If you’ve ever seen horror movies about witches such as The Blair Witch Project, you’d know witches are horrifying. But that’s not the reason for why we see them in our history textbooks, witches were a vital part of history. The Salem Witch Trials era was an unforgettable part of our history and we need to learn about what happened in order to learn about our mistakes. The trials were unlawful and it’s important for us to never repeat the same mistakes that we made during that time period. Many died from those trials and it was a great tragedy that left the community damaged. The idea of witches stemmed from religious folks believing that the Devil could give certain people, known as witches, the power to harm others in return for their loyalty (Smithsonian). Due to the popularity of religion and supernatural beliefs, many people believed that the source of evil was the Devil. This idea appeared in Europe as early as the 14th century and it was quite popular in New England colonies. Villagers often blamed unfortunate things upon the Devil and other spectral sources of evil due to their lack of knowledge. The harsh living conditions of Salem only added onto the spectral beliefs of witches. At the time, a war was still recent. …show more content…
On May 27, 1692, the governor of Massachusetts established the Special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (Smithsonian). The special court were specifically for witchcraft cases. Being overseered by Hathorne, Samuel Sewall and William Stoughton, the court made its first conviction. Bridget Bishop was a woman known for her gossipy habits and promiscuity (Smithsonian). She was questioned if she had devoted to witchcraft, which she replied to with, “I am as innocent as the child unborn.” However, her defense did not save her from being prosecuted. She was later on hanged on the 10th of June in what became the Gallows