Title: Panic and Justice — The Salem Witch Trials
In January 1692, two girls in Salem Village became very sick. Nine-year-old Betty Parris and eleven-year-old Abigail Williams were the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris. They made strange sounds, hid under furniture, and held their heads in pain. When prayer and medicine did not help, people believed the girls were bewitched.
As news spread, others showed the same symptoms. They said invisible spirits were stabbing or choking them. The sick began to name the “witches” they thought were attacking them. Between 150 and 200 people were jailed. Nineteen were executed, one man was tortured to death, and at least five died in prison. It became the largest witch trial in North America.
People living Salem in 1692 had many reasons to be fearful. Many of them believed in the Devil, smallpox was common, there was a constant threat of attack by Indigenous tribes, as well as border disputes between neighbors. These factors all helped created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. Governor William Phips created a special court, the Court of Oyer and Terminer, which allowed spectral evidence—testimony about ghostly visions. The first person tried, Bridget Bishop, was hanged on June 10. Later, many people questioned the trials, and the governor shut down the court.
In January 1693 a new court opened and banned spectral evidence. Most people were found not guilty and freed. In later years, some officials apologized, and the colony asked forgiveness. By 2022, all victims’ names were cleared—over 300 years later.