Salem Witch Trials Begin: Paranoia Consumes a Town
Bridget Bishop was the first person executed during the Salem witch trials, hanged on June 10, 1692, at Gallows Hill in Salem, Massachusetts. Bishop was an easy target: she owned a tavern, dressed flamboyantly, had been previously accused of witchcraft, and was generally disliked by her Puritan neighbors. The Salem trials ultimately led to the execution of 20 people (14 women and 6 men, including 19 by hanging and one by pressing with heavy stones) and the imprisonment of approximately 200. The hysteria was driven by "spectral evidence," testimony that the accused's spirit had appeared to the witness in a dream. Governor William Phips ended the trials in October 1692 after his own wife was accused. The trials became the defining cautionary tale about mass hysteria and the dangers of unchecked judicial power.
June 10, 1692
334 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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