1. By:
Amanda Ryan
Arika McLean
Christopher Connick
2. The Tragedy
In 1692, a horrible fear gripped the settlement of
Salem. The citizens believed that their daughters
were being influenced by witches; thus the now
famous Salem Witch Trials were born.
3. Where is Salem?
Salem is in the state of
Massachusetts.
At the time of the witch
trials, the city was just a
developing town.
4. Society at the Time
People were frightened
of what they did not
know.
They turned to the
church for answers.
As a result, the church
was very influential on
the people.
5. Accusations
The first accusations of
witchcraft were made
shortly after an incident
during mass.
Daughters of
prominent men in
Salem began pointing
the finger at those
around them.
6.
7. Stereotyping
Traits of a witch:
Woman
Elderly
Poor
Ugly
Antisocial or different
Kept cats
8. Who was Accused? Men
Women
Accused
(185)
44 141
Tried
(59)
7 52
Convicted
(31)
5 26
Put to Death
(19)
5 14
9. The Trials
The “trials” were not
fair. Confession or not,
you were guilty.
During a trial, anything
could be stated and
taken as truth. No Proof
was necessary.
10. Torture and Confessions
If no confession was given,
one would be coaxed out of
you.
Public humiliation was a
very popular form of
torture.
Tests were also performed,
like the floating test.
11. Conviction
Convicted witches were
put to death.
Witches were hanged in
Salem, never burned
alive.
12. The Aftermath
After the summer of 1692,
the trials officially ended.
The accused were
eventually pardoned.
There is no one fully
accepted belief as to how
the trials started.
There are many theories,
such as ergot poisoning.
