The Salem Witch Trials Faq

The Salem Witch Trials. This subject was of interest to many people, as we have received many emails and questions. Here are the most frequent questions about the Salem

Witch Trials, with answers:

Is it true that the accused of this trial were burned at the stake?
Most of the accused were hanged to death and were not burned. The only exception to this was Giles Corey (who was crushed to death) as he turned down the option of

agreeing to an appeal of not guilty or guilty. In the colonial America,

practice of Witchcraft was considered to be an offense and those who

practiced it were subject to hanging. On the other hand, people who

practiced witchcraft in Europe were punished by burning the accused.
In which location did the trial first take place?
The witch trial was first started in a Salem village and here, the first person who was accused of practicing witchcraft was Betty Parris.
In which year did the Salem witch trials start?
The first time this kind of trial was started was in the month of May in the year
1692. However, examinations first started in the month of March of the

same year.
In which year did this trial end?
It is believed that the last of the witch trials ended in the year 1693.
What happened that lead to the start of the Salem witch trials?
Nothing actually led to the start of this kind of trial in Salem. Certain factors and events together led to the kind of environment that

necessitated the need of the Salem witch trials. Some of the factors and

events that lead to the start of the Salem witch trials were the

revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter, outbreak of small

pox and the continuous terror of being attacked by the Indians. All

these things made the Puritans believe that they were being punished by

God and this fear lead to a climate where the Puritans started to

believe that God was punishing them because people were practicing

Wicca. In addition to these issues, the other issues that lead to the

growth of the Salem witch trials were religious factors, family disputes

and the fears and imagination of the people. These are some of the

factors and events that were enough to start and lead to the growth of

the witch trials in Salem for about a year or so.
What was the reason behind the end of the Salem witch trials?
The belief in this kind of trial ended as the people stopped to support this idea. There were many reasons why the trials ended. There were many

ministers who were of the opinion that innocent people were being

accused and they were punished but no one knew for sure whether the

accused were actually practicing witchcraft or not. The evidence was

unreliable. What's more, at that point of time people from different

parts of the society (rich as well as poor people) were accused of

practicing witchcraft. In addition to these, people who confessed that

they were practicing witchcraft later on took back what they said. The

generally public started to lose confidence in these trials and

gradually, the Salem witch trials ended.
Is it true that witches were really living in Salem during that time?
There were many evidences that lead people to believe that witches did exist in Salem during that period of time. On the other hand, no one was sure

that the accused were followers of Wicca or witchcraft.
How many individuals were accused in the Salem witch trials?
At that period of time, it was believed that about one hundred and forty people were practicing witchcraft.
How many individuals died because of this trial?
About thirteen people died in prison whereas nineteen people were hanged to death. In addition to these, one person who died was crushed to death.
How many individuals were afflicted in the Salem witch trials?
As many as 43 people were afflicted in these trials....

Source: about-world-religions.blogspot.com