The Witches of Salem
The unfair judicial system in the 16th century can't be overlooked. Imagine a world where you don't have freedom of speech. Imagine where you don't have a say but to watch in utter disbelief as a bunch of inhumane individuals decide your sentence with no clear proof or evidence of your offense.
It was the case for three women, Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. Three women in a small town in Massachusetts were accused of witchcraft in 1692.
On a winter night, the Parris household in Salem witnessed a rather odd and disturbing scene. Betty Parris and her cousin Abigail began to act abnormally. Some of their symptoms were irregular, sporadic body twitching and speaking in a strange language. Before this, the girls had been listening to voodoo tales and lessons from their Barbados servant, Tituba.
Their father, Reverend Parris, sent for the uneducated village doctor to examine the girls. His unfortunate diagnosis was that the girls were under a witchcraft spell.
The people in Salem village were highly religious and strict. They believed ill luck was from the devil. Any usual behavior from the people was attached to a satanic cause. When the locals heard about the events in the Parris household, they quickly agreed that the girls were under a witch's spell manned by the devil.
After much interrogation, both girls confessed their involvement and begged forgiveness for their heinous acts. They blamed Tituba for recounting stories of voodoo magic to them.
Both girls accused Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne of witchcraft and the cause of their predicament. The three women were apprehended and put on trial. At this point, Sarah Good was pregnant with her third child and was a well-known street beggar.
Sarah Osborne, on the other hand, was a controversial lady who married her servant after her husband died. The locals believed that she stole her children's inheritance. Though she was opulent, she was still an outcast to the villagers. At the time of the trial, she was ill and near death.
During their trial, Good denied all allegations and incriminated Osborne instead. Due to her illness, Osborne passed away before her sentence. Tituba confessed to their claims, and it helped her avoid a death sentence. She admitted to hurting young girls and speaking to animals under the devil’s control.
Ann Putnam Jr. also accused Sarah Good’s daughter of witchcraft. Dorothy was put behind bars, and she died following the unbearable living condition. Before Good was sentenced, she was to give birth to her child, but the newborn died in prison. In mid-July, Good was hanged in Proctor’s Ledge.
Following these events, almost everyone in the village started accusing one another of witchcraft. Sir William Phipps ended further executions after 24 persons had died due to witchcraft accusations. It was a sad time in history, especially for the people of Massachusetts.
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