Who Did What Now – Episode 166: The Salem Witch Trials

Host: Katie Charlwood
Original Release Date: October 28, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692, exploring their historical context, key players, the societal panic that fueled them, and their enduring legacy. With her trademark humor and irreverence, host Katie Charlwood unpacks how mass hysteria, social tensions, and Puritanical fears led to a tragedy that still haunts American history.

Main Discussion Points

1. Witch Trials: Setting the Stage

• The Salem Witch Trials are the most notorious in history, involving the execution of 14 women, 5 men, and even 2 dogs for alleged witchcraft (16:12).
  • "They executed, they killed 14 women, five men and two dogs. Two dogs for witchcraft. The dog went on trial." — Katie (16:20)
• Accused ranged from an 80-year-old woman to a five-year-old child; within nine months, 144–185 people were accused across 25 towns (16:50).
• Family members accused each other, and paranoia reigned: "In towns like Andover, one in every 15 people were accused" (17:40).
• The trials were rooted in a society wracked by religious zealotry, misogyny, racism, and a deep-seated sense of threat from all sides.

2. Historical Context: England to America, and the Puritan Mindset

• The colonies were established amidst failed settlement attempts (like the Lost Colony of Roanoke) and the broader English colonial project (18:43).
• Puritans, originally not fleeing persecution but seeking to preserve "Englishness," founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony (20:21).
  • "Basically, a bunch of them had settled in the Netherlands... then they were worried their children were becoming too Dutch. I shit you not, right?" — Katie (21:00)
• The unique autonomy of Massachusetts Bay's charter allowed near-independence from direct English oversight, helping reinforce a rigid, isolated society (22:20).
• Native American conflict, isolation, and fear compounded Puritan anxieties, setting the stage for a society primed to explode into panic (23:40).

3. The Paris Household and The Outbreak

• The chaos began in the home of Reverend Samuel Parris, whose family included his wife, children, niece Abigail Williams, and two enslaved people — Tituba and John Indian (25:25–28:40).
  • The backstory of Tituba is explored, particularly how historical memory distorted her identity over the centuries to frame her as a scapegoat (29:10–30:15).
• January 1692: Parris's niece Abigail and daughter Betty display bizarre symptoms — fits, convulsions, hallucinations, barking like dogs — that defied explanation (32:23).
  • Katie notes with modern reflection, "My first thought... when I hear a child is running around flapping their arms, I think of self-regulation... for autistic children... or kids just playing about. But obviously, Puritans don’t believe in childhood or fun or playing. So they’re just like, oh, it must be bewitchment." (33:50)
• A doctor diagnosed "witchcraft" — a conclusion most of the community accepted without question (35:27).

4. Escalation: Folk Magic, Witch Cake, and Accusations

• Mary Sibley, a neighbor, covertly used folk magic by baking a "witch cake" with the afflicted girls’ urine to reveal the witch — a ritual gone awry that further inflamed rumors (36:20).
• As word spread, more girls became afflicted (Anne Putnam Jr. and Elizabeth Hubbard), and the affliction’s public nature increased panic (39:30).
• Under intense pressure, Betty Parris named Tituba as her tormentor, triggering a chain reaction of accusations (46:52).
  • "She accuses the nearest person who doesn’t fit in with the puritanical way of being — Tituba." (49:05)

5. Targets: Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne

• The afflicted quickly accused Tituba (enslaved outsider), Sarah Good (impoverished, pregnant, and homeless), and Sarah Osborne (elderly widow in a property dispute with powerful families) (50:18).
• The motivations reveal social, economic, and gender dynamics: all three were outsiders or threats to Puritan order.

6. Interrogation, Confession, and Witch Mania

• Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin led aggressive interrogations (52:00).
• Tituba, after likely enduring beatings, confessed and spun tales of a conspiracy of witches in Salem, sealing the fate of many (53:15).
  • "She says that she didn’t want to be a witch, but they made her become one. And so she brings in this idea of this conspiracy of witches. And this confirms everyone’s worst fear." (53:50)
• The confessions and accusations snowballed. No one was safe — even former ministers and revered pillars of the community (56:40, 58:00).

7. Trials, Executions, and Peak Panic

• The specialized "court of Oyer and Terminer" was established to expedite trials (1:01:30).
• Most evidence was "spectral" — based on the afflicted’s visions and fits during the accused's presence. These courtroom dramatics were treated as fact (1:03:30).
• The first execution was Bridget Bishop (1:05:10). Rebecca Nurse’s conviction especially rattled the community, as she was widely loved and supported — initially found not guilty, the jury was bullied into reversing their verdict (1:08:40).
  • "I'm so mad at these girls... It feels a little bit to me like...you've done something and you’ve leaned into the lie a little too much..." — Katie (1:10:44)
• Executions followed, often brutal and inhumane, with shallow graves for the dead. Fear began to give way to doubt as respected people, including John Proctor and George Burroughs, were executed (1:13:30).

8. Turning Point: Giles Corey and Final Executions

• Giles Corey, accused alongside wife Martha, refused to plead, suffering a slow, torturous death by pressing to protect his estate for his family (1:17:35).
  • Notable quote: "His words are ‘more weight’... what a sadistic motherfucker this guy Corwin is..." — Katie (1:18:04)
• Martha Corey, Mary Eastie, and others followed to the gallows. The sheer number and social status of victims provoked a collective reevaluation (1:19:54).

9. Collapse and Aftermath

• The infamous Cotton and Increase Mather denounced the use of "spectral evidence," famously saying, "it’s better that 10 suspected witches should escape than one innocent person being condemned" (1:22:30).
• Governor Phipps stopped spectral evidence, disbanded the Oyer and Terminer court, and with a new court structure, halted the executions and released many prisoners (1:24:18).
• In following years, apologies and official exonerations trickled in — but, as Katie notes, "twenty years on, these apologies, these exonerations, they're coming far too late" (1:27:00).

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Puritans and joyless societies:
  "Their lives are all based around just being as unhappy as possible. And... they’re so dour they could suck the colour out of a rainbow." (19:36)

• On the first Salem accusations:
  "This terrified child, desperate to give an answer, accuses the nearest person who doesn't fit in..." (49:05)

• On confessions under duress:
  "There is a lot of evidence that suggests that in between these two confessions, right, she was tortured. Like, she got a beating and she was beaten until she would give them the answer that they wanted." (53:04)

• On spectators’ horror during Giles Corey's pressing:
  "People are praying. Some people can’t watch it anymore. And then, unsurprisingly, because his lungs are fucking crushed, Giles Corey dies." (1:19:00)

  • Corey's famous last words: "More weight." (1:18:04)

• On the mass hysteria’s collapse:
  "It wasn't slowing down...until the governor's wife was accused." (1:24:00)

• On the legacy:
  "Centuries later, we're still talking about it. I want to go deeper... give them the respect that they didn't have in life." (1:29:44)

Timeline & Timestamps for Key Segments

• Historical context & Puritan mindset: 16:05–23:55
• Parris household and start of afflictions: 25:25–35:00
• Witch cake and escalation: 36:20–39:30
• First accusations & initial interrogations: 46:52–56:35
• Expansion to mass trials & executions: 58:00–1:13:30
• Turning point & Giles Corey: 1:17:35–1:19:54
• Collapse & aftermath: 1:22:30–1:27:30

Notable Individuals

• Samuel Parris: The minister whose household was ground zero for the accusations.
• Tituba: Enslaved Indigenous woman, scapegoated and tortured into confession.
• Sarah Good/Sarah Osborne: Early accused, targeted for poverty and social nonconformity.
• Rebecca Nurse: Elderly, beloved—her execution disturbed many.
• Giles Corey: Famously pressed to death for refusing to plead.
• Ann Putnam Jr.: Prolific accuser; later apologized for her role.
• Cotton/Increase Mather: Ministers and voices of (belated) moderation.

Legacy

• The Salem Witch Trials ended with apologies, legal exonerations, and some compensation — but not until two decades later.
• No subsequent executions for witchcraft occurred in American history.
• The trials stand as a warning about mass hysteria, the dangers of unbridled authority, and the human cost of fear-driven justice.

Suggested Readings & Media

Katie’s Recommendations:

• Book: "Defence of Witches" by Mona Chollet
• Music: Sabrina Carpenter, especially the playful track "Tears"
• Films: "House on Haunted Hill" (Vincent Price version recommended); "The Haunting of Hill House" (Netflix series)

Final Thoughts

Katie concludes with the hope to explore individual victims (like Goody Proctor or Goody Nurse) in future episodes, aiming to restore the humanity erased by centuries-old accusations and hysteria:

"Let's give some women some fucking justice.” (1:29:44)

This summary encapsulates the episode’s themes, humor, and historical depth, providing newcomers with a vivid sense of the narrative and the lessons drawn from America’s most notorious witch hunt.