Puritans & Salem Witch Trials

People came to America in search of religious freedom however that was the opposite of what the Puritans offered. They believed that the devil was as real as God and that the devil prayed on the weak (children, women, the insane) these people were known as witches. The Salem hangings in 1962 were the last in America.
http://www.salemweb.com/guide/images/cemetery.jpg



Tituba, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne were some of the first women to be accused of witchcraft.

http://www3.niu.edu/acad/psych/Millis/History/2004/07194.jpg



The majority of the suspicion began when a young girl became sick along with a few playmates. The doctors results weren't medical, but he concluded they had more to do with witchcraft.

http://www.damninteresting.net/content/salem_witch_trial.jpg





Witchcraft was considered the biggest crime anyone could partake in. The punishment was always death. Whether it was being hung, crushed to death, or dying in jail.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/TheWitch-no2.jpg






The trials lasted less than a year (May 27, 1692-January 1963). However in that small time at least 33 people were killed: 19 (hung) 1 (smashed) at least 13 (died in prison). An astonishing number of 140 people were accused of witchcraft in this small amount of time. Giles Corey was the one person smashed to death, this happened because he refused to plead guilty or non-guilty. http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/biog/gilecory.jpg