Sources

Primary Sources:

Chris. "Rebecca Towne Nurse Death Warrant." Footnote.com. 25 June 2007.       
    
     <http://www.footnote.com/spotlight/4/rebecca_towne_nurse_death_warrant/>
    
     13 Feb. 2011.

Applegate, Sally. "Why Did Witch History Overlook North Andover?" Wickedlocal.com. 24 Oct. 2008.
    
     <http://www.wickedlocal.com/northandover/fun/entertainment/x398378214/Why-did-witch-history-overlook-       
     North-Andover> 13 Feb. 2011.

Ray, Benjamin. "The Salem Witch Trails." Salem.lib.virginia.edu. 2002.
    
     <http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/tei/BoySal2R?div_id=n95> 13 Feb 2011.

Ray, Benjamin. "The Salem Witchcraft Papers" Salem.lib.virginia.edu. 2002
    
     <http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/transcripts.html> 13 Feb 2011.

Secondary Sources:

Linder, Douglas. "Famous American Trials: Salem Witch Trials of 1692." Law.umck.edu. Sep. 2009.

   

     <http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SALEM.HTM> 12 Feb. 2011.

Transcripts of Legal Documents

http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/transcripts.html

Follow the link above to the University of Virgina's collection of transcripts from all of the trials for each accused person. There is a photo of the actual transcript and a translation next to it.

Abigail Williams vs. Sarah Osbourne, Tituba, and Sarah Good

"The Wonders of the Invisible World" by Cotton Mather

Death Warrant for Rebecca Towne Nurse

Finally, an End to the Murders

In May 1693, Governor Phips released all the alleged witches. However, his decision came far too late.  Roughly 30 people were accused and put on trial, 19 people were hanged, four people died in prison, one man was pressed to death, and two dogs were executed. Many scholars concluded that property disputes and congregational quarrels were a major factor in deciding who lived and who died. In the subsequent years, restitutions were made to the victims’ families and the Salem Witch Trials were extensively studied by historians and sociologists as a means of fully understanding all of the factors that contributed this unfortunate episode in American history.   

The Trials Begin

Bridget Bishop was the first accused witch to be brought to trial. Her trial began on June 2, 1692, and after eight days of testimony, Bishop was found guilty and hung on June 10, 1692. Over the summer, the trials grew rapidly in number. Any person who mocked or showed skepticism risked being accused themselves. This was exemplified with John Proctor, who publically denounced the trials. Soon after Proctor openly ridiculed the accusations of witchcraft, he was sent to trial and hanged. Therefore, most people were forced to follow with the accusations, no matter what their true opinion was in an attempt to spare their life. In autumn of 1692, the people of Salem finally began developing doubts as to how so many respectable people could be witches.