Salem Village was settled in 1629 Colonies were not allowed to govern themselves Anyone accused of a crime would have to be tried by an official from England England declared witchcraft a capital crime in 1641 Early February 1692 Abigail Williams (11) and Elizabeth Parris (9), the niece and daughter of the town’s reverend, begin acting afflicted Doctor suggests it may be the effects of witchcraft

Tituba, the Parris’ slave, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne are arrested later in February for witchcraft As the year progresses, more girls become “afflicted” and more men and women are accused and tried in the court of Oyer and Terminer under the rule of Hathorne and Corwin Briget Bishop is first to be sentenced and hanged in June of more people are hanged that year. Giles Cory, 81, refuses to stand trial and is sentenced to death by pressing. It takes him two days to die. Up to 20 more died in prison.

Floating test: accused was placed in position in which it was hard to breathe and rocks were tied to his/her ankles. He/she was thrown into water. If drowned, not a witch; if floated (or could swim) was a witch. Pricking test: body of the accused was searched for blemishes or dark spots. Once found, these were pricked with a needle. Should accused feel no pain and/or the blemish not bleed, he/she was a witch Lord’s Prayer test: accused would recite the Lord’s Prayer. It was believed that a witch would not be able to say entire prayer without stumbling or screaming

Each accused person was given the option of confessing or claiming innocence and standing trial. What would you have done? ccused!.html ccused!.html

In October of 1692, Governor Phipps orders that spectral evidence (visions and claims from the afflicted) be no longer allowed in court He prohibits any further arrests and dissolves the court of Oyer and Terminer In January 1693, Phipps releases 49 of the 52 surviving accused due to lack of actual evidence The remaining accused are pardoned in May of ‘93 The General Court declares the 1692 trials unlawful in 1701

Puritan culture had strong belief in Satan acting in the world Disease, natural disasters, bad fortune Believed Satan recruited witches to do his work for him and those who were afflicted would show certain symptoms Previous trials in New England and Europe strengthened these beliefs Teenage boredom Old feuds Confessions from “witches” created credibility to charges made earlier

The Red Scare took place shortly after WWII Lasted from approximately People made accusations of disloyalty, subversion, and treason without proper evidence Started when Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that over 200 “card-carrying” Communists had infiltrated the U.S. government before and during WWII

Fear of the hydrogen bomb being developed in the Soviet Union. Accounts of Soviet spies and sympathizers in all levels of the government. One of main jumping off points was the trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenburg. Were accused of conspiracy to commit espionage during wartime and were executed. Were said to have passed information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union

Thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers Were subjected to aggressive investigations and questioning before the government or private panels Many people lost their jobs, had their careers ruined, or were even imprisoned. They were released later from overturned verdicts, laws being declared unconstitutional, and dismissals based on the illegality of the trials. Those accused included government officials, the entertainment industry, educators, and union activists.