Salem Witch Trials Essay

The Salem Witch Trials
Introduction
The Salem Witch Trials lasted a time span of 13 months, during which 200 people were accused and 19 people were hung. This was a dark time period in American history because people believe young, teenage girls and it led to people getting killed. The Salem Witch Trials was one of the most important events in American history because many innocent people had their lives taken; even people with power.
The Beginning The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 when two girls became possessed. They would randomly start barking and crawling on their knees. The girls’ maid, Tituba, would tell the girls stories about her home and religion back in Barbados. People thought the girls had become possessed by practicing witch craft with her. The girls still kept acting up, so their father took them to the doctors who could find absolutely nothing physically or mentally wrong with them. Then, the girls confessed who made them like this; they accused three women, Tituba, Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good. These three women were the first people ever to be accused as witches; they went to jail before trial. Overall, this was surprising because of how gullible society believed two girls and started accusing people of witch craft and hanging them if they were found guilty. (How did the Salem Witch Trials start?)
Prominent Figures
Tituba
A black slave, Tituba, was brought into the Parris household between the ages of 12-17. She made herself a target of witchcraft when she told Parris’ daughters about her life in Barbados. Tituba also prepared in the preparation of a “witch-cake” witch was a mixture of rye and Parris’ daughters, Betty, urine. Parris became enraged when he found out about this “witch-cake” and claimed Tituba was a witch and beat her until she confessed. She was the first to confess to witch craft, ever. People say she most likely did it to avoid any further punishments. With her confession, Tituba accused Osborne and Good as witches, too. (Tituba)
Sarah Osborne Sarah Osborne was one of the first people ever to be accused. She was accused by Thomas and Edward Putnam, Joseph Hutchinson, and Elizabeth Hubbard. She was brought to Salem, and charged with witch craft. Even though Osborne was accused, she never confessed to witch craft nor did she try to accuse anyone else. Osborne never went to trial because she died in shackles in prison on May 10, 1692 at the age of 49. (Sarah Osborne)
Sarah Good Another accused person was Sarah Good. In 1692 good was brought to Salem charged with witch craft after being identified as a witch by Tituba. Sarah’s daughter, Dorca, also accused her as being a witch. At the time of Sarah’s trial, she was described as “forlorn, friendless, and forsaken creature broken down by wretchedness of condition and ill-repute,” she was also called “an object of comparison rather than a punishment”. Good was executed on July 19 because she failed to yield to judicial pressure to confess, and showed no remorse at her execution. (Sarah Good)
Giles Corey In April of 1692, a man by the name of Giles Corey was accused of witch craft by Ann Putnam, Jr., Mercy Lewis, and Abigail Williams. Putnam claimed “a ghost appeared before her to announce that it had been murdered by Mr. Corey.” Giles and his wife, Martha, waited five long months in jail waiting for his

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Salem Witch Trials: The Salem Witch Trial

The Salem Witch Trials