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Witch Trials

All articles tagged with #witch trials

Clearing the Names: Seeking Justice for Massachusetts' Accused Witches
historycivil-rights2 years ago

Clearing the Names: Seeking Justice for Massachusetts' Accused Witches

A group called the Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project is seeking to clear the names of nearly 200 individuals who were accused, imprisoned, or indicted during the witch trials in Massachusetts in the 17th century. While previous efforts have focused on those executed in Salem, this group aims to bring recognition and apologies to all victims of the witch hunt hysteria. The project's leader, Joshua Hutchinson, argues that the lessons of the witch trials are still relevant today, as scapegoating and witch-hunt-like behaviors continue to occur in moments of fear. The group also highlights that witch hunts remain an active concern in other parts of the world.

Connecticut finally pardons 17th-century witchcraft victims after 400 years
society2 years ago

Connecticut finally pardons 17th-century witchcraft victims after 400 years

Connecticut has passed a resolution exonerating people tried and executed for witchcraft nearly four centuries after their so-called crimes. The resolution resulted from the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project, whose participants became disenchanted by what had been state lawmakers’ failure to apologize for the fate suffered by many convicted of witchcraft. The witch trials of colonial America in the 16th and 17th centuries saw hundreds of people accused of practicing witchcraft and associating with the devil, casting them out of their societies and tarnishing their family names. Many were ultimately tortured and hanged to death.