Connecticut lawmakers have voted to exonerate 12 people who were convicted of witchcraft in colonial America more than 370 years ago. Eleven of the 12 were hanged after trials that the state Senate now acknowledges were a “miscarriage of justice”. The resolution follows nearly two decades of lobbying by the CT Witch Trial Exoneration Project, a group set up in 2005 by descendants of the accused. The family members and their supporters argue that the exonerations are an important step to learning from the mistakes of the past. The Witch Trial Exoneration Project hopes that in addition to correcting past wrongs, that this will bring awareness to “deadly witch hunts still happening”.
According to an article in a recent article by Bernd Debusmann Jr for BBC News, Connecticut lawmakers have voted to exonerate 12 people who were convicted of witchcraft more than 370 years ago in colonial America. The state Senate acknowledged that the trials were a “miscarriage of justice,” and that 11 of the 12 convicted individuals were hanged. The resolution, which had already passed in Connecticut’s House of Representatives, follows nearly two decades of lobbying by the CT Witch Trial Exoneration Project, a group set up in 2005 by descendants of the accused.
The Witch Trial Exoneration Project is “ecstatic, pleased, and appreciative” of the decision, especially as it comes on the eve of the 376th anniversary of the first witch-hanging in New England. The group has been advocating for historical education and memorialization of the witch trial victims, and hopes that the exonerations will bring awareness to “deadly witch hunts still happening.”
Some members of the organization discovered their family links using genealogy tests. The family members and their supporters argue that the exonerations are an important step to learning from the mistakes of the past. Saud Anwar, a state senator who discovered that one of his ancestors was a witch accuser, told the AP that witchcraft trials still take place around the world. “It’s relevant, even to this time as well,” he said.
However, not all lawmakers were in favor of the resolution. Senator Rob Sampson, who voted against it, said that he believed it was wrong to “dictate what was right or wrong about periods in the past that we have no knowledge of.” He added that he wanted the focus to be on a “brighter and better future.”
Despite this opposition, the resolution passed with overwhelming support. The Witch Trial Exoneration Project expressed gratitude to descendants, advocates, historians, legislators of both parties, and many others who made the official resolution possible.
The witch trials of the 17th century were a dark period in American history, with dozens of people executed for witchcraft. The trials were often based on flimsy evidence, including accusations from neighbors and supposed “spectral evidence” that the accused had sent their spirit to harm others. The trials have been the subject of numerous books, movies, and TV shows, and continue to fascinate and horrify people today.
The exonerations in Connecticut are a small but important step towards righting the wrongs of the past. By acknowledging the miscarriage of justice and clearing the names of those wrongfully accused, lawmakers are sending a message that such persecution and discrimination have no place in modern society. The Witch Trial Exoneration Project hopes that this decision will inspire others to learn from the mistakes of the past and work towards a brighter future.
