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.
All labels observed (17)
Statements (82)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
historical event
ⓘ
mass hysteria event ⓘ witch trial ⓘ |
| accusationType |
covenant with the Devil
ⓘ
witchcraft ⓘ |
| aftermath |
Massachusetts colonial legislature
ⓘ
surface form:
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
ⓘ
Puritanism ⓘ
surface form:
Puritan New England society
|
| causeOfDeathOfGilesCorey | pressing ⓘ |
| country | Colonial America ⓘ |
| courtInvolved |
Court of Oyer and Terminer
ⓘ
Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
surface form:
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 |
Massachusetts Bay Colony
ⓘ
surface form:
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
ⓘ
surface form:
Court of Oyer and Terminer trials
Salem Village examinations ⓘ Court of Oyer and Terminer ⓘ
surface form:
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 ⓘ
surface form:
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 |
Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts)
ⓘ
surface form:
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, Massachusetts
ⓘ
surface form:
Salem Town
|
| startTime | 1692 ⓘ |
| timePeriod | late 17th century ⓘ |
| triggerEvent | strange fits and convulsions of young girls in Salem Village ⓘ |
Referenced by (168)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
1692 Salem witch trials
this entity surface form:
Salem witch trials (as depicted in The Crucible)
subject surface form:
Elizabeth Parris
subject surface form:
Samuel Parris
subject surface form:
Jonathan Corwin
subject surface form:
Elizabeth Howe
this entity surface form:
Salem witch hysteria of 1692
subject surface form:
Putnam family
subject surface form:
Sarah Good
subject surface form:
Abigail Williams
subject surface form:
Samuel Sewall
subject surface form:
Samuel Sewall
this entity surface form:
Salem witch trials of 1692
subject surface form:
John Proctor