Salem Witch Trials
Witches
The word witch comes from the celtic word 'wicca' meaning 'wise one' or 'magician'. Witchcraft was made a capital offence in Britan in the year 1563.
How it began
The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692. It all started when an Arawak slave called Tituba began telling otherworldly tales to 9 year old Elizabeth Parris and 11 year old Abigail WIlliams. Eventually, other girls joined in to listen to Tituba's stories. The new group included Ann Putnam (11), Mercy Lewis (17), Mary Walcot (17), Elizabeth Hubbard (17), Elizabeth Booth (18), and Mary Warren (20). After listening to Tituba's stories with great interest, the girls began having fits. When a doctor was called to diagnose the girls, he said that the cause was spirtual. The girls started to shout out the names of the witches who were torturing them. The three names they named were that of Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba. Sarah Good was a beggar and Sarah Osborne was a lonely widow, so it was no suprise to the community that these women practiced witchcraft. In Tituba's case, no one stood up for her, but she managed to escape being hanged by confessing to being a witch. Sarah Good ended up being one of the first few to be hanged. She was hanged on June 10th, 1962 at Gallows Hill. Sarah Osborne died in prison. …show more content…
This led to chaos, the townsfolks had no way to prove if another person was a witch, but the girls could easily say that the accused persons spirit was torturing
Witches
The word witch comes from the celtic word 'wicca' meaning 'wise one' or 'magician'. Witchcraft was made a capital offence in Britan in the year 1563.
How it began
The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692. It all started when an Arawak slave called Tituba began telling otherworldly tales to 9 year old Elizabeth Parris and 11 year old Abigail WIlliams. Eventually, other girls joined in to listen to Tituba's stories. The new group included Ann Putnam (11), Mercy Lewis (17), Mary Walcot (17), Elizabeth Hubbard (17), Elizabeth Booth (18), and Mary Warren (20). After listening to Tituba's stories with great interest, the girls began having fits. When a doctor was called to diagnose the girls, he said that the cause was spirtual. The girls started to shout out the names of the witches who were torturing them. The three names they named were that of Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba. Sarah Good was a beggar and Sarah Osborne was a lonely widow, so it was no suprise to the community that these women practiced witchcraft. In Tituba's case, no one stood up for her, but she managed to escape being hanged by confessing to being a witch. Sarah Good ended up being one of the first few to be hanged. She was hanged on June 10th, 1962 at Gallows Hill. Sarah Osborne died in prison. …show more content…
This led to chaos, the townsfolks had no way to prove if another person was a witch, but the girls could easily say that the accused persons spirit was torturing