The Salem Witch Trials Podcast

The Unfortunate Story of George Burroughs

George Burroughs was the former minister of the church at Salem Village. But in late April, 1692, a complaint was filed against him on behalf of several people who claimed he was a witch who had inflicted them. Days later, he was arrested in Maine and brought back to Salem in chains to face these charges. In a story filled with strange and unusual characters, George Burroughs’ story is among the strangest of them all.
 
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The Curious Case of Mary Warren

Mary Warren, the 20-year-old indentured servant of John and Elizabeth Proctor, was both accused and an accuser; afflicted and an inflictor during the Salem Witch Trials. How could this be? We examine Mary’s twisting tale as a means for helping to understand the complexities and nuance of the witch hysteria in general. 
 
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Exploring Witchcraft

What exactly is witchcraft and magic and what did it mean to New Englanders in the late seventeenth century? We’re joined by historian Alyssa Conary who helps us understand these important questions.  

March 1692

During the turbulent month of March 1692, accusations of witchcraft from a handful of girls turns into a full-blown crisis. In this episode, we unravel the events of this pivotal month to reveal the critical role that it played in turning the Salem witch hunt into an unprecedented disaster.

Exploring the Evidence Used at Salem

What do you think of when you hear the term ‘witch hunt?’ While the phrase has decidedly become loaded over the years, it often conjures up visions of angry mobs with torches and pitchforks. The Salem Witch Trials were most certainly a witch hunt, and decidedly unjust, but it’s important to remember that they were also actual trials with judgements that were handed down based on testimony, evidence and other time-tested methods of adjudication.So, how could the system of failed so badly? To help us understand this important question, we’re joined by Jane Campbell Moriarty, the Carol Los Mansmann Chair in Faculty Scholarship and Professor of Law at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Professor Moriarty is an expert on evidence, neuroscience and law, and legal and judicial ethics, and she has studied and written about the evidence used during the Salem Witch Trials. 
Read Professor Moriarty's article, "Wonders of the Invisible World Prosecutorial Syndrome and Profile Evidence in the Salem Witchcraft Trials," in the Vermont Law Review, Vol. 26, No. 43