Salem Witch Trials facts for kids
The Salem Witch Trials were a series of famous court cases in colonial Massachusetts. During these trials, many people were accused of practicing witchcraft.
The trials happened between February 1692 and May 1693. They took place in Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex Counties.
It all started when a doctor said that witches had "invaded" Salem Village. Young girls, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, began to act strangely. They twisted their bodies and spoke words that made no sense. Betty's father called a doctor, who then said the girls had been "bewitched." The girls then started blaming people they didn't like, accusing them of being devil worshippers.
What Happened During the Trials?
During the Salem Witch Trials, more than 150 people were arrested. They were put in jail after being accused of witchcraft. Even more people were accused, but they were never officially charged by the authorities.
Twenty-nine people were found guilty of witchcraft. Witchcraft was a very serious crime at that time. Nineteen of these people were hanged on Gallows Hill. These included fourteen women and five men.
One man, Giles Corey, refused to say if he was guilty or not guilty. He died under heavy stones because he would not speak. At least five more people who were accused died while they were in prison.
Where Did the Trials Take Place?
Most of the trials happened in Salem. However, people from many towns nearby were brought to Salem to be tried. The most well-known trials were held by a special court called the Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692. All twenty-six people who went to trial before this court were found guilty.
Later, in 1693, there were four more court sessions. These were held by the Superior Court of Judicature. Thirty-one people were tried in these courts. But this time, only three of them were found guilty.
Images for kids
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A map of Salem Village, 1692
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Reverend Cotton Mather (1663–1728)
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Title page of Cases of Conscience (Boston, 1693) by Increase Mather
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Reverend Samuel Parris (1653–1720)
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This 19th-century representation of "Tituba and the Children" by Alfred Fredericks, originally appeared in A Popular History of the United States, Vol. 2, by William Cullen Bryant (1878)
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Rev. Increase Mather (1639–1723)
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First page of "Some Miscellany Observations On our present Debates respecting Witchcrafts, in a Dialogue Between S. & B.", attributed to Samuel Willard
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Title page of Wonders of the Invisible World (London, 1693) by Cotton Mather
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Title page of A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft by John Hale (Boston, 1702)
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Rev. Samuel Willard of Boston (1640–1707)
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Massachusetts Governor Joseph Dudley (1647–1720)
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The Salem Witch Trials Memorial Park in Salem
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Fanciful representation of the Salem witch trials, lithograph from 1892
