We examine the unwavering defiance of many individuals accused of witchcraft in 1692, looking into the stories of Rebecca Nurse, George Jacobs Sr., Susannah Martin, John Willard, and more, who refused to confess despite immense pressure and the threat of execution. Additionally, we discuss those who did confess, like Samuel Wardwell, and examine the physical and psychological pressures faced by the accused. The episode also highlights Mary Esty's poignant petition and the brutal execution of Giles Cory.

00:00 Introduction to the Salem Witch Trials

00:39 Meet Your Hosts

00:45 The Integrity of the Accused

01:24 Examples of Refusal to Confess

03:06 Confessions and Their Consequences

03:21 The Case of Samuel Wardwell

04:15 Rumors and Physical Pressure

04:56 Tituba's Confession

05:07 Acts of Defiance

05:19 Mary Esty's Petition

05:53 The Story of Giles Cory

⁠Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

The Thing About Witch Hunts / About Salem YouTube channel

⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub

Salem Witch Trials Daily Course Week 5: The Framework of Death

⁠The Thing About Salem

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts

⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience

⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege

⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692

Ben Wickey, More Weight: A Salem Story

Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection