Salem witch trials

E150

The Salem witch trials were a series of infamous 1692–1693 prosecutions in colonial New England where mass hysteria and superstition led to the execution and imprisonment of people accused of witchcraft.


Statements (82)
Predicate Object
instanceOf historical event
mass hysteria event
witch trial
accusationType covenant with the Devil
witchcraft
aftermath Massachusetts granted compensation to some victims and heirs
Massachusetts later declared the trials unlawful
public apologies were issued by some participants and the colony
broaderContext Early modern witch hunts
Puritan New England society
causeOfDeathOfGilesCorey pressing
country Colonial America
courtInvolved Court of Oyer and Terminer
Superior Court of Judicature
culturalDepiction The Crucible
numerous books, plays, and films
endTime 1693
evidenceTypeUsed confessions
spectral evidence
testimony of afflicted girls
touch test
fieldOfStudy American history
gender studies
legal history
religious history
firstAccused Sarah Good
Sarah Osborne
Tituba
governingAuthority Province of Massachusetts Bay
governorAction Governor William Phips dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692
Governor William Phips eventually pardoned many accused
Governor William Phips later prohibited further arrests for witchcraft
hasPart Court of Oyer and Terminer trials
Salem Village examinations
Superior Court of Judicature trials
hasTheme breakdown of due process
fear of the Devil
religious extremism
scapegoating
keyFigure Ann Putnam Jr.
Cotton Mather
Giles Corey
Governor William Phips
Increase Mather
Rebecca Nurse
Samuel Parris
Thomas Putnam
Tituba
languageOfRecords English
legalBasis English colonial law
location Massachusetts Bay Colony
Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony
longTermImpact became a symbol of injustice and mass hysteria
increased skepticism about spectral evidence
influenced American views on due process
mainLocationWithinSalem Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts)
mainMethodOfExecution hanging
memorial Rebecca Nurse Homestead memorial in Danvers, Massachusetts
Salem Witch Trials Memorial in Salem, Massachusetts
notableVictim Elizabeth Howe
George Burroughs
George Jacobs Sr.
Giles Corey
John Proctor
Martha Corey
Mary Easty
Rebecca Nurse
Sarah Good
Susannah Martin
numberOfPeopleAccused more than 150
over 200
numberOfPeopleExecuted 20
numberOfPeopleExecutedByHanging 19
numberOfPeoplePressedToDeath 1
precededBy European witch hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries
primaryReligionOfAccusers Puritan
primaryReligionOfAuthorities Puritan
religiousContext Puritanism
secondaryLocationWithinSalem Salem Town
startTime 1692
timePeriod late 17th century
triggerEvent strange fits and convulsions of young girls in Salem Village

Referenced by (92)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Abigail Williams
Ann Putnam Jr.
Elizabeth Howe
Elizabeth Parris
Elizabeth Parris
George Burroughs
George Jacobs Sr.
Giles Corey
John Hathorne
Martha Carrier
Mary Easty
Samuel Sewall
Sarah Cloyce
Sarah Good
Sarah Wildes
Susannah Martin
Tituba
participantIn
Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits
Edward Bishop
James Howe Jr.
Judge Danforth
Old Burying Point Cemetery
Puritanism
Putnam family
Rebecca Nurse Homestead
Reverend John Hale
The Diary of Samuel Sewall
associatedWithEvent
Bartholomew Gedney
Jonathan Corwin
Jonathan Corwin
Putnam family faction in Salem Village
Samuel Sewall
Sarah Osborne
Thomas Putnam
William Stoughton
participatedIn
Colonial America
Massachusetts Bay Colony
New England Colonies
Province of Massachusetts Bay
Samuel Parris
notableEvent
Bridget Bishop
Elizabeth Howe
George Burroughs
John Proctor
event
Giles Corey
Mary Easty ("1692 Salem witch panic")
Massachusetts
Sarah Wildes ("Salem witch hysteria of 1692")
historicalEvent
Elizabeth Eldridge
Gallows Hill, Salem (traditional attribution)
Samuel Parris
associatedWith
Jonathan Corwin
Salem Village
Salem, Massachusetts
knownFor
Colonial Records of Massachusetts Bay
Wonders of the Invisible World
Wonders of the Invisible World: Observations as Well Historical as Theological, upon the Nature, the Number, and the Operations of the Devils
subject
Salem Village ("Salem witch trials of 1692")
William Good
associatedEvent
Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits
The Diary of Samuel Sewall ("Salem witch trials of 1692")
historicalContext
The Crucible
The Diary of Samuel Sewall
mainSubject
Sarah Good
town of Salem (historical jurisdiction)
notableFor
Court of Oyer and Terminer
William Phips
significantEvent
Sarah Osborne ("1692 Salem witch trials")
accusedIn
Rebecca Nurse Homestead
category
Salem Village meetinghouse
centralRoleIn
Bridget Bishop ("Salem witchcraft court")
chargeBroughtBy
Wonders of the Invisible World ("Satan was actively attacking New England")
claims
Salem Witch Trials Memorial
commemorates
Rebecca Nurse
conflict
town of Salem (historical jurisdiction) ("Salem witch trials of 1692–1693")
eventLocation
Samuel Sewall
expressedRegretFor
Mary Warren ("Salem witch trials (as depicted in The Crucible)")
fictionalUniverse
Tituba ("Salem witchcraft examinations")
gaveTestimonyIn
Gallows Hill, Salem (traditional attribution)
hasHistoricalPeriod
Salem, Massachusetts
hasHistoricEvent
European witch hunts
hasRelatedEvent
Francis Nurse
historicalEventInvolved
Mary Easty ("Petition to the Court of Oyer and Terminer, 1692")
notableWork
Martha Corey
partOfEvent
Salem Village meetinghouse ("1692 Salem witch trials")
primarySettingOf
Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits
relatedTo
Governor William Phips later prohibited further arrests for witchcraft
relatesTo
William Good
spouseExecutionContext
Sarah Cloyce
survivedEvent
Court of Oyer and Terminer ("1692 Salem witchcraft panic")
timePeriod
John Proctor
victimOf
Stacy Schiff
wroteAbout

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