The Salem Witch Trials

The years 1692-1693 were some of the darkest times in American history. They were the years when mass hysteria ruled the land and young girls were inexplicably stricken with fits of screaming, barking, shaking, and crying. It was a group of roughly 9 girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, who were taken at their fantastical word of being physically tormented by certain members of their own village which eventually led to over 200 people being accused of witchcraft. Nineteen of those accused were hung and one was pressed to death. Here in our last episode of our first season, we take an in-depth look at the fascinating yet heart-breaking time in our history known as The Salem Witch Trials. 

Books:

• A Modest Enquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft by Rev. John Hale
• The Salem Witch Trials: A Reference Guide by K. David Goss
• Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692 by Bernard Rosenthal
• A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience by Emerson W. Baker

Films:

• Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1986) with Vanessa Redgrave
• The Crucible (1996) with Daniel Day Lewis and Winona Ryder