BEWITCHED: Unraveling the Salem Witch Trials

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You tax me for a wizard,

you may as well tax me for a buzzard.

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I have done no harm.

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These words were spoken by George Jacobs

Junior during the witch trials

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in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late

17th century.

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An epidemic

seemed to cross through the small

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Puritan region and was evil in nature area

in which they took place.

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Seems like a picturesque,

quaint colonial colony,

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which has had a shadowy stranglehold

on the people of the Salem area,

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making them break out in fits seizures

haunting their dreams.

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Or did they? The tale of the witches,

the Devil?

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Or was it all mass hallucinations?

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All that and more on another episode

of The Remedial Scholar.

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That's ancient history.

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I feel I was tonight

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for the critical

need to know in information

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belongs to CRM pharmacy

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staff.

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Step in your remedial class.

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Welcome,

everyone, to the remedial scholar.

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I am Levi.

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Thank you for joining us.

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If you're new, thanks for coming.

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We're happy to have you.

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It's officially spooky season

and what that I felt

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it would be fun to have an episode

on something that aligns with the season.

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Halloween is fast approaching

and the tales of monsters,

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ghouls and witches fill the airwaves

and we are no different followers, really.

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But before we immerse ourselves

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in the bewitching world of the Salem Witch

trials, I have a few reminders.

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Once again, thank you for your unwavering

support of the reviews

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ratings on Apple Podcasts,

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Keep those go and we appreciate

those shares with your friends.

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You know, that's that's the easiest way

to support us, Sharon, with everybody who,

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you know, doesn't already listen.

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And then the merch we got,

we got merch going on.

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It's in the description

or on the link tree under.

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It's just a bar called Merch.

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So we're going to add

a couple of new designs.

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I tweaked one,

I tweaked the off with our head one

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and put it on some shirts

and I even ordered a couple of myself.

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So that then

there's also I ordered some stickers.

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If you're interested in stickers,

you're going to have to email me

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because I don't have a way

to sell those on a website yet,

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but so email me

at remedial Scholar at gmail.com.

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And if you want to submit an idea for

an episode, do that through there as well.

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So all that, all that and the tip button

obviously is the best way to support us.

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So you know, enough of the formality,

self-promotion.

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It's time to transport ourselves to a time

when accusations

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of witchcraft casts a long shadow

over a quiet New England village.

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So without further ado, Salem witch.

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Two people were killed in the name of God.

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Hundreds were arrested and 19 were hanged.

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Picture the quiet colonial village

gripped by a inexplicable madness

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as ordinary men and women

ensnared in a web of paranoia,

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accusations of flying, lives

shattered and a community torn apart.

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But before we get into that,

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I want to give a lay out of

how the episode is going to shake down

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as we move through this

riveting historical narrative,

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we'll unravel the myths and mystery

surrounding this dark period.

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But, you know,

it is a tale of paranoia, superstition.

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We got to give a little context.

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So intro before moving into the background

of the region and the people within it

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and then moving into the accusations,

the trials throughout that

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and then the resolution that followed.

Sound good?

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All right.

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Let's get into the depths

of American history.

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Few chapters are as an enigmatic

and chilling as the Salem Witch trials

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of the late 17th century,

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nestled on the Massachusetts

Bay Colony, the village of Salem with its

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cute little timber framed houses

and a populist that was predominantly

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Puritan, seemed like an unlikely place

for one of the most infamous episodes

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of Mass Hysteria in the New World.

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Or does it?

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The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded

by Governor John Winthrop and Deputy

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Governor Thomas Dudley,

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leading a group of a thousand period

and refugees from England.

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Over the next decade,

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the Great Migration witnessed

a substantial influx of approximately

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20,000 Puritans migrating to Massachusetts

and neighboring colonies.

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Of course, we know the Puritans fled

religious persecution in England

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as they sought to reform

the Anglican Church of England,

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which they felt was too closely

associated with Catholicism.

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And they faced opposition

from King Charles because of it.

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In America,

they aimed to create a society governed

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social, free, structured

and spiritually guided by their

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if the word Puritan, even being one of

mockery from their English homes, which,

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you know, describe

Christians who were seeking

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to purify the Church of England,

they felt the Catholic opposition had far

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too much decadence and extravagant wealth,

which can't say I really disagree.

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Felt the best way for worship was

a simple was simplistic

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in nature

with societal social structure to match.

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They also believed in an

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individual spiritual connection with God

as opposed to the Anglican or Cath

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Catholic method, which involved

so many steps between one person and God

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with the priests and the nuns

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and the bishop in the McDonald's

ice cream machine repairman.

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Too many steps to obtain salvation.

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If it was a direct line, you know, person

to God through praise and worship.

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This transferred

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to the churches themselves as well,

where you had local churches being the end

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all, be all no pope instructing the rules

or organizing them to make more sense.

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Because of this.

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There's some heavy puritanical laws in

this place are in place

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in this young community

implemented in: 1641

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body of laws and Section 94 titled

Capital Laws, Witchcraft comes in second.

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Number one, worshiping any other god

but the one true God

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after those blasphemy, murder, murder

with passion

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at a tent poisoning,

bestiality, homosexuality, adultery

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and kidnaping to round out the top two,

all those involved being put to death.

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Notice of the top three worst things

you could do in these communities were to

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worship a different God,

be a witch or blaspheme murdering.

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Still not great,

but not as bad as those things.

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Little shocked and impressed that

homosexual homosexuality was listed below.

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Bisciotti

But you know, they both end in death.

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So yeah, not great.

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These laws, they intended to govern over

their lovely new home

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to ensure the community be the closest

to God that they could possibly be.

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They found themselves at odds

with not just the indigenous tribes

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around, but even other Europeans

that attempt to settle near them.

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So in the hinge with their beliefs

that they even had odds against Quakers,

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which is wild to me,

almost two sides of the same coin.

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And they had, you know,

imprisoned, mutilated.

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Did all sorts of weird stuff.

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Two Quaker missionaries

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even put a couple to death until King

Charles, the second decreed that

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corporal punishment not be used on Quakers

in the early 17th century.

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One such place, Salem Village,

an outpost of the Massachusetts

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Bay Colony, was founded.

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It stood in stark

contrast to the bustling Salem town

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just a few miles away, which was,

you know, a thriving commercial center.

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Salem Village, by contrast, was quiet,

you know, as agrarian

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and pretty much a tale of two Salem

going up.

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Salem Village is where the action happens

today, for the most part.

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So there was a curious Salem town

and modern day Salem.

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Wow. Salem Village is modern day

hell on earth.

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Turns out

the religious zealots were correct.

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Obviously, I am joking.

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Salem Village is where Danvers,

Massachusetts, is located today.

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Its inhabitants,

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the Puritans, you know, fervently

held to their strict religious beliefs.

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The colony's leaders saw themselves

as the chosen people, establishing

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a theocratic society

in which religious dogma was the law.

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This fervent religiosity

set the stage for the Salem Witch trials.

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The period of strict interpretation

of Christianity permeated

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every aspect of their lives and deviation

from the norm was met with suspicion.

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Fear of the devil was ever present in

any unusual

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occurrence was often

attributed to his sinister influence.

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Salem

was founded in: 1629

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like I mentioned, larger

and more prosperous Salem Town.

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Settlement began

in this agrarian community,

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as mentioned, commune

populated by the Puritan settlers

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seeking freedom and establish a city

upon a hill as their vision appeared to

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and strictly adhered to their

interpretation of Christianity and views,

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and viewed Salem Village

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as the place where they could

practice their faith without persecute.

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And over time, Salem Village developed

its distinct identity, separate from Salem

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Town,

contributing to the simmering tension

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that would later explode during the witch

trials,

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the villagers had their church,

led by Reverend Samuel Parris, eventually

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whose arrival in: 1689

marked a significant turning point.

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As mentioned, in the 17th century,

Massachusetts was Puritan stronghold

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governed by strict religious principles.

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The Puritans believed in predestination,

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which asserted that God had already chosen

who would be saved and be damned.

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This doctrine created anxiety and fear

among the villagers as they constantly

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saw signs of God's favor

or disfavor in their daily lives.

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A little paranoia, of course.

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The villagers of Salem Village

were deeply religious,

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and their lives

were centered around the church.

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The Puritan Church was the heart

of the community, and religious leaders

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held significant, significant influence.

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Any perceived threats

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to the religious purity of the village

was taken very seriously.

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Socially, Salem Village was a hierarchal

society with a distinct class structure.

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The elite families like the Putnam's

and the Porters held

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significant power and land,

while others struggled to make ends meet.

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Economic disparities and land disputes

added to the existing tensions

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and disputes varied from things

like rights to graves, property markings,

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those kinds of things.

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These villagers were paranoid

not only with the devil's work,

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but also

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affairs of the people of the Salem Town,

as well as inside their own village

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in the lead up to the witch

trials, Salem Village

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faced a series of challenges

that set the stage for ensuing hysteria.

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Prior to the trials,

the community was already grappling

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with tension stemming from conflicts over

land ownership, economic disparity,

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property disputes.

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As I mentioned, these internal divisions

were compounded by external hardships,

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such as crop failures,

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Native American attacks, political turmoil

and harsh winters.

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Fostering an atmosphere of unease

and fear.

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Seeds of paranoia took root amidst

this backdrop of uncertainty

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and religious fervor,

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laying the groundwork for tragic events

that would unfold during the witch trials,

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the church factions came no surprise,

as they had plenty of turmoil

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regarding finding a quality minister

who would fit their criteria.

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Of course, Salem Village

just a mountain of drama.

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Their ministerial saga is like a soap

opera.

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It's just all over the place, you know.

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In: 1672

decided they wanted their own village,

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their own minister, separate from Salem

Town, no strings attached to them,

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but they couldn't pay a reasonable salary

for the first two ministers.

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One will come up later.

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Then another one finally got pulled in.

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They agreed on a salary,

but they wouldn't have them ordained.

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So I don't know what the deal was

with them.

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They finally agree on Samuel Parris,

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the first ordained minister of Salem

Village.

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Kind of.

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It was a battle of opinions over this guy.

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th,: 1689

and the villagers finally agree

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to hire Paris for £66

a year with one third in cash

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and the rest in provisions,

plus keys to the parsonage.

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Reverend Samuel Parris,

the controversial village minister known

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for his strict preaching and also

the salary disputes that put him there.

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Following that,

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he had created factions within the church,

further polarizing the community.

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Even after sealing the deal,

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a bunch of folks still couldn't

warm up to the guy Drama, drama, drama.

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Although I can't imagine he was actually

that picky about his salary.

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They probably were mad

they had to pay him at all.

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Oh, you need some money to survive.

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hat are you, Catholic anyway?: 1692

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The stage is set for catastrophe.

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Salem Village was a powder keg

ready to explode as tensions and paranoia

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grew in January: 1692

the seeds of the infamous Salem witch

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trials were planted when Elizabeth Paris

and Abigail Williams began

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to display bizarre behavior experiencing

violent convulsions and seizures.

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The afflicted girls contorted their bodies

in unnatural positions,

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displaying

evident signs of physical distress.

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During these episodes,

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the girls engaged in unusual speak,

uttering

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strange and unintelligible languages

or gibberish.

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This peculiar speeds became fodder

for interpretations, often linked

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to claims of obviously demonic possession

or witchcraft.

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Complaints of physical pain were frequent,

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with the girls alleging pinching,

pricking, stabbing by an unseen forces.

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Such complaints fueled their belief

that which is employed

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invisible means to inflict harm.

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The afflicted girls reported the moment

moments of loss of sensation, describing

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numbness or paralysis

and specific parts of their body

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hallucinations were part of the ordeal.

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Some accounts suggest

that the girls saw spectral figures

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and animals invisible to others.

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They'd also eventually be singing

like specters

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of specific people in their dreams.

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Fits of hysteria were a common occurrence

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triggered by perceived threats

or presence of certain individuals.

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These fits were characterized

by intense emotional outbursts.

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In some instances,

observers noted that the girls imitated

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animal behavior, crawling on the floor,

barking, making animal like sounds.

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Doctor spoke that they could not identify

what the aliens were but believed

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to be supernatural, which of course,

and also kind of make sense for the time

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if I didn't have any,

you know, basic medical knowledge,

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like if I didn't know the things I know

now and I was just thrown in 17th century

00;12;46;00 - 00;12;49;00

and this little kid started doing

all this, I'd be like,

00;12;49;00 - 00;12;51;17

That kid has got some issues,

to say the least.

00;12;51;17 - 00;12;55;15

The peculiar episode quickly escalated

as other girls in the community, including

00;12;55;15 - 00;12;59;18

and put them Junior Mercy Lewis,

Marcy Wolcott and Elizabeth Hubbard,

00;12;59;19 - 00;13;01;24

also exhibited similar symptoms

00;13;01;24 - 00;13;04;22

as February rolled in,

the local physician, William Griggs made

00;13;04;22 - 00;13;08;02

a shocking diagnosis, attributing

the girl's symptoms to witchcraft.

00;13;08;03 - 00;13;11;09

This pronouncement set the stage

for a series of dramatic events.

00;13;11;10 - 00;13;14;14

Even worse,

it was a leap year February 29th.

00;13;14;14 - 00;13;16;00

The Magistrate, John Hart.

00;13;16;00 - 00;13;16;16

I don't think that

00;13;16;16 - 00;13;20;10

has anything to do with it, but I mean,

they are super superstitious, right?

00;13;20;11 - 00;13;21;25

Extra seditious, if you will.

00;13;21;25 - 00;13;25;06

And I can't imagine

that didn't play into it anyway.

00;13;25;08 - 00;13;29;15

On February 29th, Magistrates

John Hawthorne and Jonathan Corwin

00;13;29;15 - 00;13;32;15

interrogated

Sarah Good, Sarah Osborn and Tituba,

00;13;32;21 - 00;13;35;23

who would become the first individuals

accused of witchcraft.

00;13;35;24 - 00;13;38;15

Who are these women?

Easy targets, in my opinion.

00;13;38;15 - 00;13;40;19

Tituba was the slave of the Paris family.

00;13;40;19 - 00;13;42;13

Sarah Osborn, mother of Ozzie.

00;13;42;13 - 00;13;43;25

That makes more sense now.

00;13;43;25 - 00;13;46;25

Sarah Osborn was a poor, elderly woman.

00;13;46;27 - 00;13;48;29

As she's old enough, it could be as well.

00;13;48;29 - 00;13;51;22

Sarah Osborn was a poor,

elderly woman who was considered

00;13;51;22 - 00;13;53;01

an outsider to the village.

00;13;53;01 - 00;13;55;24

Sarah Goode,

also an outsider as well as homeless.

00;13;55;24 - 00;13;59;03

So you have a slave, an old lady

and a homeless lady.

00;13;59;05 - 00;14;00;23

Of course they're witches. Can't you tell?

00;14;00;23 - 00;14;04;03

They've made deals with the devil

by how high and society they live.

00;14;04;04 - 00;14;07;11

Following day, March 1st, these

three women are arrested, brought to jail.

00;14;07;11 - 00;14;10;21

And they were subject to interrogations

as soon and soon enough.

00;14;10;24 - 00;14;11;07

The first?

00;14;11;07 - 00;14;12;13

The confession was obtained

00;14;12;13 - 00;14;15;04

while Sarah Goode and Sarah Osborn

stuck to their innocence.

00;14;15;04 - 00;14;19;08

Tituba confessed the implication of God

and Osborn both remembering that Tituba

00;14;19;08 - 00;14;24;25

was a slave and slave to the minister

of town or of Salem Village.

00;14;24;28 - 00;14;28;23

I'm guessing self-preservation and

coercion was a cause for the confession.

00;14;28;28 - 00;14;32;25

Side note Tituba was a slave of the West

Indies, quote unquote Indian

00;14;32;28 - 00;14;34;00

listed in the description.

00;14;34;00 - 00;14;37;03

But you know,

she's indigenous to South America,

00;14;37;05 - 00;14;38;17

which is not really important.

00;14;38;17 - 00;14;41;17

But I felt like it,

you know, just one of that.

00;14;41;21 - 00;14;44;13

I think luckily for her,

the confession made her avoid

00;14;44;13 - 00;14;46;10

the craziness that would manifest later.

00;14;46;10 - 00;14;50;11

The actual record is available

and I have summarized it to be.

00;14;50;14 - 00;14;53;20

Hutchinson questions Tituba

about her involvement with evil spirits.

00;14;53;20 - 00;14;57;22

Tituba denies hurting the children,

but admits serving the devil.

00;14;57;25 - 00;14;58;11

Gasp.

00;14;58;11 - 00;15;01;07

She names four women, including Sarah

Goode and Sarah Osborn,

00;15;01;07 - 00;15;03;05

who allegedly told her to harm

the children.

00;15;03;05 - 00;15;06;13

Tituba describes encounters

with the tall man in a Boston

00;15;06;16 - 00;15;09;10

hog like a dog, like appearance,

00;15;09;10 - 00;15;12;12

and two rats that instructed her

to serve them by hurting children.

00;15;12;19 - 00;15;16;06

She mentions being threatened and coerced

even when asked about Sarah Goode

00;15;16;06 - 00;15;17;12

and Sarah Osborn.

00;15;17;12 - 00;15;20;22

Tituba describes

their supposed familiars a yellow bird

00;15;20;22 - 00;15;24;04

and a creature with a head

like a woman, two legs and wing.

00;15;24;05 - 00;15;27;28

Tituba also claims to have seen a cat

with Sarah Goode and describes

00;15;27;28 - 00;15;31;10

the appearance of a tall man

in black clothes and a woman in white

00;15;31;10 - 00;15;32;03

and black hood.

00;15;32;03 - 00;15;35;08

Despite being asked

who is currently tormenting the children,

00;15;35;11 - 00;15;37;15

Tituba pretty much goes.

I don't know. I can't.

00;15;37;15 - 00;15;38;12

I can't tell you that.

00;15;38;12 - 00;15;42;00

Like I'm blind to that information

is what she said specifically.

00;15;42;03 - 00;15;45;24

The hysteria intensified through March

and April: 1692

00;15;45;24 - 00;15;47;27

Accusations and arrest continue to spread.

00;15;47;27 - 00;15;51;03

Prominent figures like Martha Corey,

Rebecca nurse found themselves

00;15;51;03 - 00;15;52;05

accused and imprisoned.

00;15;52;05 - 00;15;55;27

Bridget Bishop was brought in

on the 19th end of April

00;15;55;27 - 00;15;58;18

and when she entered, all the inflicted

girls, you know,

00;15;58;18 - 00;16;00;13

started to cry and convulse.

00;16;00;13 - 00;16;04;18

This is also not her first time with the,

you know, being suspected of witchery.

00;16;04;18 - 00;16;06;01

When her second husband. Yes.

00;16;06;01 - 00;16;07;26

Second of three.

00;16;07;26 - 00;16;09;28

Gosh. Seems like a witch already. No.

00;16;09;28 - 00;16;14;09

But when her second husband died, she was

suspected of killing him by Bewitched.

00;16;14;15 - 00;16;15;10

Isn't that fun?

00;16;15;10 - 00;16;18;10

Now, she was in the sights

of all the weirdos all over again.

00;16;18;10 - 00;16;20;04

I bet she regretted not moving after that.

00;16;20;04 - 00;16;23;28

Bridget Bishop faced accusations in court

with the afflicted, claiming

00;16;23;28 - 00;16;25;09

she had bewitched them.

00;16;25;09 - 00;16;29;24

Asked about the allegations,

he, Raheem Ali, denied knowing that his

00;16;29;26 - 00;16;33;07

accusers or being put in that place

before the afflicted

00;16;33;07 - 00;16;35;17

describe injuries inflicted by her.

00;16;35;17 - 00;16;38;10

A turncoat was presented

as evidence of accusations

00;16;38;10 - 00;16;41;20

of causing her first husband's

death were also raised, which, you know,

00;16;41;22 - 00;16;44;29

she pleaded ignorance despite her

protests of innocence and claims

00;16;44;29 - 00;16;49;24

not understanding the accusations, Core

noted her seemingly bewitching actions.

00;16;49;26 - 00;16;52;03

When confronted with other statements,

she insisted

00;16;52;03 - 00;16;55;02

she knew nothing of consent, confessions

or being a witch.

00;16;55;02 - 00;16;59;08

Court press pressed her on her involvement

with familiar spirits,

00;16;59;14 - 00;17;03;03

but she maintained her innocence, stating

that she did not know what a witch was.

00;17;03;03 - 00;17;05;19

As questioning continue

contradiction has emerged,

00;17;05;19 - 00;17;08;06

leading to the suspicion

about her truthfulness.

00;17;08;06 - 00;17;11;06

Throughout the proceedings,

Bridget Bishop adamantly declared her

00;17;11;06 - 00;17;14;06

innocence, even in the face

of mounting evidence and testimony.

00;17;14;14 - 00;17;17;07

So basically what we have now

is they're throwing

00;17;17;07 - 00;17;20;11

so many questions at her

that she's starting to get confused,

00;17;20;17 - 00;17;24;06

and then they're like,

huh, really interesting.

00;17;24;08 - 00;17;25;05

So yeah.

00;17;25;05 - 00;17;28;08

In response to escalating accusations

of witchcraft, the growing need

00;17;28;08 - 00;17;31;08

for legal intervention,

Governor Governor William Phipps

00;17;31;15 - 00;17;34;28

,: 1692

00;17;34;29 - 00;17;39;22

He formally establishes the court of OYER

and Terminer, a legal body specifically

00;17;39;22 - 00;17;43;14

tasked with hearing and decisions

deciding cases related to witchcraft.

00;17;43;19 - 00;17;45;23

Court marks a significant turning point.

00;17;45;23 - 00;17;49;25

As you know,

this is when it starts to be real official

00;17;49;27 - 00;17;50;15

and it is an

00;17;50;15 - 00;17;53;18

official response with,

you know, to the mounting hysteria,

00;17;53;19 - 00;17;56;22

its creation sets the stage for a series

of trials and legal proceedings

00;17;56;22 - 00;18;00;26

that will shape the fate of many accused

individuals in the months to come.

00;18;00;28 - 00;18;02;14

The court appointed William Sartin,

00;18;02;14 - 00;18;06;15

who was at the ripe young age of 59 to 61,

depending on the sources.

00;18;06;20 - 00;18;10;19

May 29 saw the first death of an accused

wished, albeit one that made sense.

00;18;10;20 - 00;18;12;22

Sarah Osborne died in prison because,

00;18;12;22 - 00;18;16;26

you know, the conditions are terrible

and weirdly enough, everybody lists her

00;18;16;26 - 00;18;21;08

as being like super elderly,

like I'm picturing this ancient lady.

00;18;21;09 - 00;18;24;21

But then all of them also say

she was like around 49,

00;18;24;23 - 00;18;26;25

which I guess 49 in

those times was different.

00;18;26;25 - 00;18;30;08

But like, you know, she she's probably

malnourished in the prison and,

00;18;30;08 - 00;18;33;13

you know, because she was poor

as well as just being in prison.

00;18;33;14 - 00;18;35;20

But, you know, she's elderly.

Then what does that make?

00;18;35;20 - 00;18;36;18

You know, judge done

00;18;36;18 - 00;18;40;22

ancient like the court of OYER

and Terminer was off and cooking.

00;18;40;22 - 00;18;44;10

But Nathaniel Saltonstall, a respected

judge over the OYER interminable

00;18;44;17 - 00;18;47;13

panel, expressed his displeasure

with the trial's direction,

00;18;47;13 - 00;18;50;05

ultimately walking away from the process.

00;18;50;05 - 00;18;52;16

Despite his disapproval,

the trial continued,

00;18;52;16 - 00;18;55;04

leading to Bridget Bishop's execution

on June 10th.

00;18;55;04 - 00;18;59;13

Absence of key judges,

including Hawthorne, Corwin and Gidney,

00;18;59;13 - 00;19;03;18

raising raised criticism for their failure

to witness the consequence

00;19;03;21 - 00;19;04;15

of their actions.

00;19;04;15 - 00;19;07;15

Minister John Hale was present

for Bridget's final moments,

00;19;07;18 - 00;19;09;07

offering prayer and benediction.

00;19;09;07 - 00;19;11;10

George Corwin led Bridget to the

00;19;11;10 - 00;19;15;02

execution platform where he tied her hands

and secured the noose.

00;19;15;02 - 00;19;17;20

Crowd of onlookers

had very mixed reactions,

00;19;17;20 - 00;19;20;27

some shocked, others

disgusted by the accusations themselves.

00;19;21;04 - 00;19;21;11

Think.

00;19;21;11 - 00;19;24;11

One positive note

is that suppose a victim were present

00;19;24;11 - 00;19;27;23

and you know, the ultimate response

to their accusations came as Bridget

00;19;27;23 - 00;19;31;04

was hanged

and left to be displayed for days After.

00;19;31;04 - 00;19;33;00

Six days later, another death occurred.

00;19;33;00 - 00;19;36;00

Although this one, another prison death,

Roger to the Ger

00;19;36;02 - 00;19;39;25

farmer Dowling healer died in prison

while awaiting trial.

00;19;39;26 - 00;19;41;10

I can see why he was there.

00;19;41;10 - 00;19;46;05

Irony was not lost on old Robert

because he was allegedly a person

00;19;46;05 - 00;19;49;02

who could find witches beforehand,

like before the trials started.

00;19;49;02 - 00;19;53;01

He, you know, who better to find a witch

than a witch themselves, right?

00;19;53;02 - 00;19;56;07

He also told people that his daughter

was taught by him and she Hunter

00;19;56;08 - 00;19;57;18

didn't even kill the witch.

00;19;57;18 - 00;19;59;12

And the end of the month

brought the biggest sweeping

00;19;59;12 - 00;20;01;00

new allegations with indictments

00;20;01;00 - 00;20;05;10

against Sarah Goode, who had been accused

but not tried yet.

00;20;05;11 - 00;20;07;21

And Rebecca Nurse Elizabeth Howe,

00;20;07;21 - 00;20;11;12

Susanna martin,

John and Elizabeth Proctor, Dorcas Hore.

00;20;11;14 - 00;20;12;18

Dorcas Hore.

00;20;12;18 - 00;20;13;07

I don't know.

00;20;13;07 - 00;20;14;26

I don't h.O.H.

00;20;14;26 - 00;20;17;26

Are Sarah Wilds,

Martha Carrier and Rebecca nurse have been

00;20;17;26 - 00;20;20;26

in jail already,

you know, for being accused earlier on

00;20;21;02 - 00;20;24;11

but were brought with new accusations

when Mercy Lewis identified them

00;20;24;11 - 00;20;27;21

as being the source of new ailments

stricken on the put them children.

00;20;27;21 - 00;20;28;20

Adding to the confusion

00;20;28;20 - 00;20;31;20

or adding confusion to this

was the fact that Judge Scott and believe

00;20;31;26 - 00;20;35;21

believe that any person that the children

described as being actors in their peril,

00;20;35;29 - 00;20;39;16

other magistrates were concerned

with the fact that the devil had power

00;20;39;16 - 00;20;42;24

to betray others and thus innocent people

could be convicted.

00;20;42;24 - 00;20;43;07

As that is

00;20;43;07 - 00;20;47;02

layer confusion and stress to honor

a confusing and stressful moment in time.

00;20;47;02 - 00;20;50;27

Rebecca Nurse, a revered member

of the Salem Village Church,

00;20;50;29 - 00;20;53;19

faced a dark fate

as her life became entangled in the web

00;20;53;19 - 00;20;56;14

of the invisible evidence

during the Salem Witch trials.

00;20;56;14 - 00;21;00;06

Despite her respected status,

the ominous cloud of accusations

00;21;00;06 - 00;21;04;13

cast a shadow, plunging her into the realm

of uncertainty and darkness.

00;21;04;13 - 00;21;07;20

The trial started as witch

fanfare can also be seen as property

00;21;07;20 - 00;21;10;20

disputes,

which had roots and deeper conflicts,

00;21;10;24 - 00;21;14;16

including longstanding feuds

between the porters and the Putnam's

00;21;14;17 - 00;21;17;19

Rebecca nurse,

who had married into Salem Town family,

00;21;17;25 - 00;21;21;06

found herself in the crossfire due

to her association with the wealthier.

00;21;21;06 - 00;21;25;06

Porter's dispute over property lines

exacerbated tensions and a decades

00;21;25;06 - 00;21;28;06

long conflicts between those families

reached a boiling point

00;21;28;08 - 00;21;30;03

as accusations of witchcraft spread.

00;21;30;03 - 00;21;33;15

Rebecca Nurse, an elderly woman

in her seventies, found herself accused

00;21;33;21 - 00;21;37;24

despite her upstanding reputation

and contributions to the local church.

00;21;38;00 - 00;21;42;07

Two additional factors contributed

to the accusations against Rebecca Nurse.

00;21;42;07 - 00;21;45;15

Firstly, she was a member of the Salem

Town Church, not subjected

00;21;45;15 - 00;21;49;01

to the strict requirements of the Salem

Village Church, causing resentment.

00;21;49;07 - 00;21;52;18

Secondly, her compassionate

act of taking in an orphaned Quaker child

00;21;52;18 - 00;21;55;19

stirred suspicion

among those who viewed any deviation

00;21;55;19 - 00;21;58;24

from peers in Christianity

as a manifestation of evil.

00;21;58;24 - 00;22;02;05

How dare you rescue this infant

00;22;02;07 - 00;22;05;14

or not an

infant, a child, but still orphaned child?

00;22;05;16 - 00;22;07;14

Anyway, they just wanted a Quaker Batman.

00;22;07;14 - 00;22;10;26

I think Rebecca's husband, Francis,

added another layer to the conflict

00;22;10;26 - 00;22;12;12

by being part of the committee attempting

00;22;12;12 - 00;22;15;18

to remove Reverend Parris

from his role as village minister.

00;22;15;18 - 00;22;17;07

The complexity of her situation

00;22;17;07 - 00;22;20;08

showcased the deep seated division

within the community.

00;22;20;08 - 00;22;23;29

However, Rebecca nurses families

seasoned in dealing with adversity

00;22;24;01 - 00;22;25;29

possess connections and resilience.

00;22;25;29 - 00;22;29;26

Yet as the witch trials unfolded,

even their experience would be tested.

00;22;29;28 - 00;22;33;09

Rebecca would need every ounce of support

to navigate the challenging weeks

00;22;33;09 - 00;22;33;29

that lay ahead.

00;22;33;29 - 00;22;36;19

Many people had gone

on the offensive of Rebecca.

00;22;36;19 - 00;22;37;03

Thanks.

00;22;37;03 - 00;22;41;09

Thanks to a lot of the disagreements

between her and the others in Salem and,

00;22;41;10 - 00;22;42;22

you know, the Puritans in general.

00;22;42;22 - 00;22;46;17

Reverend Parris had not been sneaky

in his condemnation of actions

00;22;46;17 - 00;22;49;02

similar

to those of Rebecca in his sermons,

00;22;49;02 - 00;22;51;17

because as this is going

on, this isn't the only thing.

00;22;51;17 - 00;22;53;04

There's still church going on.

00;22;53;04 - 00;22;54;21

People are still doing normal stuff.

00;22;54;21 - 00;22;58;09

So in the months leading up to her trial,

he had portrayed the workings of evil

00;22;58;09 - 00;23;02;12

in their town and embellishment

on the facts of and in an effort

00;23;02;12 - 00;23;06;03

to point to the evil in their extreme,

you know, in their midst.

00;23;06;04 - 00;23;08;20

The judges anticipated

Rebecca nurse's compliance

00;23;08;20 - 00;23;11;02

in the lawyer and terminal trial,

but it backfired.

00;23;11;02 - 00;23;14;08

Rebecca's family mounted a robust defense,

presenting character

00;23;14;08 - 00;23;18;02

witnesses with stories that cast doubt

on the afflicted girl's testimony.

00;23;18;02 - 00;23;21;17

Elizabeth Hubbard, a key accuser,

faced challenges to her credibility

00;23;21;17 - 00;23;24;27

with instances

suggesting deception and exaggeration.

00;23;24;27 - 00;23;26;12

Rebecca's daughter, Sarah Nurse,

00;23;26;12 - 00;23;30;07

testified against an accuser

exposing what she deemed a source.

00;23;30;07 - 00;23;33;14

Even surprising, Allies

John and Rebecca Putnam stood up for

00;23;33;14 - 00;23;36;16

Rebecca nurse challenging accusations

related to their daughter's death.

00;23;36;16 - 00;23;37;23

Despite their efforts,

00;23;37;23 - 00;23;41;07

despite these efforts, the jury

initially declared Rebecca not guilty,

00;23;41;15 - 00;23;46;00

causing the courthouse, you know, causing

chaos in the courthouse, however.

00;23;46;01 - 00;23;49;15

Well, Judge Staton intervened,

pointing out testimony, contradictions,

00;23;49;15 - 00;23;50;10

and the jury sought

00;23;50;10 - 00;23;54;11

clarification for Rebecca, who being deaf

couldn't respond effectively.

00;23;54;11 - 00;24;00;04

So the jurors reversed their decision

finding Rebecca nurse guilty, marking

00;24;00;07 - 00;24;03;01

the end of her pretty much following

Rebecca's trial, the court

00;24;03;01 - 00;24;06;27

proceeded with other cases in Sarah,

including Sarah Goode and Susanna Martens.

00;24;06;27 - 00;24;11;29

Sara Good's trial lacked the support of

fervor and witnesses in Rebecca's defense.

00;24;11;29 - 00;24;16;01

Tygerberg, The Perry's household

slave from earlier testified against Sara

00;24;16;01 - 00;24;19;03

Goode, providing a narrative consistent

with her earlier statements.

00;24;19;03 - 00;24;22;24

Sara Goode was found guilty

on all three counts of witchcraft.

00;24;22;24 - 00;24;25;24

Cynthia Martin,

an elderly widow from Amesbury.

00;24;25;27 - 00;24;27;08

Are you sensing a pattern yet?

00;24;27;08 - 00;24;29;03

Face a grim reception in the courtroom?

00;24;29;03 - 00;24;29;23

Flicker Girls

00;24;29;23 - 00;24;33;24

reacted strongly to her presence

with some even supposedly vomiting blood.

00;24;33;26 - 00;24;35;29

This is a theme

that we're going to get into where,

00;24;35;29 - 00;24;39;15

you know, the afflicted would react

in wild manners when the accused

00;24;39;15 - 00;24;42;21

were brought in the courtroom,

although they knew they were coming in.

00;24;42;21 - 00;24;45;04

So it's not like, oh, man, I'm surprised.

00;24;45;04 - 00;24;46;24

Like they knew they were breaking in.

00;24;46;24 - 00;24;48;19

So and oh, and they're like, okay.

00;24;48;19 - 00;24;52;07

And then as soon as they came

in, there are some interesting overlapping

00;24;52;07 - 00;24;56;00

going on, in my opinion,

from the Experience Experiments episode.

00;24;56;01 - 00;24;56;15

You know,

00;24;56;15 - 00;24;59;21

tell me that some of these people weren't

being influenced by authority figures

00;24;59;21 - 00;25;00;16

in these moments.

00;25;00;16 - 00;25;04;14

Even if anyone had bewitched anyone else,

they were conflicting stories

00;25;04;14 - 00;25;07;29

and evidence to the contrary,

and it was just blatantly ignored.

00;25;07;29 - 00;25;12;24

th,: 1692

for Sarah Goode, Rebecca Nurse

00;25;12;24 - 00;25;17;04

Susanna martin, Elizabeth Howe

and Sarah Wildes face their final moments.

00;25;17;04 - 00;25;18;14

Atmosphere was charged

00;25;18;14 - 00;25;22;16

with tension and fear as these individuals

were led to the gallows for execution

00;25;22;16 - 00;25;27;08

by hanging their confessions, all applied

under duress and convicted and convicted.

00;25;27;14 - 00;25;28;17

After these, you know,

00;25;28;17 - 00;25;32;08

dubious trials, things got more heated

following those executions.

00;25;32;11 - 00;25;36;21

Enter and Foster and Foster,

a frail willed widow in her seventies,

00;25;36;24 - 00;25;40;01

found herself entangled

in the web of accusations as well.

00;25;40;03 - 00;25;43;04

The troubles for the foster family began

with a horrifying murder.

00;25;43;04 - 00;25;46;27

Four years prior, Anne's daughter,

Hannah, pregnant with her eighth child,

00;25;46;27 - 00;25;50;19

was brutally murdered by her husband,

Hugh Stone, in the middle of town,

00;25;50;22 - 00;25;52;06

Stone executed for the crime.

00;25;52;06 - 00;25;53;26

Blame the foster family,

00;25;53;26 - 00;25;57;17

saying that Hannah's contentious nature

led him to commit the heinous act.

00;25;57;17 - 00;26;01;24

And Foster's world continued

as her teenage granddaughter, Marci Lacey

00;26;02;01 - 00;26;05;22

or Mary Lacey,

ran away from ran away from home,

00;26;05;23 - 00;26;08;27

further fueling the perception

that the family was wild and unruly.

00;26;08;27 - 00;26;09;27

When Timothy Swan,

00;26;09;27 - 00;26;13;24

an outsider tainted with tainted past

accuse and foster witchcraft,

00;26;14;00 - 00;26;17;16

the rumors gained enough traction

land her before the magistrates in Salem.

00;26;17;21 - 00;26;21;27

Physically frail and unable to walk

and was carted to town for examination.

00;26;21;29 - 00;26;26;16

The line between examination and trial

blurred as in the minds of the community,

00;26;26;18 - 00;26;30;20

a ray of hope emerged in the arrival

of John Higgins Higginson Junior,

00;26;30;22 - 00;26;35;08

a newcomer to the magistrates teams known

for his logical and cautious approach.

00;26;35;08 - 00;26;38;21

However, they and Foster took

an unexpected turn by confessing

00;26;38;21 - 00;26;39;25

to be a witch Right away.

00;26;39;25 - 00;26;43;15

She described encounters

with the devil in the form of a colorful

00;26;43;15 - 00;26;46;27

bird, echoing imagery used by Tituba,

the pair of slave.

00;26;46;27 - 00;26;49;19

In her confession,

Foster implicated Martha Carriere,

00;26;49;19 - 00;26;52;19

claiming that she had been trained

by Carriere for six years,

00;26;52;25 - 00;26;54;13

over three days of examinations.

00;26;54;13 - 00;26;58;15

And Foster confessed to attending

witch meetings and flying on wooden sticks

00;26;58;15 - 00;27;02;05

with other witches, including Martha

Carriere and the minister George Burrows.

00;27;02;05 - 00;27;05;04

The accusations led to vivid descriptions

and nicknames

00;27;05;04 - 00;27;08;11

such as King and Queen of Hell

for Carriere and Burrows.

00;27;08;14 - 00;27;12;13

Situation become more complex as Foster

portrayed herself in the stereotypical

00;27;12;13 - 00;27;16;24

image of a witch old woman riding through

the night sky on a wooden broomstick.

00;27;16;26 - 00;27;21;20

Meanwhile, Mercy Lewis and Elizabeth

Hubbard concluded their own witch

00;27;21;20 - 00;27;24;20

finding investigation in and over

Joseph Ballard

00;27;24;20 - 00;27;27;09

seeking a cure for his wife's illness,

traveled to Salem

00;27;27;09 - 00;27;30;09

to file a complaint against and Foster

and her daughter,

00;27;30;12 - 00;27;34;16

Marci Lacey, Senior,

and her granddaughter, Marci Lacey, Jr.

00;27;34;21 - 00;27;35;08

That's right.

00;27;35;08 - 00;27;39;06

Lady Senior and Junior said, I didn't know

that was a thing, but it makes sense,

00;27;39;06 - 00;27;39;21

I suppose.

00;27;39;21 - 00;27;42;18

There's also this other big introduction

of confessions.

00;27;42;18 - 00;27;46;06

Yes, there were a few confessions

like the one made by Tituba,

00;27;46;08 - 00;27;48;25

but these were like

detailed, full of creativity.

00;27;48;25 - 00;27;51;18

This also coincides with the fact

that when you confessed,

00;27;51;18 - 00;27;54;19

it seemed that you live

you know, Tituba testified against

00;27;54;19 - 00;27;57;25

Sarah Good at the beginning of the trial

before anything even happened.

00;27;57;28 - 00;28;02;05

And Bridget Bishop, on the other hand,

screamed her innocence until she,

00;28;02;06 - 00;28;03;15

you know, her throat was snap.

00;28;03;15 - 00;28;06;06

So you know, there was something to it

in their in their heads.

00;28;06;06 - 00;28;11;02

They also started to confess to like

about people who had already been hanged,

00;28;11;05 - 00;28;14;16

which points towards the benevolent

act of the accusation like, yes,

00;28;14;16 - 00;28;16;21

I'm a witch

and you know who else was a witch?

00;28;16;21 - 00;28;18;22

Sarah Goode. Like,

she definitely was a witch.

00;28;18;22 - 00;28;22;13

And she's already dead right now

and specifically was accusing people

00;28;22;13 - 00;28;24;27

that she trusted her

children and grandchildren,

00;28;24;27 - 00;28;28;03

which could be seen as a way to line

stories up and maintain their lives.

00;28;28;08 - 00;28;30;18

Their stories were lining up

when they interviewed

00;28;30;18 - 00;28;32;07

when they were interviewed separately,

00;28;32;07 - 00;28;34;04

which made the authorities

believe they spoke the truth.

00;28;34;04 - 00;28;37;16

But in reality,

they were being held in the same question

00;28;37;17 - 00;28;39;15

or in the same prisons

00;28;39;15 - 00;28;42;13

and then led to the answers

of the questions

00;28;42;13 - 00;28;45;25

by the authorities, like they were leading

the witnesses, essentially.

00;28;45;25 - 00;28;46;14

So at night

00;28;46;14 - 00;28;49;26

they could call, you know, corroborate

everything, make it easier on themselves.

00;28;49;26 - 00;28;53;06

Now, Burrows, that she mentioned, he's

fascinating on his own right.

00;28;53;08 - 00;28;54;17

The so-called king of hell.

00;28;54;17 - 00;28;57;22

He was one of a few failed ministers

in Salem Village

00;28;57;22 - 00;29;00;27

that I mentioned earlier,

only 12 years prior to the trials.

00;29;00;27 - 00;29;05;07

He was a he was the the village minister

for a couple of years.

00;29;05;07 - 00;29;07;21

However, his peculiarities set him apart.

00;29;07;21 - 00;29;12;26

He lacked formal ordination and he had a

Harvard education, big, fancy man.

00;29;12;28 - 00;29;15;15

But he's also surrounded

by a bunch of different rumors.

00;29;15;15 - 00;29;19;23

You know, his relationships, particularly

with his wives, are shrouded in mystery.

00;29;19;23 - 00;29;22;23

But there's hints of brutality

and controlling behavior.

00;29;22;29 - 00;29;26;10

Accusations suggest that

he either beat him or, you know, was just

00;29;26;10 - 00;29;30;13

super controlling his insistence on them,

keeping his secrets raised, questions

00;29;30;13 - 00;29;33;26

about the nature of these hidden truths

as Burrow's face of trial.

00;29;33;26 - 00;29;37;22

In August 5th, the courtroom abuzz with

anticipation, drawing a sizable crowd.

00;29;37;22 - 00;29;39;19

Today, ministers from all along

00;29;39;19 - 00;29;42;19

the coast gathered to witness

a fellow minister burgh stand trial.

00;29;42;19 - 00;29;44;03

Their motives were uncertain.

00;29;44;03 - 00;29;47;03

Silence supporters sense of vulnerability

for their own safety.

00;29;47;10 - 00;29;47;26

Who knows?

00;29;47;26 - 00;29;51;17

Considering the Massachusetts authorities

reduce protection for communities

00;29;51;19 - 00;29;53;06

burrows supernatural strength

00;29;53;06 - 00;29;57;02

and cunning were debated,

you know, derived from exaggerated tales

00;29;57;02 - 00;30;01;11

of the Native American insult in Maine,

which he was part of the defense.

00;30;01;11 - 00;30;03;20

Despite his courtroom strategy,

the trial's chaos

00;30;03;20 - 00;30;07;19

painted him as a trickster,

reinforcing his king of Hell reputation.

00;30;07;19 - 00;30;10;05

Witnesses

accused him of tormenting leading witch,

00;30;10;05 - 00;30;13;05

which covens and plotting against appeared

as an experiment.

00;30;13;05 - 00;30;15;23

Some even witness specters

flying about the courtroom.

00;30;15;23 - 00;30;19;18

While more fits emanated from victims,

one girl supposedly saw

00;30;19;18 - 00;30;22;26

the bloody faces of George's wives,

whom it was supposed

00;30;22;26 - 00;30;26;11

that he beat was now essentially

being accused of killing them.

00;30;26;11 - 00;30;27;00

Burrows fought

00;30;27;00 - 00;30;30;20

fiercely, though, using his impressive

intellect and Harvard education.

00;30;30;20 - 00;30;34;01

He even quoted a man who wrote

about the dispelling of witches.

00;30;34;01 - 00;30;38;14

That is an excuse for shoddy physicians,

but like others, succumbed

00;30;38;14 - 00;30;39;22

to the convictions.

00;30;39;22 - 00;30;42;10

Even the gathered ministers left

believing in his guilt.

00;30;42;10 - 00;30;46;10

Burrows and others, including Elizabeth

Proctor, were sentenced to hang by death

00;30;46;10 - 00;30;50;04

as execution date neared

and earthquake of Jamaica was reported.

00;30;50;04 - 00;30;53;18

And, you know,

kind of the news circulated back to Salem

00;30;53;18 - 00;30;57;18

and they were like, Oh, man,

can you believe that earth shaking?

00;30;57;20 - 00;30;58;11

And this is,

00;30;58;11 - 00;31;01;29

you know, perceived as retaliation

for attacking the king and queen of hell.

00;31;02;01 - 00;31;05;22

Burrows recited the Lord's Prayer,

which created a moment of doubt.

00;31;05;22 - 00;31;09;07

But it you know, while he was being Hank,

like as they were tying

00;31;09;07 - 00;31;13;04

the noose around his neck,

he was saying reciting the Lord's Prayer,

00;31;13;04 - 00;31;15;01

but it couldn't alter,

you know, his inevitable,

00;31;15;01 - 00;31;16;26

say, the way to to him and the others.

00;31;16;26 - 00;31;20;02

Execution signaled the indiscriminate fury

of the witchcraft

00;31;20;02 - 00;31;24;01

trials fueled by fear, panic

and religious conviction, leaving state,

00;31;24;04 - 00;31;28;05

leaving Salem with a stark realization

anyone could be the next target.

00;31;28;05 - 00;31;31;08

On the 19th of August,

another swath of accusers

00;31;31;08 - 00;31;33;24

led to the gallows

George Burroughs, Martha Carrier, George

00;31;33;24 - 00;31;36;25

Jacobs, John Proctor,

John Willard all marched to swing.

00;31;36;25 - 00;31;40;17

You may notice the lack of one name

that I had mentioned Elizabeth Proctor.

00;31;40;17 - 00;31;44;10

Actually, she pleaded her belly, similar

to what Mary Reed and Anne Bonny did

00;31;44;10 - 00;31;45;19

in the second Pirates episode.

00;31;45;19 - 00;31;46;22

I did have so three,

00;31;46;22 - 00;31;48;26

if you curious, Elizabeth

escaped the gallows,

00;31;48;26 - 00;31;53;05

but the same could not be said about her

husband, despite the numerous attempts

00;31;53;05 - 00;31;56;07

at petitioning,

even amassing 51 total signatures

00;31;56;07 - 00;31;59;06

from two different petitions

from many well-to-do people.

00;31;59;13 - 00;32;02;15

I should mention,

if you haven't was in the episode,

00;32;02;18 - 00;32;04;16

Pleading

your belly just means you're pregnant

00;32;04;16 - 00;32;07;05

so they wouldn't kill you

because they'd killed the baby. Right?

00;32;07;05 - 00;32;08;14

So that's that's what that meant.

00;32;08;14 - 00;32;11;14

Anyway, George Burroughs,

like I said, wants a rope, was pressed,

00;32;11;19 - 00;32;14;07

placed around his neck, began

to recite the Lord's Prayer.

00;32;14;07 - 00;32;17;27

The crowd was confused, you know,

commotion stirred before the gallows,

00;32;18;00 - 00;32;19;19

before the group were all hanged.

00;32;19;19 - 00;32;22;22

Cotton Mather, one of the leads

in the cause to save the village

00;32;22;22 - 00;32;26;07

from the witches, stated

This was just a trick of the devil.

00;32;26;09 - 00;32;28;06

Only the devil could allow

one of his servants

00;32;28;06 - 00;32;30;24

to break the rule that these freaks

decided was a thing.

00;32;30;24 - 00;32;34;09

Witches and people of the devil's nature

were thought to not be able to recite

00;32;34;09 - 00;32;38;09

the Lord's Prayer until now, I guess

all five executed

00;32;38;11 - 00;32;42;11

to add to the growing number 11 people

having met their end in the kangaroo,

00;32;42;12 - 00;32;46;06

which trial the next day, 20th,

the next day of the 20th of August,

00;32;46;06 - 00;32;50;03

Margaret Jacobs recanted her testimony,

which, you know, led to the death of her

00;32;50;03 - 00;32;53;03

grandfather,

George Jacobs and John Burrows

00;32;53;09 - 00;32;56;06

and Burrows as well, guessing the guilt

of seeing the swinging bodies

00;32;56;06 - 00;32;57;08

had something to do with it.

00;32;57;08 - 00;33;00;16

The most gruesome and memorable

part of the story comes next.

00;33;00;16 - 00;33;02;09

At least most memorable for me.

00;33;02;09 - 00;33;06;20

Things have been quiet for a mid-August

into September, but the ninth month

00;33;06;20 - 00;33;10;14

brought more insanity on September 9th

because only cool things

00;33;10;14 - 00;33;11;14

happened on the eighth.

00;33;11;14 - 00;33;13;18

Six more people are entered

into the trials.

00;33;13;18 - 00;33;17;25

Martha Corey, Barry, Eesti,

Alice Parker and Ampitheater, Dorcas

00;33;17;25 - 00;33;22;19

Haw and, uh, and Mary Bradbury

are all sentenced to hang for.

00;33;22;19 - 00;33;25;18

This group was set to hang something.

Some things happened.

00;33;25;18 - 00;33;29;21

Martha Corey was targeted for a multiple

few multiple reasons, namely

00;33;29;22 - 00;33;33;23

multiple husbands and a child

out of wedlock who was also of mixed race.

00;33;33;23 - 00;33;38;00

And also when Giles, her husband,

accidentally revealed the details

00;33;38;00 - 00;33;42;03

of how she read strange books

she could read Burn the Witch.

00;33;42;03 - 00;33;46;26

Another piece was that Giles attempted to

attend an earlier examination of witches.

00;33;47;04 - 00;33;50;12

She had removed his saddle from the horses

so he couldn't leave.

00;33;50;12 - 00;33;53;03

This act was seen as her attempting

to hide the truth.

00;33;53;03 - 00;33;57;08

Another bit was that when a few locals

in early March were trying to suss out

00;33;57;08 - 00;34;02;29

some suspects and put them, told them

that Martha was one of the was the one.

00;34;02;29 - 00;34;05;12

So they asked her what she wore.

00;34;05;12 - 00;34;09;06

Like they asked and what Martha

was wearing when she tormented her.

00;34;09;06 - 00;34;10;10

So they visited her

00;34;10;10 - 00;34;14;10

only to be greeted by Martha stating,

I know where you're coming for.

00;34;14;12 - 00;34;16;15

You're coming to talk with me

about being a witch.

00;34;16;15 - 00;34;19;27

And and when told that

and Putnam told the two men,

00;34;19;27 - 00;34;23;03

she said,

Does she tell you what clothes I have on?

00;34;23;05 - 00;34;25;04

Which probably blew their minds, right.

00;34;25;04 - 00;34;27;10

With how dumb everybody in

this story seems to be.

00;34;27;10 - 00;34;31;07

Definitely no possibility of anyone

finding anything out elsewhere,

00;34;31;09 - 00;34;34;15

like despite being a witch.

00;34;34;17 - 00;34;36;12

Novalee Nobody, like, just rumor

00;34;36;12 - 00;34;39;15

milling, like, Hey, I think they're going

to come down to the courthouse.

00;34;39;16 - 00;34;41;22

Keep in mind, she's 72 at this point.

00;34;41;22 - 00;34;44;27

Around about 72,

she has little time for games of children.

00;34;44;27 - 00;34;49;13

You know, she might as well be an ancient

and: 1692

00;34;49;16 - 00;34;53;14

So she was arrested on March 19th,

finally being tried on September 9th.

00;34;53;18 - 00;34;56;08

Giles had given testimony

that went against his wife.

00;34;56;08 - 00;34;59;09

But, you know, looking at some of it,

it kind of seems like they were going

00;34;59;09 - 00;35;03;26

to take his word against her regardless of

if he supported her or not.

00;35;03;26 - 00;35;07;00

So when he had a realization

of what his words had done,

00;35;07;00 - 00;35;09;12

Giles attempted

to recant the so-called confession.

00;35;09;12 - 00;35;12;01

This only brought further suspicion

upon him.

00;35;12;01 - 00;35;16;27

82 year old farmer with a checkered past

is well, see, Giles was a farmer's farmer.

00;35;17;00 - 00;35;22;05

Rough, rough, spoke from the gut, did

not take to this Puritan style very well.

00;35;22;06 - 00;35;25;11

He swore he was aggressive

and he was even convicted

00;35;25;11 - 00;35;28;17

of murdering a man whom he beat to death

and was only given a fine.

00;35;28;17 - 00;35;32;07

The pay man was one of his farmhands

who said was even was,

00;35;32;12 - 00;35;33;26

you know, on the dimwitted side.

00;35;33;26 - 00;35;35;23

So not a good look for Giles Wright.

00;35;35;23 - 00;35;39;17

Soon after accusations began to be pushed

towards him, Giles was arrested

00;35;39;19 - 00;35;41;17

after almost a month after his wife.

00;35;41;17 - 00;35;44;27

So he sat in prison day

in, day out until September as well.

00;35;44;27 - 00;35;48;14

And the only solace he probably had

was that he was in prison with his wife.

00;35;48;14 - 00;35;50;09

When his turn to be put on trial arrived,

00;35;50;09 - 00;35;52;15

he was brought in

and asked to enter a plea.

00;35;52;15 - 00;35;53;21

He said not guilty.

00;35;53;21 - 00;35;54;00

And then

00;35;54;00 - 00;35;58;01

he also refused to be put to the court,

which is essentially taking the stand.

00;35;58;02 - 00;36;03;05

Giles had not made it to 82 in the 17th

century by being an idiot or an observant.

00;36;03;05 - 00;36;06;09

He saw what was going down

and on the court of September 9th

00;36;06;09 - 00;36;09;22

and realized that all these people

who accuse him were all

00;36;09;25 - 00;36;12;23

involved in that trial

and he had no way of getting out.

00;36;12;23 - 00;36;14;27

He couldn't petition

like the burrows or the proctors.

00;36;14;27 - 00;36;18;29

He didn't have the connections

like some of the others who, uh, to escape

00;36;18;29 - 00;36;20;01

and live a fruitful life.

00;36;20;01 - 00;36;23;05

He had one decision and that was to go out

on his own terms and not there.

00;36;23;09 - 00;36;26;22

So when he was charged with the standing

mute, an order was given.

00;36;26;22 - 00;36;30;19

Giles was to be pressed until he spoke

or parish, whichever occurred sooner.

00;36;30;19 - 00;36;31;26

Something interesting to note.

00;36;31;26 - 00;36;35;03

But pressing was illegal in Massachusetts

at the time by a government order.

00;36;35;03 - 00;36;37;24

But that didn't stop the circus

from doing it anyway.

00;36;37;24 - 00;36;41;05

In a dramatic turn of events

the day preceding Giles, Corey,

00;36;41;05 - 00;36;44;16

scheduled punishment brought about

significant and somber development.

00;36;44;16 - 00;36;48;19

The Salem Town Church, in response to

Corey's steadfast refusal to stand trial

00;36;48;25 - 00;36;52;17

and made the grave decision

to excommunicated the ecclesiastical act,

00;36;52;17 - 00;36;56;26

severed him from religious community,

intensifying the isolation he experienced

00;36;56;26 - 00;37;00;11

as a result of his principled stand

against the proceeding.

00;37;00;11 - 00;37;03;23

So basically, you're not going to have

an editor in his eyes, right?

00;37;03;23 - 00;37;05;29

Like because that's what they felt it was.

00;37;05;29 - 00;37;08;18

You know, you are excommunicated,

you're done.

00;37;08;18 - 00;37;10;06

Despite the weighty consequences

00;37;10;06 - 00;37;13;22

of excommunication, Corey

remained unyielding in his resolve.

00;37;13;22 - 00;37;17;27

Efforts to persuade him to reconsider

his stance proved futile, underscored

00;37;17;27 - 00;37;21;18

the depth of his, you know, commitment

and defiance in the face of the witchcraft

00;37;21;18 - 00;37;25;10

trials on September 17th or 18th,

one of the two,

00;37;25;12 - 00;37;29;10

Corey was led to an open pasture

with a chilling practice of Penny Forte.

00;37;29;11 - 00;37;30;22

Adore awaited him.

00;37;30;22 - 00;37;32;10

This barbaric form of torture involved

00;37;32;10 - 00;37;36;02

placing a person on the ground

covering their body with slap boards,

00;37;36;04 - 00;37;39;22

which would form a makeshift

platform across their body.

00;37;39;22 - 00;37;42;10

And then heavy stones

were systematically added,

00;37;42;10 - 00;37;45;19

imposing excruciating pressure

on the individual's chest in court.

00;37;45;19 - 00;37;46;02

His case.

00;37;46;02 - 00;37;46;20

This ordeal

00;37;46;20 - 00;37;49;20

unfolded, like I said, in an open field,

accentuating

00;37;49;20 - 00;37;51;02

the brutality of the punishment.

00;37;51;02 - 00;37;53;05

Physical toll of the stones

pressing down on his chest

00;37;53;05 - 00;37;56;14

was immense, yet

remarkably, Corey remained resolute.

00;37;56;15 - 00;37;59;18

His refusal to confess,

despite the excruciating pain,

00;37;59;18 - 00;38;02;14

spoke volumes

about his unwavering determination

00;38;02;14 - 00;38;05;11

and commitment to his principles,

even in the face of one of the most

00;38;05;11 - 00;38;06;16

brutal forms of torture.

00;38;06;16 - 00;38;10;10

Corman maintained his innocence

in a poignant and a powerful moment

00;38;10;10 - 00;38;13;11

as a strength waned and his life

hung in the balance, Corey

00;38;13;11 - 00;38;16;14

managed to muster the energy

for final act of defiance.

00;38;16;14 - 00;38;17;03

When Sheriff

00;38;17;03 - 00;38;21;02

Corwin repeatedly asked confession, Giles

remained silent over two days.

00;38;21;02 - 00;38;23;15

This happened

slowly adding more weight to the platform.

00;38;23;15 - 00;38;25;23

Giles refusing to confess.

00;38;25;23 - 00;38;28;27

His face was bloodshot, his tongue

practically forced from his body.

00;38;28;27 - 00;38;31;06

And this was the most metal moment

in history.

00;38;31;06 - 00;38;33;26

The smug sheriff kneeling

beside the tortured 82 year

00;38;33;26 - 00;38;37;06

old farmer offering freedom

and a reprieve from all the pressure.

00;38;37;09 - 00;38;40;22

If all he did was confess, Giles

struggled to form the words,

00;38;40;22 - 00;38;44;10

but when he did,

all he said was more weight.

00;38;44;13 - 00;38;45;24

That me Goosebumps.

00;38;45;24 - 00;38;47;20

That's so hardcore like this.

00;38;47;20 - 00;38;50;20

Sheriff probably did not expect him

to live as long as he did.

00;38;50;25 - 00;38;54;07

But the hardened 17th century farmer,

you know, just kept living

00;38;54;07 - 00;38;58;08

just a stout do with the most,

you know, old man strength imaginable.

00;38;58;10 - 00;39;02;11

So he just keeps living, keeps being

alive, and then insults the whole process.

00;39;02;11 - 00;39;04;18

What he said he wants more weight

instead of freedom.

00;39;04;18 - 00;39;08;09

Respect to Giles, to the execution

of Giles Clare by pressing marks

00;39;08;09 - 00;39;11;22

a grim milestone in the history

of Massachusetts Bay Colony.

00;39;11;22 - 00;39;15;15

It served as the first and last instance

of such brutal form

00;39;15;15 - 00;39;19;05

of punishment slash

execution in the region.

00;39;19;07 - 00;39;23;29

It is technically listed as an execution,

but it was not supposed to be at first

00;39;23;29 - 00;39;27;05

like they literally

just wanted him to talk cause resilience

00;39;27;05 - 00;39;29;09

and unwavering commitment

to his principles,

00;39;29;09 - 00;39;32;05

even in the face of torture

and death, left a lasting impression

00;39;32;05 - 00;39;35;27

on the collective memory of the witch

trials, symbolizing the courage of those

00;39;35;27 - 00;39;39;09

who refused to yield

to the unfounded accusations at the time.

00;39;39;11 - 00;39;43;03

I also think it sparked a moment of, Hey,

what the heck is going on here

00;39;43;03 - 00;39;45;24

from not only villagers,

but outsiders as well.

00;39;45;24 - 00;39;49;10

You have people like Increased Mather,

who I always thought had an intimidating

00;39;49;10 - 00;39;52;21

name, publishing his stance

on spectral evidence, things

00;39;52;21 - 00;39;56;21

that his own son had been so passionate

about using during the trial increase.

00;39;56;21 - 00;39;58;08

As a quote that goes, We're better

00;39;58;08 - 00;40;02;02

that ten suspected witches should escape

than one innocent person be condemned.

00;40;02;03 - 00;40;04;08

And it's too bad

he wasn't running the show.

00;40;04;08 - 00;40;06;29

Within the next week,

Giles, his wife Martha, along with seven

00;40;06;29 - 00;40;11;14

others Mary Echols, Parker,

Samuel and Mary Parker

00;40;11;17 - 00;40;15;27

and Puritan William

Reed and Margaret Scott all hanged.

00;40;15;29 - 00;40;21;13

So now we have 19 that been hanged, plus

Giles being pressed to death, 20 plus one.

00;40;21;13 - 00;40;23;24

The ones that died in prison. Prison?

What a mess.

00;40;23;24 - 00;40;24;29

And this isn't even the end.

00;40;24;29 - 00;40;25;22

Very easy.

00;40;25;22 - 00;40;29;06

Before her death, obviously had written

a letter to Sir William Phipps.

00;40;29;06 - 00;40;31;18

You know, the governor Governor

I mentioned earlier,

00;40;31;18 - 00;40;34;26

who is the royal governor since they are

still under British control.

00;40;34;28 - 00;40;38;13

She had petitioned him

not only to say not to save her life, but,

00;40;38;20 - 00;40;40;20

you know, prevent this from going further.

00;40;40;20 - 00;40;43;17

Basically, her letter stated,

I am now condemned to die.

00;40;43;17 - 00;40;44;27

The Lord knows my innocence.

00;40;44;27 - 00;40;48;20

I petition Your Honor's

not for my own life, for I know I must die

00;40;48;23 - 00;40;50;08

and my appointed time is set.

00;40;50;08 - 00;40;54;01

But that no more innocent blood be shed,

which undoubtedly cannot be avoided

00;40;54;01 - 00;40;55;26

in the way of the course you go.

00;40;55;26 - 00;40;58;05

So Willie

Phipps was aware of what was happening.

00;40;58;05 - 00;41;01;14

Obviously,

he instituted the O'Rear and Terminer,

00;41;01;14 - 00;41;04;04

but he didn't really know

that it was going to go off the rails.

00;41;04;04 - 00;41;06;03

At this point. He wasn't super concerned.

00;41;06;03 - 00;41;09;25

He was aware of the trials as they began,

but honestly, he was kind of into it.

00;41;09;25 - 00;41;10;15

Facts.

00;41;10;15 - 00;41;13;29

You know, Phipps did actively engage in

what was happening, seeing,

00;41;14;02 - 00;41;16;25

you know, word

spread about the things happened in Salem.

00;41;16;25 - 00;41;19;11

Phipps acted by stating

that public writings

00;41;19;11 - 00;41;21;04

should not discuss the ongoing trial.

00;41;21;04 - 00;41;22;21

So that's not great.

00;41;22;21 - 00;41;25;02

I mean, it didn't work,

but that's not a great idea

00;41;25;02 - 00;41;28;01

and also not an idea that his own buddies

listened to.

00;41;28;01 - 00;41;30;24

Cotton Mather, who we've met a little bit

so far,

00;41;30;24 - 00;41;34;05

was writing his own tales of events

going on, and that was okay

00;41;34;05 - 00;41;37;28

because Cotton was really just all over

the place in regards to the trials.

00;41;38;00 - 00;41;40;21

Over the course of the trials,

he simultaneously concurred

00;41;40;21 - 00;41;44;13

that they should not be, you know,

hurl random accusations with anybody,

00;41;44;13 - 00;41;47;22

but also deemed them to be, you know,

the most important things going on.

00;41;47;24 - 00;41;49;23

This was also a man who was heavily

00;41;49;23 - 00;41;52;12

respected by everyone

in the Puritan community.

00;41;52;12 - 00;41;53;11

So those kinds

00;41;53;11 - 00;41;57;00

of things would really get people,

you know, wily and worked up, basically

00;41;57;04 - 00;41;58;29

working in direct contradiction

to the things

00;41;58;29 - 00;42;01;02

his own father

Increase was saying at the time.

00;42;01;02 - 00;42;02;04

Increase wasn't alone.

00;42;02;04 - 00;42;03;28

And even as the as directed

00;42;03;28 - 00;42;05;25

that the trials

should not be publicly discussed,

00;42;05;25 - 00;42;07;27

more people

expressed dissatisfaction with it,

00;42;07;27 - 00;42;10;26

even though they consider the battle

with evil forces to be an important one.

00;42;10;26 - 00;42;12;22

They weren't ready to sacrifice liberties

00;42;12;22 - 00;42;15;03

that they believed

their fellow settlers were owed.

00;42;15;03 - 00;42;16;15

Another person who wasn't pumped about

00;42;16;15 - 00;42;18;27

the whole ordeal was Mary Phipps,

the governor's wife.

00;42;18;27 - 00;42;22;19

She had then been accused herself

following reveal, and now the governor

00;42;22;19 - 00;42;24;14

was essentially forced to make a decision

00;42;24;14 - 00;42;26;10

He had already been contemplating

stepping in,

00;42;26;10 - 00;42;28;06

feeling

that there could be cause for action,

00;42;28;06 - 00;42;31;14

thinking that the danger of a court

who could accuse anyone at any time

00;42;31;17 - 00;42;32;16

and with the method

00;42;32;16 - 00;42;36;02

of allowing spectra of evidence

wholeheartedly without any caution,

00;42;36;07 - 00;42;37;07

could be too much.

00;42;37;07 - 00;42;41;00

He also consider what the thinking

could be with his wife now accused.

00;42;41;01 - 00;42;43;18

Should he act, what

people would feel about him stepping in.

00;42;43;18 - 00;42;46;20

Despite this, on October 29th,

Governor Phipps dissolved

00;42;46;20 - 00;42;49;03

the controversial Court

of order interpreter

00;42;49;03 - 00;42;53;16

amid mounting doubts about its fairness

In late October, Phipps established the

00;42;53;16 - 00;42;58;15

the Superior Court of Judicature to handle

the remaining cases more judiciously.

00;42;58;21 - 00;43;01;22

I guess it didn't quite end things,

but it did.

00;43;01;22 - 00;43;04;12

Mark Dropping

Point In November on the 25th,

00;43;04;12 - 00;43;05;12

the new court was in state

00;43;05;12 - 00;43;06;06

and they began to look

00;43;06;06 - 00;43;09;12

at some of the cases of the accused

that had been left in jail for months,

00;43;09;12 - 00;43;12;21

starting to reexamine the cases

and essentially take taking out the ones

00;43;12;21 - 00;43;15;26

where spectral evidence was

and all be all of their condemnation.

00;43;15;26 - 00;43;17;03

Abigail Faulkner was one

00;43;17;03 - 00;43;19;29

who was waiting for the birth of her child

to be hanged and petitioned

00;43;19;29 - 00;43;21;17

governor to expedite the review.

00;43;21;17 - 00;43;23;26

And then she was let free

John Proctor's son.

00;43;23;26 - 00;43;26;12

Benjamin also left prison soon enough.

00;43;26;12 - 00;43;30;20

Many more from the different areas

were soon beginning to be as well.

00;43;30;23 - 00;43;33;15

Prisoners from Andover,

the neighboring town and Boston,

00;43;33;15 - 00;43;37;01

as well as Salem, were all being given

their freedoms if they could afford it.

00;43;37;01 - 00;43;41;28

One man who escaped early on

returned to Boston feeling free to do so

00;43;42;01 - 00;43;43;04

and paid a fine.

00;43;43;04 - 00;43;44;29

And he was pretty much just, okay, cool.

00;43;44;29 - 00;43;47;14

Like I said, they were all paying fines

and bail prices.

00;43;47;14 - 00;43;50;22

Not that the courts were overturning

convictions yet and foster

00;43;50;22 - 00;43;53;16

the woman who had thrown her own

family under the bus,

00;43;53;16 - 00;43;56;16

so to speak, died in prison

in December of: 1692

00;43;56;18 - 00;43;58;11

Conditions

were really just awful in general.

00;43;58;11 - 00;44;00;09

Now you have winter on top of it.

00;44;00;09 - 00;44;03;26

Her family

trying to reclaim her body to bury,

00;44;03;28 - 00;44;07;13

was told to pay massive amounts of money

that she was accrued during her

00;44;07;13 - 00;44;09;01

stay in prison,

which is kind of messed up.

00;44;09;01 - 00;44;11;19

You can see the writing on the wall.

00;44;11;19 - 00;44;15;15

You can see that the circus is ending,

but get a squeeze any bit you can

00;44;15;15 - 00;44;16;07

out of the people.

00;44;16;07 - 00;44;18;02

Now, the despicable thing

that was going on

00;44;18;02 - 00;44;20;02

was the children that were left in prison.

00;44;20;02 - 00;44;23;10

Sarah Goode, who was killed by Sarah

Goode, who was executed

00;44;23;10 - 00;44;26;28

pretty early on back in July, well,

she was in prison

00;44;27;03 - 00;44;29;29

in March, and her daughter,

Dorothy, was jailed with her.

00;44;29;29 - 00;44;32;25

So she's you know,

she's just been in prison the whole time.

00;44;32;25 - 00;44;37;27

December also saw her freedom when a good

Samaritan literally his name was Sam.

00;44;37;29 - 00;44;38;10

It's good.

00;44;38;10 - 00;44;41;13

Sam paid her bond of £50,

which is, you know,

00;44;41;14 - 00;44;44;14

about $11,000 in America today.

00;44;44;15 - 00;44;47;18

The actual new trial

would begin in January: 1693

00;44;47;18 - 00;44;50;16

and they were still people in prison

who could not afford the bail.

00;44;50;16 - 00;44;53;10

So they continue to wait in the harsh

weather, winter weather.

00;44;53;10 - 00;44;56;13

By early: 1693

00;44;56;13 - 00;44;58;07

Individuals were from jail,

00;44;58;07 - 00;45;02;05

signaling the end of the dark chapter

and the cold confines of Salem Town.

00;45;02;13 - 00;45;03;23

Salem town meeting house.

00;45;03;23 - 00;45;08;06

The superior court convened

marking a stark shift from the previous

00;45;08;06 - 00;45;09;18

sweltering summer trials.

00;45;09;18 - 00;45;13;12

The jurors including and then the jurors,

including the intriguing choices

00;45;13;12 - 00;45;14;28

like Jacob Town or Richard Reed,

00;45;14;28 - 00;45;19;11

gathered for trial focused on evidence

rather than spectral accusation.

00;45;19;12 - 00;45;22;11

The first case was presented

on January 4th,

00;45;22;16 - 00;45;26;24

introducing new legal landscape

that excluded the spectral evidence.

00;45;26;24 - 00;45;29;25

Strict rule detailed the specific crimes

subject

00;45;29;25 - 00;45;33;08

to punishment, distancing the court

from earlier superstitions.

00;45;33;08 - 00;45;36;28

On this transformed stage,

the cases unfold the differently

00;45;37;00 - 00;45;40;13

ignoramus mark many indictments

as unworthy of trial,

00;45;40;15 - 00;45;44;04

notably Margaret Jacobs,

the granddaughter of George Jacobs senior

00;45;44;06 - 00;45;48;16

who recanted her confession,

signaling the shift in proceedings.

00;45;48;18 - 00;45;52;05

The atmosphere changed from fear

to celebration as acquittals were handed

00;45;52;05 - 00;45;55;20

out, symbolizing the triumph of cold

logic over superstition.

00;45;55;22 - 00;45;59;05

However, shock awaited on January nine,

when Sarah Hooper

00;45;59;05 - 00;46;03;00

Wardwell was declared guilty,

challenging the new new found confidence.

00;46;03;01 - 00;46;06;21

This conviction sent a powerful message

that hope was not guaranteed.

00;46;06;21 - 00;46;11;27

Meanwhile, a group of minors, including

Martha Carey, her son, miners and children

00;46;12;00 - 00;46;16;06

not like miners, faced indictments,

Adding to the community's unease.

00;46;16;06 - 00;46;19;17

As trials progressed, over

50 cases were presented, but only a few

00;46;19;17 - 00;46;23;10

went on trial, with the three

resulting in guilty verdicts.

00;46;23;16 - 00;46;28;15

The once feared justice of the once

feared Justice Stanton's influence waned

00;46;28;18 - 00;46;30;00

and his rush to execute prisoners

00;46;30;00 - 00;46;33;01

caught the attention

of the Attorney General, Anthony Checkley.

00;46;33;02 - 00;46;33;21

Governor Phipps

00;46;33;21 - 00;46;37;00

confronted Stanton's overreach

and had a decision to make on January.

00;46;37;00 - 00;46;37;28

So did Stanton's

00;46;37;28 - 00;46;42;20

defense of a messenger sent by the Crown

led to a falling out with Phipps.

00;46;42;22 - 00;46;47;00

Since that marked a turning point,

the governor leaned towards restraint,

00;46;47;00 - 00;46;50;28

but questioned Stanton's actions

as snow covered Salem on February one,

00;46;50;28 - 00;46;55;13

Stanton entered the meetinghouse intended

on conclude the trials triumphantly.

00;46;55;16 - 00;46;58;27

However, a messenger from Phipps

delivered a startling announcement.

00;46;58;28 - 00;47;01;19

All eight

convicted witches had been reprieved.

00;47;01;19 - 00;47;05;00

Stanton could sue by raids

to abandon the court, leaving his

00;47;05;02 - 00;47;06;24

the leaving a sobering reality.

00;47;06;24 - 00;47;09;09

Justice had been obstructed,

in his opinion,

00;47;09;09 - 00;47;12;08

and the King kingdom of Satan

had not retreated.

00;47;12;08 - 00;47;15;07

The community, haunted by the tragedy,

grappled with the aftermath,

00;47;15;07 - 00;47;18;15

knowing that no reprieve

could resurrect the innocent lives lost.

00;47;18;16 - 00;47;21;09

Samuel Parrish

tried to begin to reconcile his flock,

00;47;21;09 - 00;47;24;21

but many were scorned by,

you know, his his part in it.

00;47;24;22 - 00;47;27;17

It felt,

justifiably so, that he spearheaded the

00;47;27;17 - 00;47;31;10

early investigations of these moments

and led to the deaths of their loved ones.

00;47;31;12 - 00;47;34;11

Tried to get the nurse family that of,

you know, Rebecca nurse

00;47;34;13 - 00;47;35;26

to return to the church.

00;47;35;26 - 00;47;38;07

And they weren't so stoked about that.

Weird.

00;47;38;07 - 00;47;42;00

Her husband and sons met

with the pair's family, Parris privately,

00;47;42;00 - 00;47;45;20

and gave him a piece of their mind

on separate occasions, like one after

00;47;45;20 - 00;47;49;14

the other would go in and basically

just scream at him, which makes sense.

00;47;49;15 - 00;47;51;05

Others in the community would do the same.

00;47;51;05 - 00;47;55;00

The last few cases were not thrown out

by the new grand jury, sputtered upon

00;47;55;00 - 00;47;59;03

the lack of spectral evidence,

and the last few were found not guilty.

00;47;59;03 - 00;48;00;24

In May of: 1693

00;48;00;24 - 00;48;04;16

Oddly enough, one of the first accused

had been in jail since the beginning

00;48;04;16 - 00;48;05;19

and was finally spared.

00;48;05;19 - 00;48;07;03

Tituba, the slave of the Paris

00;48;07;03 - 00;48;11;01

family, had been in prison

since March of: 1692

00;48;11;03 - 00;48;13;04

and she had been abandoned

by the parish family.

00;48;13;04 - 00;48;15;25

Being as how she was a slave,

she was left in prison with them,

00;48;15;25 - 00;48;18;03

not willing to pay for the fine

for her release.

00;48;18;03 - 00;48;19;17

She was essentially confiscated

00;48;19;17 - 00;48;23;13

by the state and sold off to recoup

fines of, you know, the imprisonment.

00;48;23;14 - 00;48;28;15

Not sure what the worst part of her story

is, the fact that she was manipulated

00;48;28;15 - 00;48;31;18

and used to kill off so many people

or that they left her

00;48;31;18 - 00;48;34;18

to die in jail or worse

when they were done with her

00;48;34;24 - 00;48;39;16

and a complete one, 80 of Samuel Parris

Samuel saw a judge in the trial,

00;48;39;23 - 00;48;44;00

but not lead judge offer an apology

in his failure to promote justice

00;48;44;02 - 00;48;46;23

and was regretful

that in what had taken place,

00;48;46;23 - 00;48;50;20

he requested full blame while Sarah

while Parris put the blame of God

00;48;50;20 - 00;48;54;02

testing the community with this,

with these challenges at these moments

00;48;54;02 - 00;48;58;11

in: 1702

officially declared the trials unlawful,

00;48;58;11 - 00;49;02;10

and jurors publicly expressed remorse

for their role in the tragic events,

00;49;02;13 - 00;49;05;15

providing a somber reflection

on the devastating consequences

00;49;05;15 - 00;49;07;21

of the Salem Witch trials in: 1706

00;49;07;21 - 00;49;10;04

And Putnam,

who was one of the main accusers.

00;49;10;04 - 00;49;13;23

Like one of the first ones

publicly apologize for handling the trial.

00;49;13;25 - 00;49;17;20

I'm sure everyone was real

sorry for her apologies as has followed.

00;49;17;21 - 00;49;21;08

I desire to be humbled before

God for the sad and humbling providence

00;49;21;08 - 00;49;25;00

that befell my father's family in the year

about 92 that

00;49;25;00 - 00;49;29;11

I than being in my childhood, should,

by such providence of God,

00;49;29;11 - 00;49;34;13

be made an instrument of the accusing

of several persons of a grievous crime

00;49;34;13 - 00;49;38;18

whereby their lives taken away from them,

whom now I have just grounds

00;49;38;18 - 00;49;39;19

and good reason to believe

00;49;39;19 - 00;49;42;24

they were innocent persons,

and that it was a great delusion of Satan

00;49;42;24 - 00;49;47;05

that deceived in me that sad time

whereby just I justly fear.

00;49;47;05 - 00;49;52;03

I have been instrumental with others,

though ignorantly and unwillingly,

00;49;52;05 - 00;49;55;27

to bring up upon myself

and this land the guilt of innocent blood.

00;49;55;28 - 00;49;59;23

Though what was said or done by me

against any person, I can truly

00;49;59;23 - 00;50;03;23

and apparently say before God and man,

I did it not out of anger, malice

00;50;03;23 - 00;50;08;13

or ill will toward to any person, for

I had no such thing against one of them.

00;50;08;13 - 00;50;12;11

What I did was ignorantly

being deluded by Satan, and particularly

00;50;12;17 - 00;50;17;07

I was a chief instrument of accusing

good wife, nurse and her two sisters.

00;50;17;07 - 00;50;21;00

I desire, I desire to lie in the dust

and be humbled for it, in that

00;50;21;00 - 00;50;26;14

I was a cause with of so sad, of so sad

a calamity to them and their families,

00;50;26;15 - 00;50;31;06

which cause I desire to lie in the dust

and earnestly beg for forgiveness from God

00;50;31;08 - 00;50;36;00

and from those unto whom

I have given just cause of sorrow

00;50;36;02 - 00;50;39;12

and offense

whose relations were taken away or accused

00;50;39;15 - 00;50;42;27

that old time language

to suppressed, to read.

00;50;42;29 - 00;50;44;23

In: 1711

00;50;44;23 - 00;50;49;02

Massachusetts restored the names of those

convicted V alleges legislative measure

00;50;49;02 - 00;50;52;29

that also gave £600 of restitution to

those who had been killed to their heirs.

00;50;52;29 - 00;50;56;07

This equates to over 100 over 100 grand

in today's dollars.

00;50;56;07 - 00;51;01;02

And: 1752

Village was renamed Danvers, and in 1957,

00;51;01;02 - 00;51;04;08

the state formally apologized

for the events of: 1692

00;51;04;08 - 00;51;05;24

Couldn't get that out any sooner.

00;51;05;24 - 00;51;09;10

In: 1992

a memorial was dedicated to the event

00;51;09;10 - 00;51;11;22

and the innocent lives

lost was constructed.

00;51;11;22 - 00;51;14;20

Full list of people died

during the trials is as follows.

00;51;14;20 - 00;51;18;04

borne died in prison May ten,: 1692

00;51;18;05 - 00;51;21;05

th,: 1692

00;51;21;05 - 00;51;22;17

Rod Roger to the girl.

00;51;22;17 - 00;51;26;16

th: 1690

00;51;26;17 - 00;51;28;20

Sara Good. Rebecca Nurse.

Elizabeth Howell.

00;51;28;20 - 00;51;31;00

Susanna martin. Sara Wildes All hanged.

00;51;31;00 - 00;51;32;24

,: 1692

00;51;32;24 - 00;51;34;07

Reverend George Burrows.

00;51;34;07 - 00;51;36;03

George Jacob Senior. Martha Carrier.

00;51;36;03 - 00;51;36;28

John Proctor.

00;51;36;28 - 00;51;37;17

John Willard.

00;51;37;17 - 00;51;40;06

,: 1692

00;51;40;06 - 00;51;43;26

,: 1692

00;51;43;26 - 00;51;46;05

Martha Cary, Mary East, Mary Parker.

00;51;46;05 - 00;51;49;10

Alice Parker and Peter

William Wilmot. Read.

00;51;49;13 - 00;51;50;18

Margaret Scott.

00;51;50;18 - 00;51;53;17

Sam Samuel Wardwell Senior.

00;51;53;22 - 00;51;57;13

rd,: 1692

00;51;57;13 - 00;51;59;24

And that really ends

the direct story of the trials themselves.

00;51;59;24 - 00;52;01;23

But there's plenty of discussion.

00;52;01;23 - 00;52;03;12

Possible reasons aftermath.

00;52;03;12 - 00;52;06;14

So let's get into some of those theories

about what caused it.

00;52;06;15 - 00;52;08;26

Of course,

the prevailing theory was at the time,

00;52;08;26 - 00;52;11;23

a legitimate, legitimate devil,

possession of witchcraft.

00;52;11;23 - 00;52;16;04

But there's no real, real way to, you

know, theorize, prove or disprove that.

00;52;16;05 - 00;52;20;05

So some of the leading examples are,

of course, one of the prevailing theory

00;52;20;05 - 00;52;23;13

suggests that religious fervor

played a pivotal role.

00;52;23;15 - 00;52;26;12

SALEM

The Salem Village, was deeply religious.

00;52;26;12 - 00;52;29;01

That Puritanism permeated daily,

daily life.

00;52;29;01 - 00;52;33;05

The fear of the devil was also pervasive,

and any deviation from Puritan orthodoxy

00;52;33;05 - 00;52;35;22

was viewed as a threat.

Some argue that the trials

00;52;35;22 - 00;52;38;09

were a manifestation

of a zealous religious atmosphere.

00;52;38;09 - 00;52;43;08

The socio political factors Salem Village

was plagued by many internal conflicts

00;52;43;08 - 00;52;46;15

with factions

vying for control of local institutions.

00;52;46;16 - 00;52;49;22

The witch trials coincided

with a period of political instability.

00;52;49;23 - 00;52;51;24

The accusations trials provided

00;52;51;24 - 00;52;56;02

a convenient way for certain factions

to discredit their rivals and gain power.

00;52;56;04 - 00;52;58;12

The substantial number of suspects

00;52;58;12 - 00;53;02;07

in the witch trials, witch trials,

cases of New England were women

00;53;02;10 - 00;53;06;06

with usually unusually direct connections

to property ownership.

00;53;06;06 - 00;53;09;05

This was often

attributed to specific circumstances

00;53;09;05 - 00;53;13;07

such as the absence of living husbands,

sons or brothers.

00;53;13;07 - 00;53;17;23

Their relationship to property were

and land were marked by distinct features.

00;53;17;23 - 00;53;20;20

Instances of this phenomenon

were particularly notable

00;53;20;20 - 00;53;24;09

when the husbands themselves faced

conviction, or in cases where a woman

00;53;24;14 - 00;53;28;20

as a widow assumed possession

of her husband's assets posthumously.

00;53;28;24 - 00;53;32;15

These intricate dynamics

surrounding property and legal ownership

00;53;32;15 - 00;53;33;29

were understood by sheriffs.

00;53;33;29 - 00;53;36;26

Corwin demonstrated an acute awareness

of these situations.

00;53;36;26 - 00;53;40;01

Corwin, Following George Jacob's arrest,

visited Jacob's wife

00;53;40;01 - 00;53;41;14

and claimed her wedding ring,

00;53;41;14 - 00;53;45;02

a possession deemed by English law

to belong to George rather than her.

00;53;45;03 - 00;53;47;13

Though laden with legal complexities,

these actions

00;53;47;13 - 00;53;50;06

struck at the very foundations

of colonial society

00;53;50;06 - 00;53;51;28

challenging the established norms.

00;53;51;28 - 00;53;53;07

The significance of this trial,

00;53;53;07 - 00;53;57;23

of this legal maneuvering becomes clear

when considering the historical context.

00;53;57;24 - 00;54;01;04

Individuals affected were often second

or third generation settlers

00;54;01;04 - 00;54;04;04

who say ancestors had brought

valuable assets to the new world,

00;54;04;05 - 00;54;07;04

passing them down to support subsequent

generations.

00;54;07;04 - 00;54;11;12

The colony had initially abandoned

forfeiture laws to protect these legacies.

00;54;11;12 - 00;54;16;02

However, a seismic shift was occurring,

disrupting these established principles.

00;54;16;03 - 00;54;17;08

Ergot poisoning.

00;54;17;08 - 00;54;18;29

A biological theory suggests

00;54;18;29 - 00;54;23;02

that consumption of re-infected

with the fungus, ergot may have caused

00;54;23;05 - 00;54;26;13

hallucinations, convulsions and other

symptoms attributed to witchcraft.

00;54;26;14 - 00;54;30;24

However, this theory remains debated

due to the lack of conclusive evidence.

00;54;30;27 - 00;54;33;21

If you've seen the movie,

which by Robert Eggers,

00;54;33;21 - 00;54;37;13

there's a fantastic few Easter eggs

that point towards this kind of thing.

00;54;37;13 - 00;54;41;06

Witches, a horror film set in: 1630

New England following a Puritan family

00;54;41;06 - 00;54;45;20

that faces supernatural forces after being

banished from their colonial plantation.

00;54;45;21 - 00;54;48;25

The family settles near a dense forest

when the eerie occurrences

00;54;48;26 - 00;54;52;03

begin to unfold as crops fail

and their newborn goes missing,

00;54;52;04 - 00;54;56;02

family becomes more increasingly paranoid,

suspecting each other of witchcraft.

00;54;56;03 - 00;54;58;29

The film delves into themes

of religious extremism,

00;54;58;29 - 00;55;00;22

folklore and supernatural building.

00;55;00;22 - 00;55;04;18

Tension throughout atmospheric

storytelling explores the psychological

00;55;04;18 - 00;55;08;16

unraveling of the family in the face

of unknown and malevolent forces.

00;55;08;21 - 00;55;10;22

There's an excellent shot

of some of the corn

00;55;10;22 - 00;55;12;20

that they're eating in a few scenes

that, you know,

00;55;12;20 - 00;55;15;17

this is supposed to demonstrate

ergot mold on the crop.

00;55;15;17 - 00;55;16;04

And of course,

00;55;16;04 - 00;55;19;28

we know from the Experiments episode

that ergot was used to drive LSD,

00;55;20;00 - 00;55;22;17

the drug that also causes hallucinations

and the like.

00;55;22;17 - 00;55;25;03

There's documented

plight of poor crops known at the time.

00;55;25;03 - 00;55;29;10

The winter before the trials saw

a lot of crops failing and a lot of

00;55;29;10 - 00;55;32;22

and while the religious zealots

of the time saw this

00;55;32;22 - 00;55;36;09

as a sign of Devil's Dominion,

modern interpretation posits that

00;55;36;15 - 00;55;40;06

the fungus could have led to mass

hallucinations that spurred these moments.

00;55;40;06 - 00;55;42;11

Social isolation also contributed.

00;55;42;11 - 00;55;46;04

Salem Village was geographically isolated,

leading to a tight knit community

00;55;46;04 - 00;55;49;09

where, you know, rumors and suspicion

could easily spread.

00;55;49;10 - 00;55;52;11

Isolation may have heightened the paranoia

and fear of

00;55;52;11 - 00;55;55;20

outsiders, making it easier to label

neighbors as witches.

00;55;55;21 - 00;55;59;07

Mass hysteria also contributed

or could be contributed to it.

00;55;59;07 - 00;56;00;23

Fear can be contagious.

00;56;00;23 - 00;56;02;20

Once the initial accusations

00;56;02;20 - 00;56;06;02

surfaced, a climate of fear and suspicion

descended upon the Salem.

00;56;06;04 - 00;56;07;21

People began to see, which is everywhere.

00;56;07;21 - 00;56;10;19

And this is, you know,

a collective hysteria snowballed,

00;56;10;19 - 00;56;13;04

resulting in accusations

all over the place.

00;56;13;04 - 00;56;16;28

The late 17th century was also marked

by economic hardships, crop failures,

00;56;16;28 - 00;56;21;01

as mentioned and political turmoil

exacerbated the community stress.

00;56;21;04 - 00;56;24;18

Some argue argued that these

economic strains may have contributed

00;56;24;18 - 00;56;28;16

to the scapegoating of suspected witches,

as they explain troubles.

00;56;28;17 - 00;56;31;16

Conveniently, of course, it could be

a solid combination of them all.

00;56;31;16 - 00;56;32;09

I know personally,

00;56;32;09 - 00;56;33;14

I believe that the ergot

00;56;33;14 - 00;56;35;06

could have created the supernatural things

00;56;35;06 - 00;56;37;27

that they have been seeing along

with the follower effect

00;56;37;27 - 00;56;40;19

and not wanting to be out on something

that was happening.

00;56;40;19 - 00;56;43;11

Throw that in with the socioeconomic

differences in the continent,

00;56;43;11 - 00;56;45;13

fighting about property lines

and how quickly

00;56;45;13 - 00;56;47;13

the sheriff

was about snatching everything up.

00;56;47;13 - 00;56;49;14

And it all starts

to make a lot of sense to me.

00;56;49;14 - 00;56;51;28

I wonder if it was so obvious

to those at the time.

00;56;51;28 - 00;56;53;28

Hard to say, since most of them

would have been scared to say

00;56;53;28 - 00;56;57;22

anything contradictory to the intense

puritanical laws at the time.

00;56;57;22 - 00;56;59;07

But that's kind of what I was thinking.

00;56;59;07 - 00;57;03;08

Now, some of the other famous witch trials

in history, as we bring the narrative

00;57;03;08 - 00;57;07;02

to a close, it's essential to recognize

that such episodes of witchcraft

00;57;07;02 - 00;57;11;05

accusations were not an isolated incident

like Salem did not happen in a vacuum.

00;57;11;05 - 00;57;13;28

It wasn't just,

Oh my God, this is crazy witches.

00;57;13;28 - 00;57;17;23

No, it was ongoing all across the world.

00;57;17;25 - 00;57;20;11

History is replete with instances

00;57;20;11 - 00;57;23;22

where fear, superstition and prejudice

fuel accusations of witchcraft.

00;57;23;28 - 00;57;27;26

We talked about one a couple of weeks ago

with Joan of Arc, from European witch

00;57;27;26 - 00;57;31;06

hunts to the 16th and 17th centuries

to the Pendle Witch trials

00;57;31;06 - 00;57;34;14

in England and the witch trials

in Lordsburg, Germany.

00;57;34;15 - 00;57;37;24

Countless lives were lost

during due unfounded accusations.

00;57;37;26 - 00;57;39;29

The Salem Witch

trials served as a microcosm

00;57;39;29 - 00;57;43;11

of the broader phenomenon of witch hunts

that spanned the centuries and continents.

00;57;43;11 - 00;57;47;05

These trials serve as a stark reminder

that the destructive potential

00;57;47;05 - 00;57;50;18

of irrationality and tolerance

and unchecked power of the state.

00;57;50;19 - 00;57;54;23

Understanding this dark history is vital

to ensuring that

00;57;54;24 - 00;57;58;17

that such injustices are not repeated

in society progresses

00;57;58;20 - 00;58;01;23

towards more just

and rational, rational future.

00;58;01;23 - 00;58;04;25

Throughout history, the witch trials have

occurred in various parts of the world,

00;58;04;25 - 00;58;08;18

reflecting deep seated fear superstition

around the concept of witchcraft.

00;58;08;19 - 00;58;10;03

These trials were often characterized

00;58;10;03 - 00;58;14;03

by hysteria, persecution, trial

and tragic consequences.

00;58;14;08 - 00;58;14;23

Like I said,

00;58;14;23 - 00;58;18;12

while the Salem trials are the most

well known, there's a whole bunch of them.

00;58;18;15 - 00;58;22;03

The European witch hunts

peaked around 15th

00;58;22;03 - 00;58;26;00

and 18th centuries,

as we learned in the Joan of Arc episode.

00;58;26;01 - 00;58;28;04

It could have been started from there.

00;58;28;04 - 00;58;30;00

The Standard,

one of the history's most extensive,

00;58;30;00 - 00;58;33;11

which draws tens of thousands,

hundreds of thousands of individuals,

00;58;33;11 - 00;58;36;27

mostly women, were accused of practicing

witchcraft and subjects

00;58;36;29 - 00;58;40;29

subjected to brutal trials

leading to widespread executions.

00;58;41;01 - 00;58;44;08

European witch hunts occurred in Germany,

France and Scotland.

00;58;44;09 - 00;58;47;05

The Pendle Witch trial in: 1612

and England.

00;58;47;05 - 00;58;50;26

The Pendle Witch trials in length

in England are famous for brutality.

00;58;50;27 - 00;58;51;28

12 people, including

00;58;51;28 - 00;58;54;28

men and women, were accused of witchcraft

and brought to trial.

00;58;54;28 - 00;58;55;23

Unlike Salem,

00;58;55;23 - 00;58;59;28

where most accused were women, the penal

trial had more balanced gender ratio.

00;59;00;03 - 00;59;04;26

Several individuals were executed, leaving

a dark mark on this English history.

00;59;04;26 - 00;59;07;29

And before the witch trials

in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony

00;59;07;29 - 00;59;11;07

had a history of witches

witchcraft accusations.

00;59;11;08 - 00;59;15;05

xecution of Margaret Jones in: 1648

marked one of the first witch trials

00;59;15;05 - 00;59;16;14

in the New World.

00;59;16;14 - 00;59;19;18

Those earlier events may have influenced

the trajectory of Salem.

00;59;19;19 - 00;59;22;27

A lot of whisperings and murmurs

of the things happening going on,

00;59;22;27 - 00;59;23;05

you know,

00;59;23;05 - 00;59;27;18

kind of led to it like, okay, hey, you

remember what happened to Margaret Jones?

00;59;27;18 - 00;59;29;23

Like going crazy out there?

00;59;29;23 - 00;59;33;02

So some significant differences

and similarities

00;59;33;02 - 00;59;35;05

between all of these different witch

trials.

00;59;35;05 - 00;59;37;05

Common elements, accusations often

00;59;37;05 - 00;59;41;01

emerged from religious fervor,

superstition, social tensions, obviously

00;59;41;03 - 00;59;44;26

the use of spectral evidence, confessions

obtained under duress was common.

00;59;44;28 - 00;59;46;09

Executions and harsh

00;59;46;09 - 00;59;50;02

punishments were meted out,

leading to the loss of innocent lives.

00;59;50;02 - 00;59;54;21

Innocent lives feared mass hysteria

were central in all of these differences.

00;59;54;21 - 00;59;56;25

Geographical variations,

00;59;56;25 - 00;59;59;28

obviously, in the different regions,

pretty big difference.

00;59;59;28 - 01;00;02;14

The gender balance

one is pretty interesting.

01;00;02;14 - 01;00;03;26

I mean, obviously

01;00;03;26 - 01;00;07;28

there's still like a lot of women

who were killed or a lot of like men

01;00;07;29 - 01;00;10;14

who were killed in Salem,

but it was mostly women. Right.

01;00;10;14 - 01;00;11;25

So going back to the

01;00;11;25 - 01;00;12;26

was it the penal trials

01;00;12;26 - 01;00;15;15

that had a pretty more balanced one,

that's kind of interesting.

01;00;15;15 - 01;00;19;17

And then the legal procedures,

the legal systems and trials procedures

01;00;19;20 - 01;00;23;01

were different in the different areas,

mainly because of the different eras,

01;00;23;01 - 01;00;27;03

but also just because of where they were

and then the duration.

01;00;27;11 - 01;00;30;22

Obviously, the European witch hunts

spanned centuries,

01;00;30;24 - 01;00;34;09

saying which trial was one year,

which I guess is good.

01;00;34;12 - 01;00;37;02

You wouldn't want that kind of thing

going on for too long, I suppose.

01;00;37;02 - 01;00;38;05

But there we have it.

01;00;38;05 - 01;00;41;24

You know, the intriguing and haunting

tale of Salem witch trials or roller

01;00;41;25 - 01;00;43;27

coaster of emotions.

01;00;43;27 - 01;00;47;00

That is a chapter of history

that's just as baffling as it is.

01;00;47;00 - 01;00;47;29

Chilling, I suppose.

01;00;47;29 - 01;00;50;23

As we close this episode,

I can't help but reflect on the lessons

01;00;50;23 - 01;00;53;19

we can draw from this dark period

in colonial America.

01;00;53;19 - 01;00;57;00

Salem Witch trials are a stark

reminder of the power and fear

01;00;57;06 - 01;00;58;17

and the fragility of justice.

01;00;58;17 - 01;01;00;15

When fear takes

the reins, it's a testament

01;01;00;15 - 01;01;04;00

to the danger of scapegoating, tragic

consequences of unchecked paranoia.

01;01;04;01 - 01;01;06;18

But it's also a story of resilience and

01;01;06;20 - 01;01;07;08

redemption.

01;01;07;08 - 01;01;09;23

Over time, some accused were exonerated

and the,

01;01;09;23 - 01;01;13;09

you know, the scarred but not broken

community sought to heal its wounds.

01;01;13;09 - 01;01;16;13

The Salem witch trials, as harrowing

as they were, offer us a glimpse

01;01;16;13 - 01;01;19;18

into the human capacity for cruelty

and also compassion.

01;01;19;22 - 01;01;23;15

They offer several enduring lessons

for society, the protection of civil

01;01;23;15 - 01;01;23;29

liberties.

01;01;23;29 - 01;01;27;23

The trials underscored the importance

of protecting civil liberties

01;01;27;23 - 01;01;31;11

and ensuring a fair

and impartial legal system,

01;01;31;13 - 01;01;35;07

but most importantly,

you know, making sure that your judges

01;01;35;07 - 01;01;38;15

and bloodthirsty safeguards

against unreliable evidence,

01;01;38;17 - 01;01;41;29

spectral evidence

and presumption of innocence innocent

01;01;41;29 - 01;01;45;08

they'll proven guilty, are crucial

to prevent miscarriages of justice.

01;01;45;08 - 01;01;49;21

Trials demonstrate the need for critical

thinking and tolerance in times of crisis.

01;01;49;22 - 01;01;52;28

You know, the danger of demonizing,

scapegoating, marginalized groups

01;01;53;00 - 01;01;57;16

where tragically evident in Salem society,

must also remain vigilant

01;01;57;16 - 01;02;00;18

against fear mongering and manipulation

by those in power.

01;02;00;20 - 01;02;05;04

Salem Witch trials show how easy fear

can be exploited for personal gain.

01;02;05;05 - 01;02;06;29

Other things I want to reflect upon or,

01;02;06;29 - 01;02;11;00

you know, both Giles, Corey and George

Burrows defined you both took, you know,

01;02;11;07 - 01;02;14;29

different approaches for their actions

against the machine that swallowed them.

01;02;15;00 - 01;02;18;09

Giles Taking a stoic approach

while Burrows, defiant and logical,

01;02;18;09 - 01;02;19;08

both failed in the end.

01;02;19;08 - 01;02;20;03

But I think it's,

01;02;20;03 - 01;02;23;04

you know, true bravery to do either

in the face of what was happening,

01;02;23;04 - 01;02;26;25

especially at the point

where they saw people hang already.

01;02;26;25 - 01;02;30;06

They knew leg is like,

okay, is this is this fruitful?

01;02;30;06 - 01;02;30;21

We don't know.

01;02;30;21 - 01;02;34;04

But I want to thank each

and every one of you for joining me today.

01;02;34;06 - 01;02;36;17

Thank you for your support.

01;02;36;17 - 01;02;40;09

I, I truly could not do it

without anybody, you know, supporting me.

01;02;40;09 - 01;02;42;09

I do appreciate all of you.

01;02;42;09 - 01;02;45;04

You know, remember

to keep the reviews coming in.

01;02;45;04 - 01;02;49;24

Send in your send in your topic

suggestions remedial scholar at gmail.com.

01;02;49;24 - 01;02;50;24

Share with your friends.

01;02;50;24 - 01;02;53;29

Now spread the spread the wealth you know.

01;02;53;29 - 01;02;56;18

And next week we got the the Donner Party.

01;02;56;18 - 01;03;00;08

So we're going to keep the the creepy

and horrific

01;03;00;08 - 01;03;03;14

continuing for the so so far anyway.

01;03;03;16 - 01;03;04;17

Yeah Donner party.

01;03;04;17 - 01;03;08;15

You don't remember the infamous

Donner Party finding a secret route?

01;03;08;15 - 01;03;11;21

Basically, the Hastings cut off work

their way out west

01;03;11;21 - 01;03;14;21

to California away and they mistimed it.

01;03;14;26 - 01;03;17;28

It got a little dicey

and they ended up frozen

01;03;17;28 - 01;03;21;07

in the winter in the Nevada mountains.

01;03;21;07 - 01;03;23;03

And that's not a good place to be.

01;03;23;03 - 01;03;24;15

The infamous Donner Pass.

01;03;24;15 - 01;03;27;26

I've driven through it

many times, and it's a beautiful area,

01;03;27;26 - 01;03;30;28

but some pretty,

pretty gnarly stuff happened there.

01;03;30;28 - 01;03;35;24

So anyway, that's what we got

going on next week and I hope you return.

01;03;35;24 - 01;03;38;18

Join me with that.

Goodbye. We'll see you next time.