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Ann Putnam And The Circle Girls

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Ann Putnam
Ann Putnam Jr. was the ringleader of the “circle girls” during the Salem Witch Trials. The “circle girls” were a group girls whom most of the accusations during the trials came from. Before the Salem Witch Trials Ann was treated like any other girl in the colony.
Ann was born on October 18, 1679 to Thomas and Ann Carr Putnam. She was born in the Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She was the oldest out of her ten siblings. Ann was a regular puritan child while growing up. She had to be respectful of others, perform chores around the house, and go to church on a regular basis. “Ann was intelligent, well educated, and had a quick wit.”
Before the trials began the “circle girls” all enjoyed going to secret gatherings that …show more content…

The girls that had been diagnosed with “fits” caused by witchcraft were asked to name the people who caused them to have these “fits”. The first people who were named by Ann included Sarah Good, the town beggar, Sarah Osborne, who had not been to church in almost a year , and, of course, Tituba. The people in the town quickly turned against these accused women and supported the accusers. The women that were accused were all found guilty and were hanged. The first group that were hanged included Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, Sarah Wilds, Elizabeth Howe, and Susannah Martin. The next accusation shocked the townspeople. Ann accused the spirit of Martha Corey. She was a huge figure in the church and, even though there was not substantial evidence, was sent to prison and she was eventually hung. This accusation caused a scare throughout the village because it proved that anyone in the town could be a witch. The first set of trials ended but the girls’ “fits” did not. The girls were asked again to name the people who tormented them. Ann named Rebecca Nurse and her sisters. This accusation also shocked the town because Rebecca “ was the most religious woman in town.” Rebecca and her sisters were all found guilty and hung on Gallows Hill. Ann accused sixty-two people of practicing witchcraft and caused nineteen to be brutally executed. The end of Ann’s terror came after she accused the governor's wife, Lady Phips, of being a witch. Governor Phips ended the trials on October 29,

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