A GREAT INJUSTICE REMEMBERED (SUMMER 2026)

The Trial of George Jacobs, August 5th, 1692, by T.H. Matteson. Jacobs was accused by his granddaughter. From the Collection of the Peabody Essex Museum. Image credit: Wikipedia   

Along with 400+ and USA350 celebrations this year in both Salem and Beverly there are reminders of a darker past. ‘The term “witch hunt” is synonymous with Salem and stands as a symbol of persecution, fanaticism, and rushing to judgement,’ writes Professor Emerson W. Baker, in the recently published book Salem’s Centuries, edited by Donna A. Seger and Brad Austin. ‘We need less celebration in October, and more commemoration and sober reflection throughout the year.’

Salem’s ‘Haunted Happenings’, part of the spooky fun tourism associated with the ‘Witch City’ takes place at a darker time of the year, as winter gloom approaches. By contrast, the city’s 400+ program will this summer include a ceremony which casts light on a sad episode in American history. The Peabody Essex Museum describes it as ‘the most widespread and lethal outbreak of witchcraft accusations in North America’ which took place in the colony. 

 The trials and executions of the 25 innocent women, men and children were held between June and September 1692, years after Roger Conant’s death. Bridget Bishop was the first to die by hanging on 10 June, and was the only victim not executed in a group. A commemoration of the 334th anniversary of her death will take place at the Salem Witch Trials Memorial on Charter Street at 10.00 am on 10 June. ‘The short remem brance will honor this wronged woman – who was also a domestic abuse survivor – and acknowledge all victims and survivors of abuse, prejudice, and ignorance – past and present,’ say the organisers. ‘This will include 17th-century poems, floral tributes, and information about Bridget’s life.’

Voices Against Injustice was founded originally in 1992, the tercentenary of the Witch Trials, as The Salem Award Foundation for Human Rights and Social Justice. The organisation has donated flowers which will be available for the public to place tributes on the memorial stones of their choice.  

This brass sundial, in the Collection of the Peabody Essex Museum, was once owned by John and Elizabeth Proctor, who were accused during the Salem Witch Trials. John Proctor petitioned on his own behalf as well as on behalf of others who were being falsely accused during the trials. He wrote to several Boston ministers and asked them to intervene.

The Peabody Essex Museum account of the sad episode reads: ‘Many people came to the defense of the Proctors, including their neighbors and family members who testified (at great personal risk) that they could not imagine that the couple practiced witchcraft. Despite begging for a little more time, John was tried and executed. Elizabeth Proctor was tried and convicted, but granted a reprieve because she was expecting a baby. She then later had her son, John, in jail. These compelling stories make us reflect on the injustices of 1692.’ 

 While the Salem witch trials were a tragedy, it is now recognised that they eventually led to positive changes in the American legal system, such as the implementation of the presumption of innocence, the right to legal counsel, and the need for cross-examination of accusers. The events also served as a cautionary tale about the dangers of mass hysteria, unchecked authority, and the importance of relying on facts over fear and ignorance. Additionally, the trials contributed to the secularization of the state and the separation of church and state by decreasing the influence of religious leaders in the judiciary.