they didnt do

i would like to know more about them because we are studying them in history thanks..

theres too mouch of a story going on then there is hard facts overall its a great sight if your looking to summarize it instead of r=writing a report

Good basic info. For more in-depth info try reading the article by Linnda Caporael or Ergot and the Salem Witchcraft Affair by Mary K Matossian. My favorite book is: Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692 by Bernard Rosenthal. For the story of Giles and Martha Giles go to: http://www.witchway.net/times/giles.html. As for Dorcas Good, four-year-old daughter of Sarah Good, she became the first child to be accused of witchcraft when three of the girls complained that they were bitten by the specter of Dorcas. (The four-year-old was arrested, kept in jail for eight months, watched her mother get carried off to the gallows, and would "cry her heart out, and go insane.") Good luck on your research papers!

this was very helpful for my history day report-MG

i love that you put the history of the salem witch trials on your page, however from a site about the actual town i would expect a more in depth look and more detailed story. with all do respect i learned more information in the books i read on the topic for my research paper than a website on the town of salem itself. if you were to add more detail and explain the unprinted facts on the topic such as Giles Corey and mabe a psychological profile on why he felt the need not to testify guilty nor innocent. or the story on the 4 year old child and when she was released from prison. the fear that indians livind on the outskirts of the villiage were assumed to be of a magical being or mabe explain that it has been proven that everyone who was having the "Fits" was under the influence of LSD from a fungus that was discovered in the rye used to make there bread due to the weathers conditions that year, all i ask is something unheard of.. new like the fact that judge Hahorne's great great great grandaughter still lives there. Thank you...Dominique(16 yr. old student)

that you so much for this information, it really helped with my 12 page report.

witches are not real, only spiritualy.

it was good information thank you

witches arent evil no religion is wrong the way they see god but they shouldnt force people into their religion

Personally I believe in witchcraft even if everyone thinks im crazy Is till dont get why every one thought it was so bad it would be awesome to have magical powers and they discriminated against that.

You should have more detail on witchcraft magic it's really cool.

This article made very interesting reading. I would love to know the sources of your information. Are those available? If so, where? Thank you.

this page on salem witchcraft trials is very good i learned a alot about the witchcraft trials and it helped me alot on my paper thank you so much lee ray thompson

whatever happened to Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams? how about Mary Warren and Tituba,Rev Parris' slave? I find this whole business of the Salem and Andover witch trials fascinating. These types of things are the reason our country now practices the virtue of innocent until proven guilty.

well elizabeth had the baby, and had gotten remarried 4 yrs. after proctors death to another man.

What ever happened to Elizabeth and her baby?

I think the way these people were accused was crazy. I have found great intrest in this topic. the Salem witch trials is great to learn about.

I'm doing an extra credit paper on the Salem Witch Trial for Hitstoy and this website heped my A LOT!!! Thank you so much! I love the way the site is set up and layed out and I love all of the wonderful information it included! Thanks again!

OK first the 4 yr old girl's name was Dorcas. she wasn't as bubbly and cheerful and healthy as she once was before the Salem witchcraft trials after her father payed to get her out of jail. and she didn't die.

The Salem Witch Trails was a bad time. I'm sorry that all those people had to die because of the stupid "afflicted" girls.I agree you need more facts for us who are writing reports and doing projects on this topic.Even though not enough facts, this site was a good site overall.I NEED FACTS!

I have a question about the 4 year old girl. What is her real name, Dorothy is just the third name I have heard. I have heard so many different names and 2 stories about the 4 year old child did she or didn't she die? I am studying this and I am in dier need to know.

That is so sad all those innosent pepploe I hate that.

can u give more detail?

MY (TO THE SEVERAL GREATS)GRANDMOTHER, MARTHA, OF CHELMSFORD, MA WAS ACCUSED OF WITCHHOOD IN 1691 BEFORE ALL THE WITCHES IN SALEM. SHE WAS IN THE BOSTON JAIL FOR JUST A LITTLE OVER A YEAR. IN LATER 1692 AND 1693 THEY CAME TO THEIR SENSES. SHE WAS RELEASED UNDER BAIL (300 LB). WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER AS THE BOSTON COURT RECORDS WERE BURNED. FOR THE MOST PART THE DISITUTE WERE ACCUSED AS THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.

over all you did a good job, but we who are writing reaserch papers need more facts.

Witchcraft is a serious matter.It requires those that have spiritual insight to deal with it,many atimes mistakes are made in the course of trying to determine the truth.i love the topic.

Says the same thing that everyone else says Maybe you could come up with some more information for us Thanks LaRie

A good article overall, but I take issue with the assertion that "Many involved..publicly confessed error and guilt." Sewall, Ann Putnam, and who else? What is your definition of "many?"

Salem witch craft is a cool topic to learn about