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[foreboding music]
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- Tonight, a dark chapter
in early American history.
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- We are still fascinated
by the Salem witch trials
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because it's a
story of injustice.
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Women, young women,
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some of them as young
as nine years old,
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denounced their
neighbors for witchcraft.
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- Accusations fly and many
people are put to death.
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- People are coming
to court saying,
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"I see invisible specters,"
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and that was being
accepted as fact.
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- Now, we explore
the top theories
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behind a notorious tragedy
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that's never been explained.
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- Suddenly, they realized
that beneath the surface,
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there's this giant conspiracy
that's been building,
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and so they want to uproot this.
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They want to find out how
deep the conspiracy goes.
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- Can modern science
finally shed new light?
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- Medical knowledge is power.
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It's a luxury that we have now
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that they did not have
back then in Salem.
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- What really happened
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in the small town of
Salem, Massachusetts
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and what sparked the
Salem witch trials?
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[dramatic music]
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[foreboding music]
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- 1692, Salem Village,
Massachusetts.
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This tight-knit
Puritan community
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lives a deeply religious
and strict way of life.
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- The Puritan settled
in Salem about 70 years
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before the outbreak of
the Salem witch trials.
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They had fled England where
they had been persecuted
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for their religious beliefs
by the Anglican Church.
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- Puritans are not
fans of this church,
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not because it's too strict,
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but because it's
not strict enough.
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They have established
themselves in Massachusetts Bay
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and they sought to build
a godly city on a hill.
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- Their first settlement,
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Salem Town is a port city,
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but as the years go by,
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the settlers
gradually move inland
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and eventually they
form Salem Village.
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- But at some point,
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there's really a
kind of a division
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that starts to take
place between Salem Town
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and Salem Village.
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- Salem Town developed
into a bustling port city
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with trading connections
all over the region.
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- [Laurence] In contrast,
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Salem Village is a
poor rural community.
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It's more than 500
inhabitants spread out
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over a much larger area
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and make a living
mostly as farmers.
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- It's surrounded on
all sides, basically,
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by pretty dense woods,
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and they really kind
of eke out a bit
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of a subsistence existence.
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- The community that is created
by these Puritan beliefs
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is that your life is constantly
a battle between good and evil.
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And evil can overtake
you at any turn,
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so you always have
to be on the lookout.
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- [Laurence] Puritans consider
women especially susceptible
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to Satan's charms.
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- Puritans don't believe that
women are inherently evil,
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but they preach that
women are weaker than men,
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both physically and morally.
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When the witch hunt begins,
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that makes women likely
targets for accusations.
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- [Laurence] The Puritan's
fear of witchcraft traces back
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to Europe where massive witch
hunts have been going on
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for over 300 years.
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- Something like 50,000
people were executed
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for witchcraft across Europe
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and its colonies
between 1450 and 1750.
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- [Laurence] It's
against this backdrop
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that the stage is set
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for the most infamous
witch hunt of all time.
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The events leading to the
Salem witch trials are believed
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to begin at the end of 1691
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in the Salem Village home
of Reverend Samuel Parris.
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- Reverend Samuel Parris
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and his wife leave
their daughter Betty,
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who's nine years old,
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and her 11-year-old
cousin Abigail alone
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when they go off on
trips for various things.
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They're not totally alone.
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They're actually with their
enslaved house servant Tituba.
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- Some historical sources say
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that she's of African ancestry,
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but most likely she was
from what is present day
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of Venezuela or Guyana.
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- Tituba decides
let's play a game,
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which is already
kind of uncommon
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because kids in Puritanical
societies are also not allowed
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to engage in any sort of fun.
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- Young girls'
voices are not heard.
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Children are
expected to be quiet
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and to listen to whatever
their parents say
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and to grow up
without a personality.
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That's what was expected of
the young girls in Salem.
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- Tituba teaches them a
game called the Venus Glass.
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- They would take an egg white
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and drop it into
a glass of water
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and try to interpret the shape,
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and they thought that they
would get some insight
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into who their future
partner would be,
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- But when they're
looking in the glass,
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they see something
that terrifies them,
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the image of a coffin.
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- [Laurence] Soon after,
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in the midst of an
especially bitter winter,
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Betty and Abigail both
come down with what appears
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to be an unexplained illness.
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- It starts with a fever.
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But then from there,
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it progresses into
very strange forms.
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They become catatonic.
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They start hiding
under furniture.
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They start barking like dogs,
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and they feel like
they're being pinched
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or pricked all
over their bodies,
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even though there's no visible
marks that could be seen
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and nobody has a clue what's
going on with these girls.
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- [Laurence] February, 1692,
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with no improvement
in their condition,
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the Parris girls accused
Tituba of bewitching them.
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- A court is convened
in the town of Salem.
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Tituba is brought
before a court,
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before a council,
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and they asked her,
"Are you a witch?
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Did you bewitch
the Parris girls?"
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- One of the peculiarities
of the Salem witch trials is
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that those who confess
are granted clemency.
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- If you maintained
your innocence
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but you were found guilty,
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then you were put to death.
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Tituba understands this.
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She can read the
room pretty easily,
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so she confesses,
"Yes, I'm a witch,
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I bewitched these girls."
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- Tituba testifies
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that she does something called
signing the devil's book,
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and she says further
it's not just her,
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there are other people
that she knows in the town
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who did it too.
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Who they were,
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nobody exactly knew,
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- And it breeds an
atmosphere of paranoia
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and anxiety within the village
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that spurs further denunciations
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- [Laurence] Over the course
of the three-day trial,
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Tituba will go on to
name several women.
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- So these women
are thrown in jail,
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but the accusations don't stop.
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The next wave of
people that are accused
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and arrested are
both men and women.
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It's not just one or the other.
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- In court,
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the young women that
are afflicted begin
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to make allegations that their
neighbors are harming them,
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but harming them
in spectral form.
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- Spectral evidence broadly
is the idea that the devil,
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if he forms some sort
of a pact with a person,
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can then take that person's
form and be a specter
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and travel among
the ordinary people
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of the town looking
like that person.
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- There was no
need to prove that.
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As long as someone says
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that they have essentially
the special power to see it
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because the whole idea is that
this evidence is invisible.
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- Confronted with
spectral evidence,
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it's impossible for defendants
to answer the charges.
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- [Laurence] Ultimately,
more than 200 men
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and women wind up accused,
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over 50 confessed and
are committed to prison,
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20 refused to confess
and are executed.
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- Contrary to popular belief,
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no witch was ever burned at
the stake in the United States.
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- They were all hung
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except for one person,
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a man by the name
of Giles Corey.
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They took Giles
Corey out to a field,
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laid him on his back,
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and they started slowly
placing these heavy stones
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on his chest,
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telling him, "Confess!
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Do you confess to
being a witch?"
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- All he says is just, "Add
more weight, more weight,"
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until finally he can't
breathe and he dies.
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- [Laurence] May, 1693,
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Massachusetts Governor
William Phipps officially ends
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the witch trials.
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The witch hunts may be over,
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but the horror they unleashed
still resonates to this day.
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- The key question of the
Salem witch trials is,
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what caused these
afflicted girls
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to start falling
into these fits?
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- There's certainly
room for the idea
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that maybe what the girls
were suffering from was
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something more psychological
than physiological.
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Mass hysteria is a known
psychological event where one
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or two people start experiencing
psychologically-based
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symptoms that then
become contagious
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just as if it were another
sort of physical illness.
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- [Laurence] After Betty and
Abigail's terrifying experience
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with the Venus Glass,
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both girls come
down with some sort
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of mysterious affliction.
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- They start getting sick,
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and it starts off with
them getting feverish,
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but they don't really know what
the cause of this fever is.
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On top of the fever,
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they also start hallucinating.
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Their arms and their legs just
start moving in weird fits.
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- Finally, Reverend Parris
summons the village doctor,
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William Griggs.
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- Dr. Griggs examines the girls
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and could not find any
medical explanation
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for their symptoms.
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- Clearly, they have
to be bewitched.
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There is a precedent that does
exist for this sort of thing.
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So there's a renowned
Puritan minister
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by the name of Cotton Mather.
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He writes a book called
"Memorable Providences Relating
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to Witchcraft and Possession."
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- And it's a story
about a Boston family
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and the way in which they are
being afflicted by a witch.
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Cotton Mather's book was
widely read at the time.
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Probably the girls
heard the stories.
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- After their terrifying
experience with the Venus Glass,
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Abigail and Betty feel a
tremendous sense of guilt.
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They're living in a
repressive Puritan society
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in the house of the minister.
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They believe that dabbling
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with magic makes you a prime
target for demonic assault.
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Perhaps the fits they
experience are a reaction
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to their own sense of guilt.
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- It's as if all of this fear,
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all of this paranoia just
suddenly explodes out
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and everyone feels it.
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- People who are being accused
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of being witches when they call
on their family and friends
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and say, "Please come forward
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and say that I've not
done any of these things,"
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then those individuals
get accused also.
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So it's like no one can escape
the wrath of discord system.
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When you're already in a
community prone to groupthink,
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mass hysteria is going
to spread even faster.
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- Many people start
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to also exhibit the
same sorts of behaviors,
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and this is what we see at Salem
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where it's not
just the two girls,
255
00:11:33,583 --> 00:11:35,417
but many girls screaming,
256
00:11:35,417 --> 00:11:38,083
feeling like they're being
physically tormented.
257
00:11:38,083 --> 00:11:42,208
All these things seem to spread
from two girls originally
258
00:11:42,208 --> 00:11:45,708
to suddenly a whole group of
people behaving the same way.
259
00:11:45,708 --> 00:11:48,250
It's classic mass hysteria.
260
00:11:48,250 --> 00:11:51,125
- There are other instances
in more recent times
261
00:11:51,125 --> 00:11:53,583
where we do see this
phenomenon actually happening.
262
00:11:53,583 --> 00:11:54,708
In 1965,
263
00:11:54,708 --> 00:11:55,583
Blackburn, England,
264
00:11:55,583 --> 00:11:57,042
we have a group of girls
265
00:11:57,042 --> 00:12:00,417
who are complaining of
dizziness and a fainting.
266
00:12:00,417 --> 00:12:02,667
Within hours of
those complaints,
267
00:12:02,667 --> 00:12:06,000
85 other students
are also complaining
268
00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,000
of the same medical issues
of dizziness, of fainting,
269
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:10,750
and yet there's
no medical reason
270
00:12:10,750 --> 00:12:13,708
as to why that actually happens.
271
00:12:13,708 --> 00:12:15,208
- Psychological triggers
272
00:12:15,208 --> 00:12:17,750
in mass hysteria can involve
a lot of different things.
273
00:12:17,750 --> 00:12:20,500
Certainly, pervasive
stress is one of them.
274
00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:21,917
Oftentimes, it can also happen
275
00:12:21,917 --> 00:12:24,375
when the person already
feels a loss of control
276
00:12:24,375 --> 00:12:27,708
in their lives as probably
many of these villagers did.
277
00:12:27,708 --> 00:12:29,917
- Once you have an
initial trigger,
278
00:12:29,917 --> 00:12:32,542
the effects can very
easily snowball.
279
00:12:32,542 --> 00:12:35,917
- And sadly, it
got way out of hand
280
00:12:35,917 --> 00:12:37,708
where it ended up costing lives
281
00:12:44,208 --> 00:12:47,375
- [Laurence] It is 1692
and a group of girls
282
00:12:47,375 --> 00:12:51,458
in Colonial Salem, Massachusetts
kickstart accusations
283
00:12:51,458 --> 00:12:52,792
of witchcraft,
284
00:12:52,792 --> 00:12:55,542
sending hundreds
of people to jail
285
00:12:55,542 --> 00:12:57,750
and 19 to the gallows.
286
00:12:57,750 --> 00:12:58,917
- Now, looking back,
287
00:12:58,917 --> 00:13:00,875
we know that these girls
were not bewitched,
288
00:13:00,875 --> 00:13:02,958
but they still
experience these symptoms
289
00:13:02,958 --> 00:13:04,500
for quite a long period of time.
290
00:13:05,667 --> 00:13:07,875
So how do we explain
these symptoms?
291
00:13:12,542 --> 00:13:13,917
- So these girls
are being raised
292
00:13:13,917 --> 00:13:16,250
in an extremely
repressive environment,
293
00:13:16,250 --> 00:13:18,458
a town where there's not
a whole lot of attention
294
00:13:18,458 --> 00:13:19,917
for these girls,
295
00:13:19,917 --> 00:13:23,458
and maybe they found a way
to get a lot of attention.
296
00:13:23,458 --> 00:13:24,833
All of a sudden,
297
00:13:24,833 --> 00:13:26,292
they find their voices.
298
00:13:26,292 --> 00:13:29,167
- [Laurence] Some experts
suggest the answer lies
299
00:13:29,167 --> 00:13:32,167
in a power play by
the alleged victims.
300
00:13:35,958 --> 00:13:38,417
- The girls' symptoms
would change over time
301
00:13:38,417 --> 00:13:42,250
and come up at the most
convenient of moments
302
00:13:42,250 --> 00:13:45,583
like during the
trials themselves
303
00:13:45,583 --> 00:13:49,083
when a specific symptom was
actually being discussed.
304
00:13:49,083 --> 00:13:52,333
- There is even some evidence
that fraud may have occurred
305
00:13:52,333 --> 00:13:54,292
in the later parts
of the trials.
306
00:13:54,292 --> 00:13:56,875
The girls started
to show up in court
307
00:13:56,875 --> 00:13:58,875
with pins sticking
in their hands,
308
00:13:58,875 --> 00:14:00,875
saying that they'd been
put there by a specter,
309
00:14:00,875 --> 00:14:03,292
with bite marks saying that
a specter had bit them,
310
00:14:03,292 --> 00:14:07,208
physical kind of manifestations
that are clearly impossible.
311
00:14:07,208 --> 00:14:10,208
- When these children are
being paid attention to finally
312
00:14:10,208 --> 00:14:12,917
and getting that support and
love from their community
313
00:14:12,917 --> 00:14:14,750
and being valued
for speaking up,
314
00:14:14,750 --> 00:14:16,042
which is so different
315
00:14:16,042 --> 00:14:17,542
from what they
experienced up until now, its
316
00:14:17,542 --> 00:14:20,208
easy for children especially to
get hooked on that.
317
00:14:21,875 --> 00:14:23,500
- [Laurence] Some
historians contend
318
00:14:23,500 --> 00:14:27,375
that the Salem witch trials
all started when two girls,
319
00:14:27,375 --> 00:14:31,583
Betty Parris and her
cousin Abigail cry wolf.
320
00:14:31,583 --> 00:14:33,417
And as the trials continue,
321
00:14:33,417 --> 00:14:36,708
the spotlight on them
only grows brighter.
322
00:14:36,708 --> 00:14:39,125
- Perhaps early
on in the trials,
323
00:14:39,125 --> 00:14:41,625
the afflicted girls
enjoy the attention
324
00:14:41,625 --> 00:14:43,000
that they're getting.
325
00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,250
- The audience for
these girls is growing.
326
00:14:46,333 --> 00:14:49,375
People are coming from
outside into Salem,
327
00:14:49,375 --> 00:14:53,000
new blood, new people, new
audience to perform for
328
00:14:54,208 --> 00:14:57,000
'cause There's really a kind
of a theatrical element.
329
00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,042
- So many people want to be here
330
00:14:59,042 --> 00:15:02,667
to see this scandalous
affair that they have to move
331
00:15:02,667 --> 00:15:03,917
to the meeting house,
332
00:15:03,917 --> 00:15:06,083
the largest building
within Salem Village.
333
00:15:06,083 --> 00:15:09,292
As soon as they start to talk
to the suspected witches,
334
00:15:09,292 --> 00:15:13,000
the girls begin to
fall into terrible fits
335
00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,500
and it causes complete
pandemonium in the courtroom.
336
00:15:16,500 --> 00:15:20,375
- It seems to me that
the girls could be,
337
00:15:20,375 --> 00:15:22,250
in a sense, having
the last laugh here.
338
00:15:22,250 --> 00:15:24,167
They're getting a lot of
entertainment about it.
339
00:15:24,167 --> 00:15:28,375
Nothing this fun or exciting
has ever happened in Salem.
340
00:15:28,375 --> 00:15:31,417
You have these girls who
are suddenly rock stars,
341
00:15:31,417 --> 00:15:35,042
this group who tends to
be ignored, marginalized,
342
00:15:35,042 --> 00:15:38,208
and they have their
moment in the limelight.
343
00:15:38,208 --> 00:15:39,583
- [Laurence] It
isn't just attention
344
00:15:39,583 --> 00:15:40,875
these girls are getting,
345
00:15:40,875 --> 00:15:43,208
it's also power.
346
00:15:43,208 --> 00:15:45,542
- Men were the ones
that spoke out in court.
347
00:15:45,542 --> 00:15:47,500
Men were the ones that
charged their neighbors
348
00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:49,625
with moral infractions.
349
00:15:49,625 --> 00:15:51,083
But in this case,
350
00:15:51,083 --> 00:15:55,917
women and young women
are given the authority
351
00:15:55,917 --> 00:15:58,292
and the power to appear in court
352
00:15:58,292 --> 00:16:00,458
to denounce their
neighbors for witchcraft.
353
00:16:02,208 --> 00:16:06,042
It's a complete reversal
of the entire gender
354
00:16:06,042 --> 00:16:09,042
and power hierarchies
within Puritan society.
355
00:16:11,125 --> 00:16:14,250
- In June of 1692, Ann Putnam,
356
00:16:14,250 --> 00:16:16,583
the daughter of one of
the prominent families,
357
00:16:16,583 --> 00:16:20,083
accuses Rebecca Nurse of
being one of the people
358
00:16:20,083 --> 00:16:21,542
who's bewitching the girls.
359
00:16:21,542 --> 00:16:23,708
Now, she's a very respected
person in the community.
360
00:16:23,708 --> 00:16:24,958
She isn't one of these loners
361
00:16:24,958 --> 00:16:26,042
or an outsider or something.
362
00:16:26,042 --> 00:16:27,917
And so 39 people
363
00:16:27,917 --> 00:16:29,833
in the community sign
a petition that says,
364
00:16:29,833 --> 00:16:30,958
"No, she's a good person.
365
00:16:30,958 --> 00:16:32,625
She's an upstanding
moral citizen,
366
00:16:32,625 --> 00:16:34,875
and she's not the kind of
person who'd be a witch.
367
00:16:34,875 --> 00:16:36,917
We don't think she's a witch."
368
00:16:36,917 --> 00:16:39,583
- Rebecca Nurse
pleads her innocence
369
00:16:39,583 --> 00:16:41,375
from the very beginning.
370
00:16:41,375 --> 00:16:44,542
But by the time of
Rebecca Nurse's trial,
371
00:16:44,542 --> 00:16:48,208
the afflicted girls are
running the courtroom.
372
00:16:48,208 --> 00:16:50,750
The judges are
deferring to them.
373
00:16:50,750 --> 00:16:53,625
- Rebecca Nurse ultimately
is hanged for being a witch.
374
00:16:55,708 --> 00:16:59,083
Imagine the power that this
is giving to 9-year-old,
375
00:16:59,083 --> 00:17:02,167
11-year-old, 12-year-old
girls in this town.
376
00:17:03,583 --> 00:17:06,750
- Children do cruel and strange
things just to get attention
377
00:17:06,750 --> 00:17:08,583
or just because they're bored,
378
00:17:08,583 --> 00:17:10,333
but to blame for
that really should go
379
00:17:10,333 --> 00:17:12,000
to the adults and not the kids.
380
00:17:13,042 --> 00:17:14,208
- [Laurence] It's impossible
381
00:17:14,208 --> 00:17:16,000
to know whether the
Salem girls were
382
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,042
intentionally play acting,
383
00:17:18,042 --> 00:17:19,750
but given the
culture of the day,
384
00:17:19,750 --> 00:17:23,542
it's almost certain they
could never admit to lying.
385
00:17:25,458 --> 00:17:28,750
- Once the girls have
denounced their neighbors
386
00:17:28,750 --> 00:17:31,083
and they've been
hanged as witches,
387
00:17:31,083 --> 00:17:33,042
it is too late for them
388
00:17:33,042 --> 00:17:35,000
to retract their statements.
389
00:17:36,333 --> 00:17:37,875
Within the Puritan community,
390
00:17:37,875 --> 00:17:40,792
lying under oath
is a serious sin
391
00:17:40,792 --> 00:17:43,500
that could place your
eternal soul in jeopardy.
392
00:17:43,500 --> 00:17:44,750
It's doubtful
393
00:17:44,750 --> 00:17:47,125
whether these young women
would've risked that.
394
00:17:54,208 --> 00:17:55,792
- [Laurence] In 1692,
395
00:17:55,792 --> 00:17:59,833
Salem Village, Massachusetts
is a dangerous place.
396
00:17:59,833 --> 00:18:03,375
Accusations of witchcraft
suddenly threatened hundreds
397
00:18:03,375 --> 00:18:06,208
of lives and people are
starting to be hanged
398
00:18:06,208 --> 00:18:07,792
- 300 years later,
399
00:18:07,792 --> 00:18:09,042
when you start to pull away
400
00:18:09,042 --> 00:18:11,625
from the mystical, the magical,
401
00:18:11,625 --> 00:18:16,292
you start to unearth a much
more interesting story,
402
00:18:16,292 --> 00:18:21,000
one that potentially talks
about not black magic,
403
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,375
but jealousy, rivalry,
404
00:18:24,375 --> 00:18:26,833
and also a clash of ideology.
405
00:18:28,667 --> 00:18:29,875
- The politics
406
00:18:29,875 --> 00:18:33,958
of this small village are
very neighborhood-based.
407
00:18:33,958 --> 00:18:36,042
In an environment like this,
408
00:18:36,042 --> 00:18:39,500
you have to depend
on your neighbor
409
00:18:39,500 --> 00:18:43,292
in order to make it past
all the immense challenges
410
00:18:43,292 --> 00:18:45,417
of life at this time.
411
00:18:45,417 --> 00:18:47,375
- Everything was
very close knit.
412
00:18:47,375 --> 00:18:49,625
There wasn't a police force.
413
00:18:49,625 --> 00:18:52,208
Everybody just knew
everybody else's business.
414
00:18:52,208 --> 00:18:56,042
- Gossip plays a huge role
in the Salem witch trials.
415
00:18:56,042 --> 00:18:58,083
Once Tituba confesses,
416
00:18:58,083 --> 00:18:59,625
it's the talk of the town.
417
00:18:59,625 --> 00:19:02,000
People come from as
far away as Boston
418
00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:03,958
to attend her examination.
419
00:19:03,958 --> 00:19:08,000
Once the afflicted start falling
into fits in the courtroom,
420
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:09,708
mass pandemonium ensues.
421
00:19:09,708 --> 00:19:11,208
- But behind all
of this hysteria,
422
00:19:11,208 --> 00:19:12,542
behind all of this gossip,
423
00:19:12,542 --> 00:19:13,708
behind all of this
everyone getting
424
00:19:13,708 --> 00:19:14,958
into everyone's business,
425
00:19:14,958 --> 00:19:16,125
in the background,
426
00:19:17,833 --> 00:19:22,833
there's something that's been
brewing for about 20 years
427
00:19:23,792 --> 00:19:25,208
and it's gonna come to a head
428
00:19:25,208 --> 00:19:27,375
right around the time
of these witch trials.
429
00:19:30,958 --> 00:19:34,042
- One factor in the Salem
witch trials is the feud
430
00:19:34,042 --> 00:19:37,208
between the Porters
and the Putnams.
431
00:19:37,208 --> 00:19:38,625
- The Putnams are an old,
432
00:19:38,625 --> 00:19:41,542
extremely conservative
farming family,
433
00:19:41,542 --> 00:19:44,083
while the Porters
run the local sawmill
434
00:19:44,083 --> 00:19:46,333
and are newer and more
liberal in their outlook
435
00:19:46,333 --> 00:19:49,542
with stronger links
to nearby Salem town
436
00:19:50,833 --> 00:19:54,625
- In 1672, a dam that's owned
by the Porters breaks open
437
00:19:54,625 --> 00:19:58,083
and it floods land that
belongs to the Putnams.
438
00:19:58,083 --> 00:20:00,583
And so the Putnam will
actually file a lawsuit
439
00:20:00,583 --> 00:20:02,542
against the Porter
family for damages.
440
00:20:04,292 --> 00:20:08,125
- It causes immense tensions
between these two families
441
00:20:08,125 --> 00:20:09,667
because the fields
442
00:20:09,667 --> 00:20:12,292
and the fertility of the
fields is absolutely central
443
00:20:12,292 --> 00:20:13,375
to their survival.
444
00:20:17,375 --> 00:20:18,958
- Tensions between
these two families came
445
00:20:18,958 --> 00:20:22,375
to a head when it was time to
elect a new religious leader.
446
00:20:22,375 --> 00:20:23,792
- The Putnam felt
that the people
447
00:20:23,792 --> 00:20:28,833
in Salem Township were
becoming more and more liberal,
448
00:20:30,042 --> 00:20:31,542
and they wanted to
preserve the traditions
449
00:20:31,542 --> 00:20:34,333
that exist in Salem Village,
450
00:20:34,333 --> 00:20:36,458
and so they bring in
this more conservative,
451
00:20:36,458 --> 00:20:38,208
more authoritarian minister.
452
00:20:39,417 --> 00:20:41,000
Samuel Parris is stern.
453
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:42,958
He's very fire and brimstone.
454
00:20:42,958 --> 00:20:44,208
He's a fundamentalist
455
00:20:44,208 --> 00:20:45,542
at a time when we
would've thought
456
00:20:45,542 --> 00:20:47,167
they were all fundamentalists.
457
00:20:47,167 --> 00:20:49,458
- Samuel Parris
becomes a lightning rod
458
00:20:49,458 --> 00:20:52,292
for controversy
within Salem Village.
459
00:20:52,292 --> 00:20:53,375
- He's bombastic,
460
00:20:53,375 --> 00:20:54,667
he's pompous,
461
00:20:54,667 --> 00:20:56,000
he's loud,
462
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:57,542
and many people don't like him.
463
00:20:58,292 --> 00:21:00,792
- Once established as Minister,
464
00:21:00,792 --> 00:21:03,958
the village splits further
over his accommodation
465
00:21:03,958 --> 00:21:05,542
and expenses.
466
00:21:05,542 --> 00:21:08,042
26 members of the
Village Council,
467
00:21:08,042 --> 00:21:09,958
11 of whom are Putnams,
468
00:21:09,958 --> 00:21:13,125
vote to give the reverend's
family a house, a barn,
469
00:21:13,125 --> 00:21:15,042
and two acres of land.
470
00:21:15,042 --> 00:21:16,333
- The Porters believe
471
00:21:16,333 --> 00:21:18,875
that installing Parris
is a bridge too far.
472
00:21:18,875 --> 00:21:20,083
- They're unwilling to pay
473
00:21:20,083 --> 00:21:24,875
for what they see as large
scale expenses for Samuel Parris
474
00:21:26,042 --> 00:21:27,292
and his work as
religious leader.
475
00:21:27,292 --> 00:21:29,583
- The Porters also
decide to remove members
476
00:21:29,583 --> 00:21:31,875
of the Putnam family off
of the governing board
477
00:21:31,875 --> 00:21:33,375
for Salem Village.
478
00:21:35,167 --> 00:21:37,958
- [Laurence] In October of 1691,
479
00:21:37,958 --> 00:21:41,500
just a few months before the
girls are supposedly stricken,
480
00:21:41,500 --> 00:21:43,333
the new committee
members installed
481
00:21:43,333 --> 00:21:46,208
by the Porters vote
down a tax levy
482
00:21:46,208 --> 00:21:49,208
that would pay Reverend
Parris' salary.
483
00:21:49,208 --> 00:21:51,583
With powerful
figures opposing him,
484
00:21:51,583 --> 00:21:55,542
it seems that Parris could
soon be out of a job.
485
00:21:55,542 --> 00:21:56,875
- So this feud
between the Putnam
486
00:21:56,875 --> 00:21:58,917
and the Porters has been
brewing for about 20 years.
487
00:21:58,917 --> 00:22:01,125
So by the time we get
to the first accusation
488
00:22:01,125 --> 00:22:02,583
that's been made,
489
00:22:02,583 --> 00:22:04,500
the line in the
sand has been drawn
490
00:22:04,500 --> 00:22:06,333
and this feud is going
491
00:22:06,333 --> 00:22:08,542
to find a whole new
battlefield to play out on.
492
00:22:09,625 --> 00:22:11,833
- [Laurence] In
all, eight members
493
00:22:11,833 --> 00:22:14,625
of the Putnam family
are either accusers
494
00:22:14,625 --> 00:22:18,208
or part of the team prosecuting
the suspected witches.
495
00:22:18,208 --> 00:22:21,375
- Thomas Putnam files
12 legal complaints
496
00:22:21,375 --> 00:22:24,250
and testifies against
24 individuals
497
00:22:24,250 --> 00:22:25,708
who are accused of witchcraft,
498
00:22:25,708 --> 00:22:29,375
but his daughter Anne takes
it all one step further.
499
00:22:29,375 --> 00:22:33,208
- Anne Putnam in the end
actually levies accusations
500
00:22:33,208 --> 00:22:35,458
against 48 people.
501
00:22:35,458 --> 00:22:37,667
So nearly one quarter
of all the people
502
00:22:37,667 --> 00:22:39,708
who get accused of
witchcraft in Salem Village.
503
00:22:39,708 --> 00:22:42,250
- Now, in response to all
of these testimonies made
504
00:22:42,250 --> 00:22:44,083
by Thomas Putnam
and his daughter,
505
00:22:44,083 --> 00:22:45,500
the Porters come out
506
00:22:45,500 --> 00:22:48,292
and try to start mobilizing
the villagers of Salem
507
00:22:48,292 --> 00:22:50,958
to try to put up stop
to these witch trials.
508
00:22:50,958 --> 00:22:53,417
As they're trying to
mobilize these villagers,
509
00:22:53,417 --> 00:22:57,292
subsequently, 19 of their
friends end up being accused
510
00:22:57,292 --> 00:22:58,083
of witchcraft.
511
00:22:59,875 --> 00:23:03,375
- The legal system in Puritan
New England gave essentially
512
00:23:03,375 --> 00:23:06,000
those accused a
witchcraft no way
513
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:07,958
to make an effective defense.
514
00:23:07,958 --> 00:23:10,417
- If you were pointed
at and called a witch,
515
00:23:10,417 --> 00:23:11,667
that was an accusation
516
00:23:11,667 --> 00:23:13,625
and you were immediately
put on trial.
517
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,083
- There are people who think
that it's entirely possible
518
00:23:17,083 --> 00:23:19,875
that the Putnams and Reverend
Parris were responsible
519
00:23:19,875 --> 00:23:22,792
for more or less
manipulating their kids
520
00:23:22,792 --> 00:23:25,042
into making these
kinds of accusations.
521
00:23:26,625 --> 00:23:28,125
- From the Putnam's perspective
522
00:23:28,125 --> 00:23:30,167
and from Parris' perspective,
523
00:23:30,167 --> 00:23:31,625
this is a great thing
524
00:23:31,625 --> 00:23:33,542
'cause not only do they get
to eliminate their enemies
525
00:23:33,542 --> 00:23:34,583
by accusing them of witches
526
00:23:34,583 --> 00:23:36,375
and potentially killing them,
527
00:23:36,375 --> 00:23:38,583
but they also create
a kind of hysteria
528
00:23:38,583 --> 00:23:41,958
that brings people closer to
their fundamentalist viewpoint.
529
00:23:41,958 --> 00:23:45,542
- But this also puts Reverend
Parris in a sort of spotlight
530
00:23:45,542 --> 00:23:48,458
because what better time
to start coming to church
531
00:23:48,458 --> 00:23:50,042
and to listening to his sermons?
532
00:23:51,625 --> 00:23:53,792
So even though these
accusations could be seen
533
00:23:53,792 --> 00:23:55,708
as an extension of the feud
534
00:23:55,708 --> 00:23:57,333
between the Putnam
and the Porters,
535
00:23:57,333 --> 00:24:01,000
the accusations then start to
get a little out of control
536
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:02,125
and start to snowball.
537
00:24:03,917 --> 00:24:07,042
- The problem extended
well beyond Salem Village.
538
00:24:07,042 --> 00:24:10,292
There are actually 20
different communities
539
00:24:10,292 --> 00:24:13,500
that had people within them
who were accused of witchcraft.
540
00:24:13,500 --> 00:24:16,583
So the Putnam and Porter
families were really
541
00:24:16,583 --> 00:24:18,458
only a very small
part of what grew
542
00:24:18,458 --> 00:24:20,167
to be a much larger affair.
543
00:24:26,208 --> 00:24:27,458
- Puritans in
Salem, Massachusetts
544
00:24:27,583 --> 00:24:30,333
in the late 1600s live in
a world of faith and fear,
545
00:24:30,333 --> 00:24:31,875
which many believe
is at the root
546
00:24:31,875 --> 00:24:34,583
of the most infamous witch
hunt in American history.
547
00:24:35,625 --> 00:24:37,958
But what if there was
a more tangible cause,
548
00:24:37,958 --> 00:24:40,792
one that the Puritans would
have no way of detecting?
549
00:24:41,625 --> 00:24:44,000
Now, more than three
centuries later,
550
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,583
perhaps we have the scientific
means to uncover it.
551
00:24:49,292 --> 00:24:50,542
- Salem Villages,
552
00:24:50,542 --> 00:24:53,375
they're built on
agriculture and farming,
553
00:24:53,375 --> 00:24:57,000
and so there's a lot
of growing of grasses,
554
00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,042
barley wheat.
555
00:24:59,042 --> 00:25:00,542
In Salem Village,
556
00:25:00,542 --> 00:25:03,375
rye grain is actually one
of the most prevalent crops.
557
00:25:03,375 --> 00:25:05,542
It's hearty, it's durable.
558
00:25:05,542 --> 00:25:08,167
It can make it through a
winter pretty decently,
559
00:25:08,167 --> 00:25:11,875
and so it becomes the
staple of the Puritan diet.
560
00:25:11,875 --> 00:25:14,542
- You can make everything
with it from bread to beer.
561
00:25:15,792 --> 00:25:18,958
But you're never guaranteed
a successful harvest.
562
00:25:18,958 --> 00:25:20,917
You have to plant
this crop correctly.
563
00:25:20,917 --> 00:25:23,375
And if you end up having
a miserable harvest,
564
00:25:23,375 --> 00:25:25,458
you could face starvation.
565
00:25:25,458 --> 00:25:28,000
- Going into the
planting season of 1692,
566
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:30,708
the Puritans of the
Massachusetts Bay
567
00:25:30,708 --> 00:25:32,500
colony have endured a brutal
winter.
568
00:25:32,500 --> 00:25:35,667
- Their stores of
grain are running low
569
00:25:35,667 --> 00:25:37,167
and they're kind of
hoping for the spring,
570
00:25:37,167 --> 00:25:40,583
but the spring turns out
being pretty miserable,
571
00:25:40,583 --> 00:25:42,208
very damp weather.
572
00:25:42,208 --> 00:25:44,958
Damp weather is disastrous when
you're trying to keep grain
573
00:25:44,958 --> 00:25:47,708
because things
start to get moldy.
574
00:25:48,958 --> 00:25:52,417
- When this crop comes up
from the ground in 1692,
575
00:25:52,417 --> 00:25:53,875
Puritans may have
taken a look at it
576
00:25:53,875 --> 00:25:57,000
and noticed a black stain
on the back of the grain,
577
00:25:58,125 --> 00:25:59,708
but they may have just
thought that this was due
578
00:25:59,708 --> 00:26:01,875
to overexposure to the sun,
579
00:26:01,875 --> 00:26:04,167
so they could have
well harvested it
580
00:26:04,167 --> 00:26:06,000
and ground it into their bread.
581
00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:08,708
- [Laurence] But these
Puritans are seemingly unaware
582
00:26:08,708 --> 00:26:10,167
that the black
spot they've ground
583
00:26:10,167 --> 00:26:13,708
into their bread is
actually a fungus.
584
00:26:13,708 --> 00:26:15,083
- And this fungus, though,
585
00:26:16,042 --> 00:26:19,292
it can cause severe
hallucination.
586
00:26:25,750 --> 00:26:30,833
- Ergot is a kind of
fungus that is very toxic
587
00:26:31,542 --> 00:26:33,708
and which is very durable.
588
00:26:33,708 --> 00:26:36,042
It's extremely
difficult to get rid of.
589
00:26:36,042 --> 00:26:39,417
Even now, modern fungicides
have a difficult time killing
590
00:26:39,417 --> 00:26:41,083
the ergot fungus,
591
00:26:41,083 --> 00:26:45,792
and it particularly likes
to grow in rye grain.
592
00:26:45,792 --> 00:26:47,208
- So the only way
that you can get rid
593
00:26:47,208 --> 00:26:50,625
of ergot is if you rotate
your crops pretty regularly.
594
00:26:50,625 --> 00:26:52,042
- If there's a particular fungus
595
00:26:52,042 --> 00:26:55,375
or pest that likes a
particular kind of crop,
596
00:26:55,375 --> 00:26:59,542
then by rotating the crops
that you grow one kind one year
597
00:26:59,542 --> 00:27:00,708
and another kind
of different year,
598
00:27:00,708 --> 00:27:02,542
you don't allow
the pests to stay
599
00:27:02,542 --> 00:27:03,750
and they'll die
off in one winter
600
00:27:03,750 --> 00:27:05,667
and they won't
come back the next.
601
00:27:05,667 --> 00:27:09,750
- But because the soil so
wet and is not as arable
602
00:27:09,750 --> 00:27:11,375
and it's kind of a rocky
or terrain up there,
603
00:27:11,375 --> 00:27:13,542
it's hard to rotate your crops
as regularly in the north
604
00:27:13,542 --> 00:27:15,042
and it is in the south.
605
00:27:15,042 --> 00:27:16,708
- [Laurence] It's possible some
606
00:27:16,708 --> 00:27:19,667
of this ergot made its way
into the villager's bread.
607
00:27:20,583 --> 00:27:21,833
- They ingest it,
608
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,292
and they are experiencing
what's called ergotism
609
00:27:25,292 --> 00:27:27,917
AKA St. Anthony's fire.
610
00:27:27,917 --> 00:27:29,000
It's called St. Anthony's fire
611
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,417
because in previous instances
612
00:27:32,417 --> 00:27:35,792
where ergotism had been seen,
613
00:27:35,792 --> 00:27:40,042
it is said that those that
ingested this fungus that prayed
614
00:27:40,042 --> 00:27:42,750
to Saint Anthony
were spared death.
615
00:27:44,125 --> 00:27:47,792
- Ergotism causes
LSD-like effects.
616
00:27:47,792 --> 00:27:51,250
It's sufferers have
hallucinations,
617
00:27:51,250 --> 00:27:53,958
they suffer convulsions.
618
00:27:53,958 --> 00:27:56,833
- [Laurence] Behavioral
scientist, Linnda Caporael,
619
00:27:56,833 --> 00:28:01,292
first published this
theory back in 1976.
620
00:28:01,292 --> 00:28:04,958
- It's a really interesting
fact that the symptoms
621
00:28:04,958 --> 00:28:09,167
of ergot poisoning are
really similar to what it is
622
00:28:09,167 --> 00:28:13,417
that affects and afflicts
Betty and Abigail back
623
00:28:13,417 --> 00:28:14,708
at the Parris homestead.
624
00:28:15,875 --> 00:28:18,000
So those sorts of
hallucinations that they have,
625
00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:19,875
the catatonia that they have,
626
00:28:19,875 --> 00:28:21,708
the kind of acting out,
627
00:28:21,708 --> 00:28:23,083
the convulsions or the fits,
628
00:28:23,083 --> 00:28:26,875
all those are also symptoms
of ergot poisoning.
629
00:28:26,875 --> 00:28:28,458
- Her explanation
630
00:28:28,458 --> 00:28:31,083
of why young women would've
been particularly susceptible
631
00:28:31,083 --> 00:28:35,667
to ergotism is that they were
smaller and weighed less,
632
00:28:35,667 --> 00:28:39,333
and so the toxicity would've
had more of an effect on them.
633
00:28:39,333 --> 00:28:41,708
It's easy to see why she thought
634
00:28:41,708 --> 00:28:43,208
that these LSD-like effects
635
00:28:43,208 --> 00:28:47,042
of ergotism could have
caused the girls' fits
636
00:28:47,042 --> 00:28:50,250
because they're vivid
descriptions of specter
637
00:28:50,250 --> 00:28:51,833
that they had seen
638
00:28:52,958 --> 00:28:54,750
and strange creatures
they encountered.
639
00:28:55,917 --> 00:28:58,917
- [Laurence] If ergot
poisoning is to blame,
640
00:28:58,917 --> 00:29:03,000
there isn't a soul in Salem
who would've known about it.
641
00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:04,208
- When William Griggs goes
642
00:29:04,208 --> 00:29:05,958
and sees the Parris
girls for the first time
643
00:29:05,958 --> 00:29:07,958
and tries to diagnose them,
644
00:29:07,958 --> 00:29:10,333
he wouldn't have been
able to diagnose ergotism
645
00:29:10,333 --> 00:29:11,792
'cause at the time,
646
00:29:11,792 --> 00:29:12,875
it wasn't a thing,
647
00:29:12,875 --> 00:29:14,125
people didn't even
know it existed.
648
00:29:14,125 --> 00:29:15,625
- Ergotism is not contagious.
649
00:29:15,625 --> 00:29:18,500
It all depends on who's exposed,
650
00:29:18,500 --> 00:29:19,667
how much they're exposed
651
00:29:19,667 --> 00:29:21,667
to the dose makes the poison.
652
00:29:21,667 --> 00:29:23,042
People throughout the families,
653
00:29:23,042 --> 00:29:25,208
if they're all eating
from the same bread,
654
00:29:25,208 --> 00:29:27,375
but they're eating it
at different amounts,
655
00:29:27,375 --> 00:29:28,792
they're getting different doses.
656
00:29:28,792 --> 00:29:30,083
- That could have
been one of the things
657
00:29:30,083 --> 00:29:31,542
that made it a lot
harder for doctors
658
00:29:31,542 --> 00:29:34,417
to try to figure out what
exactly was going on in Salem.
659
00:29:36,542 --> 00:29:37,875
- There are some
scholars who think
660
00:29:37,875 --> 00:29:41,708
that the ergot poisoning
theory is not likely
661
00:29:41,708 --> 00:29:43,042
because one of the things
662
00:29:43,042 --> 00:29:45,042
that would've kind of
counteracted that is a diet
663
00:29:45,042 --> 00:29:46,833
that was rich in vitamin A.
664
00:29:46,833 --> 00:29:50,417
Vitamin A can counteract
the effects of the ergot.
665
00:29:50,417 --> 00:29:52,333
- Where do you find vitamin A?
666
00:29:52,333 --> 00:29:53,875
From fish.
667
00:29:53,875 --> 00:29:57,292
And the Puritans would have
had a regular diet of fish
668
00:29:57,292 --> 00:29:59,708
because a Massachusetts
Bay colony right
669
00:29:59,708 --> 00:30:01,250
by the Atlantic Ocean,
670
00:30:01,250 --> 00:30:04,750
and so the Puritans would've
had a daily diet of fish.
671
00:30:06,167 --> 00:30:09,083
- Therefore, their vitamin A
levels would've been quite high
672
00:30:09,083 --> 00:30:11,292
and ergot maybe wasn't that
much of a problem for them.
673
00:30:16,042 --> 00:30:19,000
- [Laurence] The
forest surrounding Salem Village
674
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:20,583
is rife with danger.
675
00:30:20,583 --> 00:30:23,750
Not only is there the ongoing
war with Native Americans,
676
00:30:23,750 --> 00:30:26,833
bears and wolves
prowl the frontier
677
00:30:26,833 --> 00:30:29,042
just beyond the edge of town,
678
00:30:29,042 --> 00:30:30,708
but many believe it's some
679
00:30:30,708 --> 00:30:33,000
of New England's
smallest inhabitants
680
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,333
that may pose the
biggest threat.
681
00:30:38,208 --> 00:30:40,875
- New England has
an overpopulation problem
682
00:30:40,875 --> 00:30:43,333
with deer. There's deer all over
the place.
683
00:30:43,333 --> 00:30:45,708
- They would come in and
actually eat some of the green
684
00:30:45,708 --> 00:30:47,500
that they were growing.
685
00:30:47,500 --> 00:30:48,542
On a positive side,
686
00:30:48,542 --> 00:30:49,833
they also provided venison,
687
00:30:49,833 --> 00:30:50,958
which was a major part
688
00:30:50,958 --> 00:30:53,375
of the diet of the villagers.
689
00:30:53,375 --> 00:30:56,833
- One thing hunters
didn't understand in the 17th
690
00:30:56,833 --> 00:30:59,708
century is that with deer comes
a bigger problem,
691
00:30:59,708 --> 00:31:00,917
deer ticks.
692
00:31:04,750 --> 00:31:07,500
Lyme disease isn't
studied seriously
693
00:31:07,500 --> 00:31:10,208
until the 1970s when
a group of children
694
00:31:10,208 --> 00:31:13,042
and adults in Lyme Connecticut
contract the disease,
695
00:31:13,042 --> 00:31:14,833
- There were children
that were suffering
696
00:31:14,833 --> 00:31:19,458
from joint paralysis,
fatigue, rashes.
697
00:31:19,458 --> 00:31:22,292
- [Laurence] Two mothers from
the group cracked the case
698
00:31:22,292 --> 00:31:24,583
by conducting their own research
699
00:31:24,583 --> 00:31:27,708
and keeping meticulous notes,
700
00:31:27,708 --> 00:31:30,375
a pattern finally emerges.
701
00:31:30,375 --> 00:31:35,375
Each suffered a tick bite in
the Lyme Connecticut area.
702
00:31:36,250 --> 00:31:37,542
- There is evidence to suggest
703
00:31:37,542 --> 00:31:40,250
that this disease
existed centuries ago
704
00:31:40,250 --> 00:31:42,542
and also outside of Connecticut,
705
00:31:42,542 --> 00:31:45,792
including in places like
Salem in New England.
706
00:31:45,792 --> 00:31:47,000
- In 2008,
707
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,417
historian M.M. Drymon
publishes a book
708
00:31:50,417 --> 00:31:54,542
in which she contends that
Lyme disease was the root cause
709
00:31:54,542 --> 00:31:56,708
of the Salem witch trials.
710
00:31:56,708 --> 00:31:58,167
- In the book,
711
00:31:58,167 --> 00:32:00,042
she writes that the Parris
girl symptoms included
712
00:32:00,042 --> 00:32:02,958
intense headaches and the
feeling of being pinched
713
00:32:02,958 --> 00:32:05,375
and poked by an invisible force.
714
00:32:05,375 --> 00:32:09,042
Sufferers of Lyme disease also
experience intense headaches
715
00:32:09,042 --> 00:32:12,875
and also joint pains that feel
like they're being stung.
716
00:32:12,875 --> 00:32:16,083
- One of the telltale
signs of infection
717
00:32:16,083 --> 00:32:19,375
with Lyme disease is
a bite, the tick bite,
718
00:32:19,375 --> 00:32:22,542
which is surrounded by what's
called a bullseye rash.
719
00:32:22,542 --> 00:32:24,958
So a little kind of
ring around that bite.
720
00:32:26,167 --> 00:32:28,167
- And what's clear from
the early testimonies given
721
00:32:28,167 --> 00:32:30,792
in court is that a number
of children ended up
722
00:32:30,792 --> 00:32:34,125
with red marks on their bodies
in very distinctive ways.
723
00:32:35,208 --> 00:32:37,000
- You have several
children from one family
724
00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:39,125
that have red streaks
all over their body.
725
00:32:39,125 --> 00:32:41,958
You have another child that says
726
00:32:41,958 --> 00:32:43,208
that they have
marks on their body
727
00:32:43,208 --> 00:32:45,000
that looks like stab wounds.
728
00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:46,292
Darkest good.
729
00:32:46,292 --> 00:32:48,708
A 4-year-old that was
accused of witchcraft
730
00:32:48,708 --> 00:32:53,667
and spent months in jail
has a little red wound
731
00:32:53,667 --> 00:32:54,875
on her finger.
732
00:32:54,875 --> 00:32:56,208
That's about the
size of a flea bite.
733
00:32:56,208 --> 00:32:57,167
- Now, these were discovered
734
00:32:57,167 --> 00:32:58,542
because at the time,
735
00:32:58,542 --> 00:33:01,708
as part of the
interrogation of a witch,
736
00:33:01,708 --> 00:33:05,542
they wanted to see whether
women had any strange marks
737
00:33:05,542 --> 00:33:07,125
on their bodies anywhere.
738
00:33:07,125 --> 00:33:08,625
So because of this,
739
00:33:08,625 --> 00:33:12,042
we do have testimonies of
various things that were found.
740
00:33:12,042 --> 00:33:13,083
In their minds,
741
00:33:13,083 --> 00:33:14,792
this was proof of the devil.
742
00:33:14,792 --> 00:33:17,125
For us from a
scientific perspective,
743
00:33:17,125 --> 00:33:20,625
maybe this was part of the
tick bite and the bullseye rash
744
00:33:20,625 --> 00:33:22,375
that they were actually seeing.
745
00:33:22,375 --> 00:33:24,875
- As for why it
was largely girls
746
00:33:24,875 --> 00:33:27,708
and women who suffered
from these symptoms,
747
00:33:27,708 --> 00:33:29,917
M.M. Drymon has a theory.
748
00:33:29,917 --> 00:33:33,042
- Kids tend to play or interact
749
00:33:33,042 --> 00:33:34,250
with each other on
the ground more,
750
00:33:34,250 --> 00:33:37,000
and women wear very long skirts
751
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,167
that actually touch
the ground physically.
752
00:33:40,375 --> 00:33:41,875
Cloth is fibrous
753
00:33:41,875 --> 00:33:44,292
and it's a perfect
little attachment point
754
00:33:44,292 --> 00:33:46,625
for a tick to grab onto.
755
00:33:47,583 --> 00:33:48,792
- It's certainly plausible
756
00:33:48,792 --> 00:33:52,125
that a couple of children
could have been playing out
757
00:33:52,125 --> 00:33:53,208
in the woods
758
00:33:53,208 --> 00:33:54,792
and have gotten bitten by a tick
759
00:33:54,792 --> 00:33:56,625
and come down with Lyme disease.
760
00:33:58,042 --> 00:33:59,667
- You don't have to
interact with a deer
761
00:33:59,667 --> 00:34:01,625
or wildlife to get a deer tick.
762
00:34:01,625 --> 00:34:04,667
These ticks will travel
around in the grass looking
763
00:34:04,667 --> 00:34:06,667
for their latest prey.
764
00:34:06,667 --> 00:34:07,875
- Nowadays, of course,
765
00:34:07,875 --> 00:34:08,583
we don't have that
much to worry about.
766
00:34:08,583 --> 00:34:10,125
With Lyme disease.
767
00:34:10,125 --> 00:34:12,542
It's easily treated with
antibiotics, with penicillin.
768
00:34:12,542 --> 00:34:16,333
- However, penicillin wasn't
a thing until the 1930s,
769
00:34:16,333 --> 00:34:20,500
so about 250 years after
the Salem witch trials.
770
00:34:20,500 --> 00:34:23,250
- Not only can Lyme
disease cause rashes,
771
00:34:23,250 --> 00:34:26,542
some experts believe it
could also explain some
772
00:34:26,542 --> 00:34:29,708
of the girls' more
extreme symptoms.
773
00:34:29,708 --> 00:34:31,042
- With Lyme disease, it's rare,
774
00:34:31,042 --> 00:34:33,375
but it can become
a neurotoxicant
775
00:34:33,375 --> 00:34:37,000
that can cause various type
of neurological issues,
776
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:38,208
changes in behavior,
777
00:34:38,208 --> 00:34:39,750
seeing things that aren't there.
778
00:34:41,375 --> 00:34:44,750
There appear to have been
long-term health effects.
779
00:34:44,750 --> 00:34:46,375
Abigail stays sick
780
00:34:46,375 --> 00:34:48,458
and in fact doesn't
live very long
781
00:34:48,458 --> 00:34:50,625
after the close of these trials.
782
00:34:51,167 --> 00:34:53,833
- It is possible
that both Abigail
783
00:34:53,833 --> 00:34:57,625
and Anne Putnam were
victims of not witchcraft,
784
00:34:57,625 --> 00:34:58,708
just Lyme disease
785
00:35:02,500 --> 00:35:04,917
- [Laurence] Life
in 1692 Salem isn't
786
00:35:04,917 --> 00:35:06,708
for the faint of heart.
787
00:35:06,708 --> 00:35:09,875
Not only do devoted Puritans
worry about hellfire
788
00:35:09,875 --> 00:35:12,333
and brimstone in the afterlife,
789
00:35:12,333 --> 00:35:16,958
they also worry about
bewitchment in the here and now.
790
00:35:16,958 --> 00:35:18,583
Centuries later,
791
00:35:18,583 --> 00:35:22,292
we know sorcery didn't cause
the Salem girls' symptoms,
792
00:35:22,292 --> 00:35:26,167
but the real culprit has
yet to be identified.
793
00:35:26,167 --> 00:35:28,542
- There are a lot of
potential root causes
794
00:35:28,542 --> 00:35:30,583
that could have led to
the Salem witch trials.
795
00:35:30,583 --> 00:35:33,875
You have a lot of fear and
paranoia in these communities.
796
00:35:33,875 --> 00:35:34,875
Why?
797
00:35:34,875 --> 00:35:36,250
You're living in the woods,
798
00:35:36,250 --> 00:35:37,708
animals could get you.
799
00:35:37,708 --> 00:35:39,542
You might not plant
your crop the right way,
800
00:35:39,542 --> 00:35:41,167
which could lead to
a shortage of food,
801
00:35:41,167 --> 00:35:42,417
which means you have to worry
802
00:35:42,417 --> 00:35:45,333
about how you're gonna
survive for a winter.
803
00:35:45,333 --> 00:35:47,625
There are historical
accounts that suggest
804
00:35:47,625 --> 00:35:50,708
that the consumption of
certain types of plants,
805
00:35:50,708 --> 00:35:51,792
one in particular,
806
00:35:51,792 --> 00:35:54,292
just might play a major role.
807
00:35:59,375 --> 00:36:03,292
- Jimsonweed is a very
common roadside weed.
808
00:36:03,292 --> 00:36:05,458
It is part of the
nightshade family.
809
00:36:05,458 --> 00:36:07,833
It does have
hallucinogenic properties
810
00:36:07,833 --> 00:36:10,167
and it is native
to North America
811
00:36:10,167 --> 00:36:13,208
- Jimsonweed produces a
small egg-shaped fruit
812
00:36:13,208 --> 00:36:15,167
about two inches in diameter,
813
00:36:15,167 --> 00:36:17,667
and usually it's most
harmful to cattle
814
00:36:17,667 --> 00:36:20,500
and other wild animals
who die after they eat it.
815
00:36:20,500 --> 00:36:22,333
- [Laurence] The
plant has large white
816
00:36:22,333 --> 00:36:25,250
or purple
trumpet-shaped flowers,
817
00:36:25,250 --> 00:36:27,083
just the kind of wild flower
818
00:36:27,083 --> 00:36:29,417
that might attract
a young girl's eye.
819
00:36:30,833 --> 00:36:32,250
- It's very plausible that women
820
00:36:32,250 --> 00:36:34,208
and children are
picking the jimsonweed
821
00:36:34,208 --> 00:36:36,375
because they are
a flowering fruit.
822
00:36:36,375 --> 00:36:38,625
- We look at the historical
background of this plant.
823
00:36:38,625 --> 00:36:43,042
We find that it is in
fact linked to occultism
824
00:36:43,042 --> 00:36:45,542
and to elements of dark magic
825
00:36:46,667 --> 00:36:49,250
- With its hallucinogenic
properties,
826
00:36:49,250 --> 00:36:52,542
jimsonweed has been associated
with various cultural
827
00:36:52,542 --> 00:36:55,250
and spiritual practices
throughout history,
828
00:36:55,250 --> 00:36:57,708
including witchcraft.
829
00:36:57,708 --> 00:37:00,500
- Jimsonweed has been
linked to paganism
830
00:37:00,500 --> 00:37:03,042
and it has been used to
alter one's consciousness
831
00:37:03,042 --> 00:37:05,375
and it can and do
hallucinations.
832
00:37:05,375 --> 00:37:08,625
- It's possible that the
girls came in contact
833
00:37:08,625 --> 00:37:10,458
with jimsonweed either outside
834
00:37:10,458 --> 00:37:13,542
or in the house on the day
of the Venus Glass incident.
835
00:37:14,667 --> 00:37:16,250
- [Laurence] There
are even suggestions
836
00:37:16,250 --> 00:37:18,667
that there is a member
of the Salem community
837
00:37:18,667 --> 00:37:22,417
who would already be familiar
with these practices.
838
00:37:22,417 --> 00:37:24,500
According to some historians,
839
00:37:24,500 --> 00:37:28,708
Tituba may well be
from a Caribbean tribe called
840
00:37:28,708 --> 00:37:31,500
the Arawak who are known to use
jimsonweed for medicinal
841
00:37:31,500 --> 00:37:33,458
and ceremonial purposes.
842
00:37:34,458 --> 00:37:36,625
- Native American
groups at the time,
843
00:37:36,625 --> 00:37:39,708
and maybe even Tituba herself,
844
00:37:39,708 --> 00:37:44,750
often are using jimsonweed
as part of religious rituals.
845
00:37:46,167 --> 00:37:48,292
These could be made into cakes
846
00:37:48,292 --> 00:37:50,958
and these gems and
cakes would be ingested
847
00:37:50,958 --> 00:37:54,292
- The alter state of
consciousness that it invites
848
00:37:54,292 --> 00:37:57,417
might, for example, allow
someone to commune
849
00:37:57,417 --> 00:37:59,583
with their ancestors or with
some higher power.
850
00:38:01,250 --> 00:38:02,708
- [Laurence] The
use of jimsonweed
851
00:38:02,708 --> 00:38:06,333
as a hallucinogenic has been
confirmed more recently.
852
00:38:06,333 --> 00:38:08,375
- There were four
teenagers in Los Angeles
853
00:38:08,375 --> 00:38:10,625
that actually brewed
their jimsonweed tea
854
00:38:10,625 --> 00:38:13,167
and experienced
psychedelic effects.
855
00:38:13,167 --> 00:38:14,417
- They were really successful
856
00:38:14,417 --> 00:38:16,375
and they got really high.
857
00:38:16,375 --> 00:38:17,333
And by high,
858
00:38:17,333 --> 00:38:18,542
I mean that the symptoms
859
00:38:18,542 --> 00:38:20,333
that they experienced
were very similar
860
00:38:20,333 --> 00:38:22,833
to the hallucinations
861
00:38:22,833 --> 00:38:24,833
and things that were
described as a part
862
00:38:24,833 --> 00:38:29,792
of the original Parris girls
experiences in the 1690s.
863
00:38:31,042 --> 00:38:34,417
- If these girls had been
ingesting jimson cakes,
864
00:38:34,417 --> 00:38:36,708
could they have believed
that the hallucinations
865
00:38:36,708 --> 00:38:38,708
that they were having were real?
866
00:38:38,708 --> 00:38:40,875
That seems entirely possible.
867
00:38:40,875 --> 00:38:43,208
- They were doing this very
secretive thing possibly
868
00:38:43,208 --> 00:38:46,042
that they knew they
weren't supposed to do.
869
00:38:46,042 --> 00:38:49,375
And that, of course, led
to feeding into this idea
870
00:38:49,375 --> 00:38:51,625
of we should be
punished for our crime.
871
00:38:52,625 --> 00:38:55,417
- However, as the
accusations grow
872
00:38:55,417 --> 00:39:00,208
and more and more accusers
also appear in the village,
873
00:39:00,208 --> 00:39:02,583
it seems unlikely
that they're all kind
874
00:39:02,583 --> 00:39:04,708
of binging on jimson cakes.
875
00:39:06,125 --> 00:39:08,833
- Whatever the cause of the
witch trials in the first place,
876
00:39:08,833 --> 00:39:11,458
it takes an outsider
to end them.
877
00:39:11,458 --> 00:39:14,125
Reverend Increase
Mather of Boston,
878
00:39:14,125 --> 00:39:15,917
father of Cotton Mather,
879
00:39:15,917 --> 00:39:18,667
encourages cooler
heads to prevail,
880
00:39:20,208 --> 00:39:21,417
- Though he still believes
881
00:39:21,417 --> 00:39:23,000
that the devil is
at work in Salem,
882
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:24,583
he thinks it's at work
883
00:39:24,583 --> 00:39:26,667
and actually the people who
are making the accusations
884
00:39:26,667 --> 00:39:28,875
rather than the people
who are accused.
885
00:39:28,875 --> 00:39:32,500
Mather proclaims that is
better for 10 suspected witches
886
00:39:32,500 --> 00:39:36,208
to be set free than for
one person who's innocent
887
00:39:36,208 --> 00:39:38,333
to be executed.
888
00:39:38,333 --> 00:39:41,000
And although the stain
never disappears,
889
00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:44,458
things do quiet down
in this little town.
890
00:39:45,458 --> 00:39:47,125
- When it's all said and done,
891
00:39:47,125 --> 00:39:48,708
the people who were caught up
892
00:39:48,708 --> 00:39:51,208
in that fervor may look
back on it and and say,
893
00:39:51,208 --> 00:39:52,667
"It's all in the past
894
00:39:52,667 --> 00:39:54,125
and the devil made me do it."
895
00:39:55,917 --> 00:39:59,250
- In 1697, the legislature
of Massachusetts,
896
00:39:59,250 --> 00:40:01,167
which was called
the General Court,
897
00:40:01,167 --> 00:40:04,542
they declare a day of
fasting to atone for the sins
898
00:40:04,542 --> 00:40:06,000
that they'd committed at Salem
899
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:08,708
during the events at
the Salem witch trials.
900
00:40:08,708 --> 00:40:12,042
1702, the Superior Court
of Judicature declared
901
00:40:12,042 --> 00:40:15,625
that the events that had
happened were unlawful
902
00:40:16,583 --> 00:40:19,125
and the results
of that were void.
903
00:40:19,125 --> 00:40:20,542
- I think if there's a lesson
904
00:40:20,542 --> 00:40:24,917
to be learned is that the
dangers of instilling fear
905
00:40:25,917 --> 00:40:28,292
in a population are real
906
00:40:28,292 --> 00:40:33,125
and that very easily neighbors
can turn against one another.
907
00:40:34,833 --> 00:40:37,000
- It reveals something
about how people behave
908
00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:38,208
when they're together.
909
00:40:38,208 --> 00:40:40,750
It reveals something about
tribalism and human nature.
910
00:40:40,750 --> 00:40:42,875
- It's hard in many
ways to believe
911
00:40:42,875 --> 00:40:45,875
that all this happened
on American soil.
912
00:40:45,875 --> 00:40:48,875
We tend to associate
the whole witch hunts,
913
00:40:48,875 --> 00:40:52,750
the burning of witches
with medieval Europe,
914
00:40:52,750 --> 00:40:55,792
not with what happens in
Massachusetts for God's sakes.
915
00:40:58,875 --> 00:41:02,167
- The Salem witch trials
are an infamous stain
916
00:41:02,167 --> 00:41:03,833
on American history,
917
00:41:03,833 --> 00:41:07,042
a cautionary tale about
the dangers of groupthink
918
00:41:07,042 --> 00:41:09,083
and unfounded accusations.
919
00:41:09,083 --> 00:41:12,208
We may never know for certain
what caused a group of girls
920
00:41:12,208 --> 00:41:15,458
to suffer those disturbing
symptoms more than 300 years ago
921
00:41:15,458 --> 00:41:17,500
in Salem, Massachusetts.
922
00:41:17,500 --> 00:41:20,208
But whether they were brought
on by disease, toxins,
923
00:41:20,208 --> 00:41:21,542
or mass hysteria,
924
00:41:21,542 --> 00:41:23,083
one thing is true,
925
00:41:23,083 --> 00:41:27,500
executing 20 innocent
people was never a cure.
926
00:41:27,500 --> 00:41:29,042
I'm Laurence Fishburne.
927
00:41:29,042 --> 00:41:32,667
Thank you for watching
History's Greatest Mysteries.
72609
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