The Crucible, a historical play based on events of the Salem witchcraft trials, takes place in the small Puritan village of Salem in the colony of Massachusetts in 1692.
Public support and belief in the trials began to wane for several reasons. Respected ministers started to believe that some innocent people were being accused and executed for witchcraft primarily on unreliable spectral evidence. As the Reverend Increase Mather stated, "It were better than ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person should be condemned." Also, as the accusations mounted, persons from all walks of life--rich and poor, beggar and merchant--were being accused. Additionally, the accused that originally confessed to witchcraft requested to recant their former confessions. With public confidence in the trials slipping, the cries of the afflicted were steadily ignored, and the accusations eventually stopped. See the essay for a detailed explanation of the events, causes and aftermath of the Salem witch trials.
The salem witch trials hysteria of 1692 was caused by the …
Governor Phips dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer on October 29, 1692. A Superior Court of Judicature replaced it on November 25, 1692. The last witch trials were held in January 1693, and in May of the same year Gov. Phips pardoned the remaining accused. See the for more important dates relating to the Salem witch trials.
Salem Witch Trials Memorial – History of …
There really was no one cause for the Salem witch trials. A combination of events and factors helped in the creation of a climate for the birth and growth of the trials. A recent small pox outbreak, the revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter by Charles II and the constant fear of Indian attacks helped in creating anxiety among the early Puritans that God was punishing them. This fear of punishment established a fertile atmosphere in which a case of possible witchcraft could easily be interpreted by the Puritans as the cause of God's wrath. Add to these events the economic, political, imaginations and fears of the people, family feuds and religious factors of the time, it is easier to understand how the Salem witch trials grew and prospered for almost a whole year. See the essay for a detailed explanation of the causes, events and aftermath of the Salem witch trials.
Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt
The first examinations took place March 1, 1692. The first trial for witchcraft under the Court of Oyer and Terminer was May 27, 1692. See the for more important dates relating to the Salem witch trials.
Salem Witch Trials Notable Persons
Roach’s Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials, it must be clear that I hadn’t known much about the Salem Witch Trials besides what knowing they were in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692-93.
Witchcraft - * 17th Century New England
The witchcraft outbreak originated in Salem Village with Betty Parris being the first afflicted girl. See the essay for a detailed explanation of the causes and events of the Salem witch trials.