Question
How many people were executed during the Salem witch trials?

How many people were executed during the Salem witch trials?

Last updated: October 30, 2023

In February of 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts, two young girls suddenly started exhibiting strange behavior.

Two cousins, aged 9 and 11, began to scream, speak in strange tongues, throw things, and contort their bodies. Minister John Hale described the behavior as "beyond the power of epileptic fits or natural disease to effect."

Soon more girls were exhibiting the same affliction, all with no apparent medical cause — and then the accusations started flying. Over the next year, one of the most intense and remarkable moments of hysteria in history played out, ultimately having a major influence on what would become the American legal system.

You've heard about the trials and the executions, surely, but do you know how many of those supposed witches were actually put to death during this period?

Click START to answer.

 

The answer is: 19. During the era known as the Salem witch trials in and near Salem, Mass., 30 people were found guilty of being witches, and 19 were executed by hanging — 14 women, and five men.Another died due to torture after refusing to confess. It's thought several others may have died in jail before being tried. And today, we can go to Salem (or Danvers) and buy bumper stickers to commemorate this piece of history.Source

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