The history of the infamous Salem Witch Trials is a bleak moment of injustice and disgraceful example of human religiosity gone askew. The supposed demons, satanic visitations, evil contortions and spells were exacerbated from the zealous Puritans view of teenage curiosity experimenting with a "crystal ball séance" and playing the game “Who will I Marry?”. The 1692 terror that gripped Salem resulted in 100's being accused of witchcraft with 20 women, plus 6 men dying after being convicted of being a witch.
Other factors really fed the moment of human irrationality and history rarely speaks about them. Witch-hunts were a common practice of the very closed and narrow minded belief system of many Puritan towns and villages in the 17th century. They have also been a communal fixture throughout Europe over the centuries seemingly supported and often prompted by "the church".
Here are the missing facts and uncovered myths about these horrible trials and executions.
- FACT: A major factor contributing to the mass hysteria that lead to "witch-hunts" and hangings was the deep rooted Salem rivalry between the village folk of the west part of town and the village folk of the east side of town - westerners were farmers and the easterners were businessmen/store owners
- FACT: Over the period of 10 months 165 people were accused of being a witch in Salem
- FACT: Over the same 10 months 150 people were put in prison in Salem
- FACT: 14 young women and 4 men were hanged in Salem accused of being a witch. One man refused to admit he was a witch and was crushed to death with stones as the authorities tried to elicit a confession
- FACT: The town of Salem sent constables to Maine to arrest Salem's former minister George Burroughs, accusing him of being a wizard
- FACT: In the early part of the year 1692 a small town located near Salem was massacred by Native Americans and this put the village of Salem on alert. Salem, besides being full of fear for their own safety was looking for divine intervention to either help or perhaps deters their preservation as a community.
- FACT: When the minister of Salem's daughter fell ill and experienced convulsions, many people of the community say this as a sign she was possessed and minister an agent of the Devil
- FACT: The first 3 women accused of being a witch and arrested were all young girls who did not attend church…and one was a very young slave girl [Sarah Good, Sarah Osburne and Tituba]
- MYTH: A theory that can not be verified holds that the reason for the hysteria in Salem was due to their grain supply being infected by ergot, which can cause hallucinations
- MYTH: The belief that the convicted witches were burned is wrong! They were hanged until dead
- MYTH: Only women were accused and convicted of being a witch, is wrong! Men were accused and rounded up for being the male version of a witch
- FACT: 300 years after the horrible events consumed a community with fear and hate the Governor of Massachusetts (Jane Swift) issued a proclamation that all the accused were innocent of any wrong doing or "witchcraft" that was harmful to others…..10/31/1992.
