In 1692, claims of satanic rituals, ghosts, and seemingly “afflicted” children stirred puritanical imaginations, deepened by petty rifts between powerful families and rival congregations in Salem Village (now known as Danvers, Massachusetts). In response to the growing number of citizen complaints and imprisonments, Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor William Phips appointed a man with no legal training to preside over the trials. More than a dozen poor decisions and questionable verdicts later, townspeople became all too familiar with death sentences by hanging. Hear the full story unravel with voiceover reenactments, historical context and present-day reflection from Attorney J. Craig Williams. 

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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS:
Troy Starr as John Hathorne
Doreen Wiley as Sarah Good
Kevin McGrath as Cotton Mather
Dave Scriven-Young as Stephen Sewell
Evan Dicharry as Judge
Georgia Well as Bridgett Bishop
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History

Attorney J Craig Williams and Legal Talk Network

Salem Witch Trials: How The Hysteria Went Terribly Awry

JUN 18, 202437 MIN
In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History

Salem Witch Trials: How The Hysteria Went Terribly Awry

JUN 18, 202437 MIN

Description

In 1692, claims of satanic rituals, ghosts, and seemingly “afflicted” children stirred puritanical imaginations, deepened by petty rifts between powerful families and rival congregations in Salem Village (now known as Danvers, Massachusetts). In response to the growing number of citizen complaints and imprisonments, Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor William Phips appointed a man with no legal training to preside over the trials. More than a dozen poor decisions and questionable verdicts later, townspeople became all too familiar with death sentences by hanging. Hear the full story unravel with voiceover reenactments, historical context and present-day reflection from Attorney J. Craig Williams. 


LINKS:


SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOICE ACTORS:

Troy Starr as John Hathorne

Doreen Wiley as Sarah Good

Kevin McGrath as Cotton Mather

Dave Scriven-Young as Stephen Sewell

Evan Dicharry as Judge

Georgia Well as Bridgett Bishop

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices