The TRUTH is scarier than the LEGENDS!
5 Big Misconceptions About the 1692 Salem Witch Trials
Whether you grew up in Massachusetts or you’re here on vacation, you most likely know about this city’s rich history. But is your knowledge fact or fiction? Over the last 300+ years, many myths have been told through stories like The Crucible and Folklore. Here are five myths and what really happened in 1692 Salem.
The accused witches were burned.
No accused witches were burned in Salem. However, it was common practice in Europe. The European Witch Hysteria started in 1450. Those who were accused were often tortured into confessing. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, an estimated 80 thousand accused witches were burned or hung to death. Eighty percent were women considered to be living a life on the fringe of society. The burning of witches came from the German Criminal Law Corolina. It provided instructions on how to handle those who committed severe crimes. This law stated that those guilty of witchcraft should be executed with fire.
During the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, 19 accused witches were hanged at Proctors Ledge, and one man was pressed to death.
Women were the only ones accused of witchcraft.
Women were not the only victims of the Salem Witch Trials. Of the 20 innocent lives that were taken, 5 of them were men. George Burroughs, George Jacobs Sr., John Proctor, John Willard, and Giles Corey.
Tituba was black
Tituba was a Native American believed to have been a member of the Arawak- Guiana Tribe of Barbados, South America. She was believed to have been taken from her tribe and forced into slavery in Barbados, then sold to the Thompson Plantation, where she worked as the family cook. When the head of the Thompson Plantation died, Samuel Parris inherited her and brought her to Massachusetts.
The Salem Witch hysteria started in 1692
The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692, with the first arrest warrant being issued on February 28, 1692; many events leading up to 1692 played a significant role in the start of the witch hysteria.
Accusations of witchcraft
Margaret Jones was the first person to be accused of witchcraft. Margaret was a Midwife, Herbalist, and Physician. She was found guilty and hung from an elm tree in Charlestown on June 15, 1648. Bridget Bishop had been accessed twice of witchcraft in 1679 and again in 1687. Both trials ended with charges being dropped. On November 16, 1688, an Irish- born Roman Catholic woman named Ann Glover was executed after being found guilty of bewitching Martha Goodwin in Boston.
War and Government
The French and Indian war was getting closer to Salem, and stories of towns burned to the ground were being told. The Colony was also operating an unauthorized government with an empty treasury. The king had ended the Massachusetts Bay Colony Charter due to Violations of its clauses.
Land Disputes
Main and New Hampshire were telling the king that the Land of Massachusetts was theirs, and they had received a patent for the land in 1622. So naturally, this caused a lot of fear in Salem as the residents were concerned their land would be taken from them.
Trouble at the church
In Salem Village, there was disagreement between church members over how much Rev. Samuel Parris should be paid. At the same time, Rev. Parris was preaching about a satanic conspiracy against him and the church in town.
With stories of witchcraft already circulating through the village, war at their doorstep, land disputes between neighbors, disagreement in the church, and a minister preaching about satanic conspiracy, all of this birthed the start of the most notorious events in American history, The 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
Ergot fungus affected the wild rye crop in Salem Village
While Ergot’s effects are in some ways like the behaviors of the afflicted girls, it is yet another theory that doesn’t hold up. With all that was happening in the village leading up to the girls becoming Afflicted, the symptoms were more likely to have been caused by stress, manipulation of their elders, and revenge.
The Stress
The first afflicted girls were 11-year-old Abigail Williams and 9-year-old Elizabeth Parris. Abigail lived with Rev. Parris’s family and, along with Elizabeth, would have been subjected to the stress in the house over money and the arguments over his pay which also included firewood to keep his family warm during the brutal winters. She also would have been present during his sermons, where he would speak of satanic conspiracy in town against him and the church.
Manipulation of the elders
In the Examination papers of John Alden Jr., When Judge Hathorne asked the afflicted girls present at the courthouse to point out the persons who hurt them, one accuser had a man standing behind her holding her up; he stooped down to her ear, then she cried out, Alden, Alden afflicted her. One of the Magistrates asked her how she knew it was Alden, and she said, “the man told her so.” Alden was jailed for 15 weeks until April 1693, when the Proclamation cleared him. This shows that the town’s elders played a role in whom the girls accused.
Other Blog Posts
The 1692 Salem Tour: A Walk Through History
Our 1692 Salem Tour allows visitors to step back in time and explore the memorials and landmarks that define the Salem Witch Trials legacy. Discover the stories of the twenty executed victims and uncover the tales of other notable figures who played pivotal roles in the trials. Explore Salem with a historian who will lead you through the cobblestone streets, providing insights into the events of 1692 that are seldom considered and discussed. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to connect with history in the very place where it happened.
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Joaquin Tiittula