The Salem Witch Trials In The 18th Century

The Salem witch trials began when the 9-year-old daughter of reverend Samuel Parris and his niece were diagnosed as being under Satan’s influence. The Salem witch trials were an inhumane and unfair series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, also four other accused and an infant child died in prison. People believed witches were associated with the devil and evil, this is why people feared them during the Salem Witch trials. These beliefs originated from the European Witch-Hunts of the 14th to the 18th century, this caused the executions of tens of thousands of people. Over time, the idea of white magic transformed into dark magic and became associated with demons and evil spirits. From 1560 to 1670, witchcraft persecutions became common as superstitions became associated with the devil. The witch’s magic slowly changed and became known as evil, and as the perspective on magic changed so did the perspective on witches. A definition of a witch now is, “A witch, a person, now especially a woman who is supposed to have evil or wicked magical powers.” (Linder, Famous
The resolution was a long process without formally receiving an apology for over 250 years. Doubts grew when respected citizens were killed, and the lack of evidence became apparent. When the governor agreed with the people to end the trials the many prisoners were released. “In May of 1693, the last of the convicted witches were released from prison.” (Blumberg, A brief history of the Salem witch trials) Nearly 10 years later in 1703, most of the guilty verdicts were reversed. In 1710, all of the families who lost someone due to the trials were compensated. Although they attempted to fix their mistakes, it was not until 1957 - over 250 years later that Massachusetts formally apologized for the events of