What happened to those who were accused of witchcraft?
Salem witch trials, (June 1692–May 1693), in American history, a series of investigations and persecutions that caused 19 convicted “witches” to be hanged and many other suspects to be imprisoned in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (now Danvers, Massachusetts).
What are some types of evidence used against witches?
Courts relied on three kinds of evidence: 1) confession, 2) testimony of two eyewitnesses to acts of witchcraft, or 3) spectral evidence (when the afflicted girls were having their fits, they would interact with an unseen assailant – the apparition of the witch tormenting them).
Why would someone confess to being a witch?
Crimes of Witchcraft presented something of a challenge. Rarely were there any witnesses to the actual crime. Consequently, confession was thought to be an important tool in prosecuting suspects. Confession could be extracted through various forms of interrogation.
Who were accused of being a witch?
By mid-February, two more girls had joined them, and the first waves of panic gripped Salem’s residents: The girls had been bewitched. The afflicted girls soon accused three women: the Parris’ “Indian” slave, Tituba; a local beggar woman, Sarah Good; and an invalid widow, Sarah Osbourne.
What is the swimming test?
The swim test requirements are as follows: Comfortably swim one length of the swimming pool (25 yards) without assistance—starting in shallow end of the pool. Pausing is allowed for the swimmer to rotate and breathe. Type of stroke allowed: freestyle front crawl or breaststroke.
What were three possible causes for the witchcraft accusations in Salem?
List of 5 Possible Causes of the Salem Witch Trials
- Boredom. One theory claims that it all started because the girls in the village were bored.
- Strong Belief in the Occult.
- Disputes, Rivalries, and Personal Differences.
- Cold Weather Theory.
- Ergot Poisoning.
What is a trudgen stroke?
Definition of trudgen stroke : a swimming stroke consisting of alternating overarm strokes and a scissors kick.
What happens if you are accused of being a witch?
Only those who were defiant or hostile were put to death. If you admitted being a witch and repented, you had a very good chance of living. If you denied being a witch and insisted that you had rights which must be acknowledged, you were on a quick path to execution.
What happened to the first three witches accused?
The first three women accused were social deviants; a slave, a scandalized widow, and a long-term beggar. Neither Good or Osborne attended church, something that proved to be a determining factor during their sentencing. The three suspected witches were transported to Boston and incarcerated until their trial.
Why do so few people understand witches and witchcraft?
Very little of people’s understanding of witches has anything to do with older, pagan traditions which supposedly were the source of witches and witchcraft. Most clerics seem to have been rather limited in creativity, so witches were shown as behaving a simplistically opposite fashion from Christians.
Why were witches persecuted in the Bible?
The persecution of witches reached its zenith at a time when Christianity’s attitudes against sex had long since turned into full-blown misogyny. It is amazing how celibate men became obsessed with the sexuality of women. As it is stated in Malleus Maleficarum: “All witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable.”