"I Am No Witch!"

As Bridget Bishop enters the packed meetinghouse, five girls collapse to the ground. They scream, jabber nonsense, and twist in pain, as if Bishop has cast an evil spell on them. Villagers jeer at the 60-year-old woman. “Confess!” several of them demand.

The date is April 19, 1692, and Bishop is at the center of a public hearing in Salem, a village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She is accused of practicing witchcraft. The girls have claimed she is possessed by the devil—and is harnessing supernatural powers to make invisible spirits bite and pinch them. 

Two local officials fire off questions: How can you know you are no witch? How is it, then, that your appearance hurts these girls? They say you bewitched your first husband to death. . . .

Next, the girls describe how Bishop tried to tempt them to worship the devil. One even claims she saw her brother fighting off a ghostly version of Bishop in the middle of the night.  

Bishop firmly maintains her innocence, even as she grows frustrated—and increasingly fearful.

“I am no witch!” she says. “I am innocent!”

But the officials don’t believe her. Bishop is charged with five counts of witchcraft. She is thrown into jail to await trial with others accused of the same crime. 

In the coming weeks, dozens more women, men, and even children will join them behind bars, as wild accusations of evil magic swirl throughout Salem. Before the hysteria is over, 20 innocent people will be put to death for witchcraft.

Bridget Bishop will be the first to meet this grim fate.

As Bridget Bishop enters the packed meetinghouse, five girls collapse to the ground. They scream. They jabber nonsense. They twist in pain—all as if Bishop has cast an evil spell on them. Villagers jeer at the 60-year-old woman. “Confess!” several of them demand.

The date is April 19, 1692. Bishop is at the center of a public hearing in Salem. That is a village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Bishop is accused of practicing witchcraft. The girls claim she is possessed by the devil. They claim she is harnessing supernatural powers. Those powers, they say, are making invisible spirits bite and pinch them.

Two local officials fire off questions. How can you know you are no witch? How is it, then, that your appearance hurts these girls? They say you bewitched your first husband to death. . . .

The girls then describe how Bishop tried to tempt them to worship the devil. One even claims she saw her brother fighting off a ghostly version of Bishop in the middle of the night.

Bishop firmly insists she is innocent. She is growing frustrated and very fearful.

“I am no witch!” she says. “I am innocent!”

But the officials do not believe her. Bishop is charged with five counts of witchcraft. She is thrown into jail to await trial with others accused of the same crime.

In the coming weeks, dozens more women, men, and even children will join them behind bars, as wild accusations of evil magic swirl throughout Salem. Before the hysteria is over, 20 innocent people will be put to death for witchcraft.

Bridget Bishop will be the first to meet this grim fate.

The trouble in Salem started earlier that year, in January. Most of the villagers were Puritans, a religious group that had left England seeking freedom to practice its beliefs. Their lives were defined by hard work and strict religious rules. Children and teens had few outlets for fun, especially during the winter. 

To escape boredom and the frigid temperatures outside, a group of girls frequently met at Reverend Samuel Parris’s house in Salem. One day, two of those girls—Reverend Parris’s daughter Betty, 9, and his niece Abigail Williams, 11—began to act strangely. They tossed and turned uncontrollably on the floor, twisted their bodies like pretzels, and even barked like dogs. A doctor examined the girls and declared that witchcraft was causing their odd behavior.

Back then, witches and devils were considered a real threat. The Puritans believed forces of evil played a major role in their troubles. So when things went wrong, such as someone getting sick, the villagers often assumed witchcraft was at work.

“Puritans believed that everything that happened in life was a sign of God’s pleasure or displeasure,” says Emerson Baker, a historian at Salem State University in Massachusetts. “When bad things started to happen, they decided that God had sent witches as a test.”

The villagers believed they had to find—and punish—the witches among them.

The trouble in Salem started in January of that year. Most of the villagers were Puritans. That religious group had left England seeking freedom to practice its beliefs. Their lives were defined by hard work and strict religious rules. Children and teens had few outlets for fun, especially in winter.

A group of girls often met at Reverend Samuel Parris’s house in Salem. They gathered to escape boredom and the cold temperatures outside. One day, two of those girls began to act strangely. Reverend Parris’s daughter Betty, 9, and his niece Abigail Williams, 11, tossed and turned uncontrollably on the floor. They twisted their bodies like pretzels. They even barked like dogs. A doctor examined the girls. He declared that witchcraft was causing their odd behavior.

Back then, witches and devils were considered a real threat. The Puritans believed forces of evil played a major role in their troubles. So when things went wrong, such as someone getting sick, the villagers often assumed witchcraft was at work.

“Puritans believed that everything that happened in life was a sign of God’s pleasure or displeasure,” says Emerson Baker. He is a historian at Salem State University in Massachusetts. “When bad things started to happen, they decided that God had sent witches as a test.”

The villagers believed they had to find—and punish—the witches among them.

As fear gripped Salem, other girls began to exhibit symptoms. Under pressure from the community, they blamed three local women.

Two of the accused denied it. But the third was Tituba, an enslaved woman from the Caribbean who worked in the Parris home. Reverend Parris demanded that Tituba confess.

Not only did Tituba say that the devil had confronted her and forced her to hurt the children, she also said there were other witches in Salem.

Now people were really alarmed. More public hearings to determine who should be tried for witchcraft followed, as even adults began to accuse one another.

As fear gripped Salem, other girls began to show symptoms. Under pressure from the community, they blamed three local women.

Two of the accused denied it. But the third was Tituba. She was an enslaved woman from the Caribbean who worked in the Parris home. Reverend Parris demanded that Tituba confess.

Tituba said that the devil had come to her and forced her to hurt the children. She also said there were other witches in Salem.

Now people were really alarmed. More public hearings to figure out who should be tried for witchcraft followed. Even adults began to accuse one another.

By May, dozens of suspected witches filled the local jails. The governor of Massachusetts, William Phips, set up a special court to hold the witchcraft trials. Bishop, by then, had been in jail for a few weeks. Officials decided to hear her case first.

“They started with the people they were suspicious of,” Baker says. “And Bridget Bishop would have been on everybody’s radar.”

Bishop, who owned an apple orchard, was known for arguing with her neighbors. She had also been accused of theft. What’s more, she had been married three times and was rumored to have killed her first two husbands using witchcraft.

By May, dozens of suspected witches filled the local jails. At the time, William Phips was the governor of Massachusetts. He set up a special court to hold the witchcraft trials. By then, Bishop had been in jail for a few weeks. Officials decided to hear her case first.

“They started with the people they were suspicious of,” Baker says. “And Bridget Bishop would have been on everybody’s radar.”

Bishop, who owned an apple orchard, was known for arguing with her neighbors. She had also been accused of stealing. Bishop had been married three times. According to rumors, she had used witchcraft to kill her first two husbands.

To make matters worse for Bishop, more people spoke out against her before her trial. One man accused her of sending black pigs to torment him. Other townspeople claimed Bishop’s spirit had attacked them in the night.

The trial lasted only one day. Though Bishop was still proclaiming her innocence, on June 2 she was found guilty and sentenced to death. Eight days later, she was taken to Proctor’s Ledge in Salem and was hanged from an oak tree. 

Her execution fueled the witch hunt even further. And now the accusations and convictions spread beyond Salem into nearby towns. 

“By late summer, it became clear that anybody could be accused of being a witch,” Baker says. “No one was safe.”

To make matters worse for Bishop, more people spoke out against her before her trial. One man accused her of sending black pigs to torment him. Other townspeople claimed Bishop’s spirit had attacked them in the night.

The trial lasted only one day. Bishop continued to proclaim her innocence. But on June 2 she was found guilty and sentenced to death. Eight days later, she was taken to Proctor’s Ledge in Salem. There, she was hanged from an oak tree.

Her execution fueled the witch hunt even further. And now the accusations and convictions spread beyond Salem into nearby towns.

“By late summer, it became clear that anybody could be accused of being a witch,” Baker says. “No one was safe.”

Yet at the same time, doubt was creeping in. People began questioning the “evidence” of visions and evil spirits that only the accusers could see. Some started defending their accused neighbors. 

Then, on August 19, a minister convicted of witchcraft recited a prayer before his public hanging. The villagers were shocked. In their minds, a man possessed by the devil would not be able to pray to God. That, many experts say, was a turning point.

By then, pressure was building among influential people in Massachusetts to end the trials. In October, Governor Phips—whose own wife was now being accused—did just that. He dissolved the court he had created and replaced it with a new court that had much stricter rules. Officials could no longer rely on rumors or vague visions to convict someone of witchcraft. A few more trials took place in early 1693 under the new guidelines, but by May of that year, nearly all the jailed villagers were set free.

In the end, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. Nineteen of them were hanged, an 81-year-old man was pressed to death with heavy stones, and several others died in jail.

Yet at the same time, doubt was creeping in. People began to question the “evidence” of visions and evil spirits that only the accusers could see. Some started to defend their accused neighbors.

Then, on August 19, a minister found guilty of witchcraft recited a prayer before his public hanging. The villagers were shocked. In their minds, a man possessed by the devil would not be able to pray to God. That, many experts say, was a turning point.

By then, pressure was building among influential people in Massachusetts. They wanted to end the trials. In October, Governor Phips—whose own wife was now being accused—did just that. He dissolved the court he had created. He replaced it with a new court that had much stricter rules. Officials could no longer depend on rumors or vague visions to convict someone of witchcraft. A few more trials took place in early 1693 under the new guidelines. But by May of that year, nearly all the jailed villagers were set free.

In the end, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. Nineteen of them were hanged. An 81-year-old man was pressed to death with heavy stones. Several others died in jail.

In the more than three centuries since the Salem witch trials, the claims of witchcraft there have been thoroughly debunked. Some of the accusers came forward in the years after the trials to apologize for their actions. In 1711, Massachusetts courts began quietly clearing the names of some of the convicted. 

Bishop was exonerated in 2001. Today, her name and the names of the other victims are engraved on a memorial at Proctor’s Ledge. The last person whose conviction for witchcraft still stood was declared innocent this past July (see “Justice for Salem’s Last Witch” ).

In the more than three centuries since the Salem witch trials, the claims of witchcraft there have been thoroughly debunked. Some of the accusers came forward in the years after the trials to apologize for their actions. In 1711, Massachusetts courts began to quietly clear the names of some of the people found guilty.

Bishop was exonerated in 2001. Her name and the names of the other victims are now engraved on a memorial at Proctor’s Ledge. The last person whose conviction for witchcraft still stood was declared innocent this past July (see “Justice for Salem’s Last Witch”).

So what caused Betty, Abigail, and the other young accusers to act so strangely in the first place? We may never know for sure, but experts have put forth a number of theories (see “Reasons for the Hysteria,” above).

Regardless, experts say the tragedy that happened in Salem should continue to serve as a warning for how suspicion and fear can overtake a community.

“Every generation has its Salem moment, when people rush to judgment and don’t take the time to consider all sides,” Baker says. “Salem reminds us to look at the evidence and consider other people’s perspectives. That makes us a more tolerant society.”

So what caused Betty, Abigail, and the other young accusers to act so strangely in the first place? We may never know for sure. Experts have put forth a number of theories (see “Reasons for the Hysteria,” above).

Regardless, experts say the tragedy that happened in Salem should continue to serve as a warning for how suspicion and fear can overtake a community.

“Every generation has its Salem moment, when people rush to judgment and don’t take the time to consider all sides,” Baker says. “Salem reminds us to look at the evidence and consider other people’s perspectives. That makes us a more tolerant society.”