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We recount John Proctor’s role in the Salem witch trials, from his defense of his wife Elizabeth after she was accused in 1692 to his own arrest and conviction. We describe his criticism of the proceedings, petitions arguing the trials were unfair, and his execution on August 19, 1692 after being denied a final prayer because he would not falsely confess. Elizabeth survived due to pregnancy, later received a reprieve, and the family suffered property seizure and lasting legal and financial damage before later reversal of the attainder and restitution.
00:00 John Proctor’s Final Morning: A Prayer Refused (Aug 19, 1692)
00:36 Who Was John Proctor? Early Life, Family, and Reputation
01:46 Elizabeth Proctor Accused: The April 11 Examination
02:24 John Speaks Out—and Becomes the First Male Arrested
03:10 Prison Petitions & Community Support Against the Trials
03:49 Conviction and Execution: The Gallows on August 19
04:09 Elizabeth Survives: Pregnancy, Prison Birth, and Reprieve
04:28 Aftermath: Family Ruin, Property Seizure, and Burial Legends
05:04 Restoring Rights: Estate Battles, Remarriage, and Restitution
05:34 Myth vs. History: Debunking The Crucible’s Proctor Story
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
The Sermon Notebook of Samuel Parris, 1689–1694 - Colonial Society of Massachusetts
Richard Hite, In the Shadow of Salem: The Andover Witch Hunt of 1692
By Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack5
33 ratings
We recount John Proctor’s role in the Salem witch trials, from his defense of his wife Elizabeth after she was accused in 1692 to his own arrest and conviction. We describe his criticism of the proceedings, petitions arguing the trials were unfair, and his execution on August 19, 1692 after being denied a final prayer because he would not falsely confess. Elizabeth survived due to pregnancy, later received a reprieve, and the family suffered property seizure and lasting legal and financial damage before later reversal of the attainder and restitution.
00:00 John Proctor’s Final Morning: A Prayer Refused (Aug 19, 1692)
00:36 Who Was John Proctor? Early Life, Family, and Reputation
01:46 Elizabeth Proctor Accused: The April 11 Examination
02:24 John Speaks Out—and Becomes the First Male Arrested
03:10 Prison Petitions & Community Support Against the Trials
03:49 Conviction and Execution: The Gallows on August 19
04:09 Elizabeth Survives: Pregnancy, Prison Birth, and Reprieve
04:28 Aftermath: Family Ruin, Property Seizure, and Burial Legends
05:04 Restoring Rights: Estate Battles, Remarriage, and Restitution
05:34 Myth vs. History: Debunking The Crucible’s Proctor Story
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
The Sermon Notebook of Samuel Parris, 1689–1694 - Colonial Society of Massachusetts
Richard Hite, In the Shadow of Salem: The Andover Witch Hunt of 1692

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