In The Crucible, the infamous Salem witch trials began in 1692 when a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil. Mary Warren, one of the judges, is accused of being one of the accused. By the end of the play, it is noted that twelve people have been hanged for witchcraft, while seven have been executed. Mary Warren informs Proctor that 39 people have been arrested on suspicion of witchcraft.
The hysteria has been heightened by several confessions, including Mary Warren’s confession of pregnancy. Mary Warren tells Proctor that those accused will not hang if they do something. Elizabeth Proctor, who was blamed by Abigail for doing witchcraft, got Proctor into the witch trials because of a set of circumstances. Mary Warren, their servant, has gone to the witch trials, defying Elizabeth’s order to remain in the house.
Danforth first deals with Giles’ claim that Betty’s accusations of witchcraft amount to nothing more than a land-grab. When the entire town suspects witchcraft, they send for a minister named Hale from a neighboring town. Hale has experience hunting witches, so he is sent to help rid Salem and the world of witches.
The idea that a witch’s familiar spirit could be going around stabbing people willy-nilly is too horrifying for people who genuinely believe in witchcraft. Mary Warren, their servant, has gone to the witch trials, defying Elizabeth’s order to remain in the house. Fourteen people are now in jail.
📹 The Woman Who Was Arrested For Witchcraft in 1976
In 1976, the witch Joann Denton of Morganton, North Caronlina would accurately predict the death of another woman, and would …
How many people were hanged for witchcraft in Salem in 1692?
In February 1692, trouble in a small Puritan village began when eleven-year-old Abigail Williams and nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris began acting strangely. They complained of bites, contorted their bodies, threw things, and fell into trances. A doctor’s examination concluded they were suffering from the evil effects of witchcraft. The “afflicted” girls were asked to name names, and they did. Historian Margo Burns, the associate editor of Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt, explains that there were reasons why it was credible that there could be witches in Salem Village.
Burns examines the witch trials through original-source documents in “The Capital Crime of Witchcraft: What the Primary Sources Tell Us”, a presentation sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council. The witch trials were a significant event in the history of the Puritan community in New England.
How many people stand accused of witchcraft?
The Salem witch trials in 1693 involved 144 to 185 people accused of witchcraft, with 54 confessing. Nineteen were executed, 14 women, and five men. An 81-year-old man was accidentally killed during torture. All accused were pardoned by the end of the year. The witch hunt aligned with New England folk beliefs and theology, as Puritans were strong believers in Providence, the working out of God’s will on Earth. In the 1690s, there was a sense within the Puritan community that they were slipping away from their values, while the devil lurked. All accused were eventually pardoned by the end of the year.
How many people are accused of witchcraft in The Crucible?
The Salem Witch Trials involved over 200 accused individuals, with 20 people executed and seven named characters executed in the play, Tituba, Giles Corey, Martha Corey, Rebecca Nurse, Goody Osborne, Goody Good, and John Proctor.
Who was the last person executed for witchcraft?
Janet Horne, also known as ‘Janet Horne’, was the last person in Britain to be tried and executed for witchcraft in 1727. She and her daughter were arrested and jailed in Dornoch, where they were accused of turning their daughter into a pony to carry out their witchcraft. The hooves were believed to be proof of their witchcraft, as Janet had failed to completely return her daughter to human form.
Janet’s legal options were limited, and her trial was rushed through. Captain David Ross, the sheriff-depute of Sutherland, found both Janet and her daughter guilty and ordered their execution the following day. Janet, possibly showing signs of dementia, was confused by the events and was tarred and feathered before being paraded through Dornoch in a barrel.
How many people have now been arrested in Crucible?
Mary Warren, a court official, gives Elizabeth a “poppet” she made in court that day. She informs John that thirty-nine people have been arrested as witches and that they might be hanged. Goody Osborne will also be hanged, but Sarah Good’s life is safe because she confessed to making a compact with Satan to torment Christians. Mary retorts that she is now an official in the court and saved Elizabeth’s life that day.
Elizabeth suspects that Abigail is the accuser, and she implores John to go to court and tell the judges that Abigail and the other girls are pretending. John is reluctant to do so, fearing that it would require him to publicly reveal his past adultery. Reverend Hale arrives, interviewing all the people named in the proceedings, including Elizabeth. He admits to doubting her a witch due to her extreme piety, but emphasizes that anything is possible.
Suddenly, Giles Corey and Francis Nurse enter the house and inform John and Hale that their wives have been arrested on charges of witchcraft. Martha Corey is accused of reading suspicious books, while Rebecca Nurse is suspected of sacrificing children. A posse led by clerk Ezekiel Cheever and town marshal George Herrick presents a warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest, much to Hale’s surprise. Cheever finds a needle inside the poppet, and Abigail claims that Elizabeth stabbed her with the needle through witchcraft, using a poppet as a conduit. Mary asserts that she made the doll and stuck the needle into it, and that Abigail saw her do so. Cheever is unconvinced and prepares to arrest Elizabeth.
How many people were accused of witchcraft in The Crucible act 2?
Mary Warren returns home with a doll she sewed in court, revealing that thirty-nine people stand accused of witchcraft. John and Mary argue over whether Mary can continue attending the trials, and Mary declares she saved Elizabeth’s life. Elizabeth is convinced that Abigail accused her of witchcraft to take her place in John’s bed. Hale visits the Proctors to speak with everyone whose names have been mentioned in connection with witchcraft.
He notes that the Proctors have not often attended church and their youngest son is not yet baptized. Proctor explains that he does not like Parris’s particular theology and asks them to recite the Ten Commandments.
At Elizabeth’s urging, Proctor informs Hale that Abigail told him that the children’s sickness had nothing to do with witchcraft. Many have already confessed, and they would have been hanged without a confession. Giles and Francis rush into Proctor’s home, crying that their wives have been arrested. Rebecca is charged with the supernatural murders of Mrs. Putnam’s babies. A man buys a pig from Martha Corey and claims she bewitched him to keep it alive.
How many people were accused of witchcraft?
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 involved over 200 people accused of practicing witchcraft, with twenty executed, most by hanging. The trial was the only state-sanctioned execution of its kind. Dozens suffered under inhumane conditions, including torture and imprisonment without trials. The tragedy of the trial is largely due to the failure of the court and laws during that time, which made visions, dreams, and spirits’ testimony permissible evidence.
The court accepted flimsy accusations, which would seem laughable today. The trials occurred just as Europe’s “witchcraft craze” from the 14th to 17th centuries was winding down, with an estimated tens of thousands of European witches, mostly women, executed.
How many people were jailed in Salem?
The Salem witchcraft events, which began in February 1692 and lasted until April 1693, resulted in at least 25 deaths, with 19 executed by hanging, one tortured to death, and five in jail due to harsh conditions. Over 160 people were accused of witchcraft, most of whom were jailed, and many deprived of property and legal rights. Accused persons lived in Salem and Salem Village, now Danvers, and in two dozen other towns in eastern Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Nearly fifty people confessed to witchcraft, most to save themselves from trial. In October 1692, Governor William Phips ended the special witchcraft court in Salem, and the new Superior Court of Judicature began to try the remaining cases. After the Salem trials, no one was convicted of witchcraft in New England.
How many people were arrested of witchcraft in Salem in the spring of 1692?
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693, involving over 200 people accused of witchcraft. Thirty people were found guilty, with nineteen executed by hanging. The trials took place in various towns beyond Salem Village and its regional center, including Andover and Topsfield. The grand juries and trials were conducted by a Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692 and a Superior Court of Judicature in 1693, both held in Salem Town. This was the deadliest witch hunt in colonial North America’s history.
The Salem witch trials were a colonial manifestation of the broader phenomenon of witch trials in the early modern period, which took the lives of tens of thousands in Europe. The events have been used in political rhetoric and popular literature as a cautionary tale about the dangers of isolation, religious extremism, false accusations, and lapses in due process. Many historians consider the lasting effects of the trials highly influential in the history of the United States, with historian George Lincoln Burr stating that the Salem witchcraft was the foundation for the theocracy in New England.
How many people are in jail at the beginning of Act 2?
John Proctor and Elizabeth are dining when Mary Warren, their servant, proceeds to the witch trials, contravening Elizabeth’s instructions. Fourteen individuals are currently incarcerated, and unless they confess, they will be executed.
How many people were arrested in the witch trials?
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 involved over 200 people accused of practicing witchcraft, with twenty executed, most by hanging. The trial was the only state-sanctioned execution of its kind. Dozens suffered under inhumane conditions, including torture and imprisonment without trials. The tragedy of the trial is largely due to the failure of the court and laws during that time, which made visions, dreams, and spirits’ testimony permissible evidence.
The court accepted flimsy accusations, which would seem laughable today. The trials occurred just as Europe’s “witchcraft craze” from the 14th to 17th centuries was winding down, with an estimated tens of thousands of European witches, mostly women, executed.
📹 What really happened during the Salem Witch Trials – Brian A. Pavlac
Dig into how the infamous Salem Witch Trials began and why they remain a cautionary tale of the dangers of groupthink and …
Excellent article. I didnt realise what a documented tale I was in for when I clicked the article. I love how objective your articles are. Facts, and personal opinions separated. It is quite good. I know, and have known several self proclaimed Magick practioners in my years, and I’ve found many of them to be attention seeming to a fault. It’s something I’ve always disliked. But whatever, as long as you don’t hurt people intentionally, then I think its OK. Also SPOILERS HERE SPOILERS HERE It was a little hard to understand Joanne at the end. I’m Canadian, and thusly have litte experience with heavy southern drawls. I feel that that detracted from the experience at the end. Besides that, fucking Excellent article!!
Something you might find interesting, much like the Frankie Silver tragedy in Morganton, Martinsville VA is “said to be cursed” (🙄) by not letting people leave the area permanently, doomed to always return. This is all due to “curse” of The Martinsville Seven – seven black men between 18-23 who were tried, convicted, and executed in 1951 for raping a white woman. It was the largest mass execution for rape in the States and they were only just pardoned in 2021. As you can probably guess, the juries were white men and the cops got confessions from each man within one day, denying them all lawyers. Anyhow, I love your work – it’s all so familiar.
When a town stagnates in population and economy it also stagnates intellectually. I grew up in the same sort of place, and as half Mexican was the only minority there for years. It was ugly as when I was very young – mid 70s there was a klan rally a few miles from my home. Fun times. Now I live in Baltimore’ city and ppl give me shit bc I’m white. Never the right shade it seems
I don’t know man, your home town sounds interesting AF! Its got a witch and ghost lights and exiled klan members and a place called mountain shadows and Salem Elementary… I mean damn man don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. The only thing my town is known for is Stevan Segal may or may not have bought shotgun shells at our wal-mart. It’s not even confirmed 😔 You grew up in a scooby doo mystery ..LOVE IT!!
I’m so glad I didn’t look at the comments before perusal this, because I did not see that coming. Twist of the century, mr Shadows. What a larger than life figure, like a real life Elvira if she was a Southern Baptist. And they should have let her be in the Halloween parade! C’mon, don’t deny the children of Morganton so see a real life witch! It’s educational! Though, if you can, I would really appreciate it if you made subtitles for her interview portion. I’m not a native speaker and I think I could only follow about half of what Joan was saying, because I’m not used to Southern accents, which I thought was a real shame.
Maybe I’m being dramatic, but it’s sad to me to see what was obviously an astute, incredibly savvy, smart woman, now as a lady who reminds me of my mum; telling the same stories over and over, seeming confused at times as to what you’re supposed to be talking about, and seeming, sadly, like a lesser version of herself. Very few of us could’ve gleaned the career she had from the circumstances she found herself in; and it’s ridiculously impressive that she had the life she had. I don’t believe any of that witch stuff, or any of the god stuff; I think she became a person who had the media wrapped around her finger by herself, and that’s great.
I just think shes a gem! She knows what life is about, too live it and experience death might as well have fun and why be anything other than who you are, make your life story interesting whatever that may be too you then stand by it. Its important too wear your childhood like a pack of Lucky Strikes ib your shirt sleeve because the only ones who can really impress the most intelligent adult man or woman are the next few generatons of children beneath them. I grew up in a town tahtt sounds exactly like that in Patton PA where even my family would talk behind my back and it seems ppl would rather you fail soo they can put you below them and keep you there rather than talk you up and support you in fear you might put them below you now. Its all backwards and wrong. She has my vote! Thanks for making this it reminds me that every town has their “Legendary People” and its nice too give them a chance too tell their own story and be able too see the love they get and know they will be remembered.
The talk about the towns history was a very pleasant surprise and appreciated as it gives good context for why some of the Towns people do not like Joann one bit which is something I can’t entirely fault them for Joann seemingly used the death of a Mother she may or may not have inadvertently caused to spring board herself into the public eyes, seemingly not caring that she hurt people in the process of this and not even feeling bad that someone died. You could easily make the argument here that by her telling an already somewhat unwell woman she was gonna die is what caused her death. Playing around by putting “curses” on them and other’s she simply didn’t like and at times disrespecting the dead all to push a character makes her come off as extremely obnoxious. Unless you were in on the joke I don’t see any other way of enjoying her company unless you believed she could speak to the dead I will admit, she did bring some fun and attention to an otherwise boring town where the only thing note of worth are mysterious Lights the Government tried to write off as mundane nothingness but I can also see why some people were getting sick and tired of seeing her and her desperate attempts to stay relevant
This is absolutely wild. Stuff like this is part of what gives witches and spiritualists a bad name. Idk what I actually think about divination. I use tarot for shadow work but I don’t predict stuff myself. Predictions about things like death and illness are generally considered unethical. That’s probably because of instances like the Ramsey case. It’s not something to be taken lightly. People can develop obsessive tendencies and a decent medium knows that. It’s important to understand self fulfilling prophecy and consider our own personal locus of control when it come to the future. It’s really more about considering potential outcomes, not concrete predictions. That said, there’s a certain appeal to the transgressive nature of figures like Johanna and how they upset mainstream norms of respectability.
Scots-Irish not “Scotch” and “Irish” – tho there were probably some of them, too. 2 different things. Yes, Burke Co was hardcore Confederate. We all know Lumberton is per Capita perennially the most dangerous and violent town in North Carolina Obviously Fayett’nam logs bigger #s Quantity over quality
there are so many interesting little tidbits in this vid, but i still can’t get over how it really does seem like a man weaponized small-town religious zeal to get away with obviously murdering his wife for insurance money by diverting public attention towards the local witch. kind of gotta respect the hustle tbh
I can give people their future amd I can use tools as well. But they’re not needed. I just quite telling people what was gonna happen. It’s not like they fkn took my advice My step mom was raised catholic could tell I was different and proceeded to call me evil growing up. I was a very sweet kid. I was respectful. She abused me my whole childhood and got me and my brother kicked out cus she wanted it to be just her and her kids with my dad. Amd he let it happen. So is being a witch evil especially if u can’t help it entirely….or is religious abuse amd ruining of childhoods religiously
I don’t know bout all this hullabaloo.. I’ve been livin in Morganton since 1930, and I don’t think we have a gossip problem. Except for Nancy Smith. She talks a lot about people… In fact I heard Jacob Phillips said Nancy even said she saw the pastor’s kids doing graffiti down yonder by the homeless. But Richard Darvis said that graffiti was the work of Donna McLaird’s new husband’s kid. You know, the one who walks with the limp. I heard he hurt that leg after getting high on the wacky weed with the sheriff’s kid, and falling off the Johnson Bridge. But anyway, I don’t know where this kid got the idea about us gossiping so much..
Really enjoyed this, but a couple of things: The X Files episode Field Trip isn’t about the Brown Mountain Lights at all. They’re really only mentioned as a plot device. Wayne Williams was caught as a result of profiling developments within the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit (as portrayed in Mind Hunter). Joann had nothing to do with his arrest.
They locked my ass in Broughton when I got home from Iraq. I lived in Rutherford County. I found myself drunk in front of the school for the deaf and blind, hanging out the side of the work van pissing on the side of a local police car. She did NOT appreciate it at all. Before my little drunk adventure ended I was in the infamous loony bin of Morganton. If it hadn’t of happened I probably would’ve have killed myself. So I can’t complain I guess.
No disrespect but I went into this, after your description of the town and the beliefs of the area, the bigotry, the superstition, thinking I’d for sure side with the misfit witch… instead I just came feeling frustrated and sad. Once it was revealed she’s a Medium, not a witch, and took this woman’s death and her ‘trial’ to milk for fame. All the stuff about Elvis and Jon Binet Ramsey is so tasteless and trashy. This woman is awful. Mediums may be the one type of person I view with more disdain than fundamentalist Christians. Much like the recent Halloween Ends movie your small hometown feels like an infectious evil has corrupted it, turned it into a ghost town. After perusal all of it I just feel profoundly disappointed, in America, in humanity, in myself. I appreciate the integrity of the journalism here but this is a feel bad story through and through.
you ever think of making and odysee website? i wanted to watch your part 2 article on horror comics, but youtube wants me to verify, which im sure as shit not gonna do (srsly, they want my credit card, wtf). An odysee website would bypass this, and allow everyone to watch your articles without having to worry about bullshit verification.
It was brave of you to make this article. I wish it wasn’t. I wish tellin the truth didn’t mean you could get death threats or (god forbid it) attempts but that’s the way it is in these circles. I love how you pointed out how intrinsic hatetred is in that town. It is impossible for alt-right to love their neighbors like the Jesus they claim to worship. I’ve lived in multiple deep red places and the suspicion, the intolerance, the bleedin passion of violence is palpable. I know for a fact that when you hate others for things they simply are (not white, not American, not cishet) you start to hate EVERYONE. No one is above suspicion. You drive yourself crazy thinkin you have to constantly have a deadly weapon to protect you from fellow down the street cause he hadn’t done anythin YET but he asked my wife how her day was so he’s either a home wrecker or a queer. There’s too many places we’re folks like me just aren’t allowed to stop for gas. Too many places where methods of genocide are considered more reasonable than food and work programs when it comes to the homeless. Too many barber shops where you just know that you could one day walk in and a black man’s head will be on the wall like they “joked”. If I hadn’t left those places I’d still be in the closet cause if I so much as peaked out that door I’d been shot. I love the south. I still make homemade dumplin soup, want to live on a farm, favor moonshine above all drinks. I’m proud to come from a line of sharecroppers. I blast Luke Brian and Old Willie.
1:35:37 she just said that her doctorate was in divinity, not in medicine. she probably only studied medicine up to the point where she qualified for medical technician which is pretty much an associates degree if I’m not mistaken. you can’t just be a medical doctor just cuz you have a doctorate. I had a film professor who had a PhD in film and he has the “Dr.” in front of his name and everything… he cannot and does not work in the medical field at all.
The talks about witches residing in all parts of the Appalachia Mountains is as old as the very 1st settlers who lived & developed their own culture brought w/them from their old countries whether Scotch-Irish or of the many Germanic tribes now most of the elder ladies were basically natural healers whose ancestors lived off the lands they came from and were privy to all of the different healing practices using wild plants and herbs. But then some of these women were also privy on how to cast hexes as well as how to break one that was cast on them, also they had ways to make an ill willed person reveal whether they had any bad intentions before they were allowed entry into their old school mountaineer cottages or cabins or homes. These folks who had been raising generations from the beginning of our country still sang many ballad songs that were lost in time even in the old country’s. Heck my grandparents didn’t even have indoor plumbing or electricity until they moved up river from down Hoopie Luv learning the untaught lessons. Also am thankful my gram got me started on my own library of natural remedies and healing books 😊
Maybe I’m ignorant of the ways of the south, but a whites only barber shop seems contradictory. And I experienced the same thing with rich people losing their minds over a camera near their homes! One summer in Dallas, I was working an odd job driving around to various communities and photographing buildings for a law firm that had been hired to try to lower tax appraisals for those properties. This was every part of Dallas. I would always try to announce myself when there were people around, or any business or apartment building that might get spooked by someone walking around taking pictures. Lowest income areas, everybody was cool. The richer the area, the more likely I was to face some psycho coming at me like I was a spy trying to rob them. Really opened my eyes to the sheer audacity and disconnection from reality of the upper class. Similar to your story, but kind of opposite, when I drove around snapping shots of properties, I brought my somewhat aggressive bully breed dog, Frank with me. I once got out of my car to photograph the front of an industrial commercial property in a district that was mostly art galleries. A guy came out from a unit next door to the one I was shooting to yell at me, ask me what I was doing, and then go on to explain how his building was filled with so much valuable stuff, which is a weird thing to disclose to a potential thief. As if burglars walk around taking pictures in broad daylight to case a place. Anyway, I was young, got very rattled, went back to my running car with my dog waiting.
Also, Frankie Silver’s husband Johnny (Charles) was a crappy wife beater whose dismembered and charred body was found in three main places – that’s why there are three crosses that mark his resting place. The fact she had a 13 month old to watch and was so much smaller than him indicate to me that she had help – if not with the dismemberment, then probably the murder as well. They have no idea really where she’s buried – except that it was on the side of the road leading back to her home after she was hung.