Long Terms Effects and Synthesis
Looking back on it now, only a few people were affected including the hundreds of women and some men who were imprisoned or killed left the population lower. On October 29th, 1692, Governor Phipps officially closed the court of Oyer and Terminer. The Supreme court of Massachusetts was to convene in January 1697 to try the remaining cases. On December 29, 1692, Governor Phipps called for a day of fasting and prayers for the townsfolk. In January 1693, the Superior court met to begin the remaining trials.
By order of Governor Phipps, spectral evidence could not be used against the defendants. Of the 52 persons tried, 49 were cleared of the accusations and 3 were found guilty. The last sitting of the court was held in Boston in May, 1693 and by this time Governor Phipps revived a letter from England which convinced him that there was no need to continue with the trials. The Governor issued a proclamation that pardoned everyone and granted amnesty to those who fled to escape persecution. By the end of the trials, some of the most important citizens of Massachusetts would be accused of witchcraft including Governor Phipps wife. A few years later, the girls who started the hysteria as well as many of the accusers who took part in the accusations asked for forgiveness for their actions. On October 17, 1711, an Act of the colonial legislature returned all property taken from the victims and their families and were paid compensation for their losses. This Act officially ended all government actions relating to the trials of 1692. However, in Salem, accusations and resentment would be felt for years to come.
In the long term, obviously the impact of the hysteria the Salem Witch Trials has not gone away. It is a focus in all major book publishers' literature series. And Hollywood doesn't leave it alone either. Many types of " Witch - hunts" have happened even over the last century have kept the reminder of the Salem Witch Trials in view. They are a good reminder to consider how far our beliefs can carry us to poorly carry out what we sometimes think is justice. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller depicts, although not entirely historically accurate, the Salem Witch Trials in an attempt to remind America of our wrongful past. In the Doctor Who Past Doctor Adventures novel The Witch Hunters (1998) by Steve Lyons, the First Doctor, his granddaughter Susan Foreman and their companions Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright visit Salem in the midst of the witch trials. Historical figures such as Reverend Samuel Parris, Rebecca Nurse, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, Jr. and John Proctor are major characters in the novel, and in both the third and fourth books in the Harry Potter series (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), respectively) make slight references to the Salem trials. The Salem Witch Trials have also found their way into current forms of media today. ParaNorman (2012) animated film takes place in a Massachusetts town that in 1712 held witch trials and convicted and executed an innocent girl. In The Simpsons animated television comedy series (1989–present), a segment of the 1997 Halloween special episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" is based on the Salem witch trials. In The Vampire Diaries, Bonnie Bennett's ancestors were Salem witches, who fled Salem in 1692. The third season of the series American Horror Story: Coven (2013) primarily follows the antics and events of a coven of Salem descendants who reside within a boarding school, Miss Robichaux's Academy, centered in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Although not taught in schools as excessively as the Holocaust, The Salem Witch Trials serve as an important reminder that human error is inevitable and we as a human society really should collaborate with one another to make sure events like this don't occur again. Although, it is often the younger generation that commits acts that are dumb, such as the modern day "charlie charlie challenge", where you use two pencils and a paper to summon a mysterious Mexican demon. It's similar to a Ouija board, and teens everywhere are attempting this "challenge", but no one can really say if this in itself is truly paranormal, or superstition and fear corrupting the minds of Americans once again.
By order of Governor Phipps, spectral evidence could not be used against the defendants. Of the 52 persons tried, 49 were cleared of the accusations and 3 were found guilty. The last sitting of the court was held in Boston in May, 1693 and by this time Governor Phipps revived a letter from England which convinced him that there was no need to continue with the trials. The Governor issued a proclamation that pardoned everyone and granted amnesty to those who fled to escape persecution. By the end of the trials, some of the most important citizens of Massachusetts would be accused of witchcraft including Governor Phipps wife. A few years later, the girls who started the hysteria as well as many of the accusers who took part in the accusations asked for forgiveness for their actions. On October 17, 1711, an Act of the colonial legislature returned all property taken from the victims and their families and were paid compensation for their losses. This Act officially ended all government actions relating to the trials of 1692. However, in Salem, accusations and resentment would be felt for years to come.
In the long term, obviously the impact of the hysteria the Salem Witch Trials has not gone away. It is a focus in all major book publishers' literature series. And Hollywood doesn't leave it alone either. Many types of " Witch - hunts" have happened even over the last century have kept the reminder of the Salem Witch Trials in view. They are a good reminder to consider how far our beliefs can carry us to poorly carry out what we sometimes think is justice. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller depicts, although not entirely historically accurate, the Salem Witch Trials in an attempt to remind America of our wrongful past. In the Doctor Who Past Doctor Adventures novel The Witch Hunters (1998) by Steve Lyons, the First Doctor, his granddaughter Susan Foreman and their companions Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright visit Salem in the midst of the witch trials. Historical figures such as Reverend Samuel Parris, Rebecca Nurse, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, Jr. and John Proctor are major characters in the novel, and in both the third and fourth books in the Harry Potter series (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), respectively) make slight references to the Salem trials. The Salem Witch Trials have also found their way into current forms of media today. ParaNorman (2012) animated film takes place in a Massachusetts town that in 1712 held witch trials and convicted and executed an innocent girl. In The Simpsons animated television comedy series (1989–present), a segment of the 1997 Halloween special episode "Treehouse of Horror VIII" is based on the Salem witch trials. In The Vampire Diaries, Bonnie Bennett's ancestors were Salem witches, who fled Salem in 1692. The third season of the series American Horror Story: Coven (2013) primarily follows the antics and events of a coven of Salem descendants who reside within a boarding school, Miss Robichaux's Academy, centered in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Although not taught in schools as excessively as the Holocaust, The Salem Witch Trials serve as an important reminder that human error is inevitable and we as a human society really should collaborate with one another to make sure events like this don't occur again. Although, it is often the younger generation that commits acts that are dumb, such as the modern day "charlie charlie challenge", where you use two pencils and a paper to summon a mysterious Mexican demon. It's similar to a Ouija board, and teens everywhere are attempting this "challenge", but no one can really say if this in itself is truly paranormal, or superstition and fear corrupting the minds of Americans once again.
CONCLUSION
What is clear from the historical accounts of this time period is the influence of social hysteria in perpetuating the witch trials. However, what remains largely contestable is any certainty as to what started the witch trials and what inspired the confession of Tituba. As with much of Puritan history, it is only in the texts of white male religious rules that information can be gleaned. However, we wouldn't have had the changes on our judicial system and religious beliefs without it due to the injustices that were made and now no longer believe that our neighbors opinions can be considered fact, especially those in the court of law. This is due to the fact that over time and time again, not only America, but the world, has been forced to see the effects of their actions when those actions are chosen based only on their fear and ignorance.