Further reading for The Salem Witch Trials
A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience by Emerson W. Baker
The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege by Marilynne Roach
Quite possibly the best known story of early, colonial Americana, The Salem Witch Trials represents a period of hysteria that seized the towns of Salem and Danvers, Massachusetts between the years of 1692 and 1693. During that time, 200 colonists were accused of witchcraft, 30 people were found guilty of the crime and 19 were executed. Contrary to popular belief, they were not burned. Witches in Europe were burned. Witches in the colonies were most commonly hung while many were pressed to death under stones.
What began with, what else, a series of epileptic fits, spun wildly out of control in Salem until three young girls and a South American slave were formally accused and tried for the crime of cavorting about with Satan. Of course, not one of these women were actually performing witchcraft or even speaking of it but it hardly matters. The accusations opened the doors for other colonists to level accusations at neighbors, weirdos, and enemies as a means to get even, get them out of the way, or simply become a part of the action that seized the town.
What remains is a black mark on American history, perpetrated by stupid, stupid people. It stands as the first of many witchcraft panics to come and was the first known example of a Satanic Panic. You can hear its echoes in cases like The West Memphis 3, The McMartin Preschool Case, and Qanon. But nowadays the city reaps the benefits as America’s number one Halloween destination. Be sure to visit sometime. It’s the shit.
Episodes: 500-503
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