When: Winter 1692

1. When: Winter 1692 Where: Massachusetts Bay Colony

2. Betty Parris and Mercy Lewis Two of the first girls “Afflicted.”

3. Tituba Meets a “Tall Man From Boston”

4. Sarah Good Sarah Osborn Tituba The Three Originally Accused of Witchcraft

5. During the trials hearsay and gossip were often allowed as testimony. In some cases, blemishes such as warts and moles – which were believed to be proof of witchcraft – were admitted as evidence.

6. During the trials there were often wild scenes as people claiming to be possessed by the accused went into convulsive fits. It is now believed that many of the witnesses were lying in order to seek revenge for a previous dispute with the accused.

7. By the Time the hysteria died down nineteen people had been executed, four died in prison, and one – Giles Corey – was pressed to death. Two dogs suspected of being accomplices to the witches were also executed.

8. Some Theories About What Occurred in Salem. 1. Mass hysteria – Today we call instances in which a mob attacks an individual or a group because of fear and without evidence a witch-hunt. • The girls were lying to cover up their guilt in something. 3. The girls were having hallucinations brought on by moldy bread. 4. The people of Salem were reacting to a popular book – “Memorable Providences” – published by Cotton Mathers. In the book an old woman is accused of being a witch and exhibits some of the same behaviors as the girls in Salem.