Top 10 Shocking Facts About the Salem Witch Trials
#2
Suggested by
yourbestfriend
Those who had been accused of witchcraft also had their land confiscated by the state.
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#3
Suggested by
yourbestfriend
The town of Salem sent constables to Maine to arrest Salem's former minister George Burroughs, accusing him of being a wizard.
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#4
Suggested by
LauraKeating
Burning was not the standard method of execution.
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#5
Suggested by
LauraKeating
Witches had been accused before in Salem, but they were often told to pay fines.
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#6
Suggested by
LauraKeating
It was likely a mold on a bad crop that led to the mass hysteria that fueled the witch hunt
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#7
Suggested by
LauraKeating
Confession would save your life. All of the women who confessed to witchcraft were spared; all who denied were hanged.
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#8
Suggested by
LauraKeating
It was mostly children who made the accusations of witchcraft.
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#9
Suggested by
LauraKeating
Virtually no evidence was needed to be accused. One could say you appeared in one of their dreams, and that could be enough to make accusations of witchcraft.
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#10
Suggested by
LauraKeating
There was huge regret over the whole thing very shortly afterwards. By the end of the year, the whole thing had become a matter of shame, and 5 years later a day of fasting and mourning was ordered.
