329 Years Later, The Last Witch From The Salem Witch Trials Has Finally Been Pardoned
Did you know that there was still one woman convicted during the Salem Witch Trials who had not yet been exonerated?
Thanks to the work of Massachusetts State Senator Diana DiZoglio and civics students at North Andover Middle School, the “last witch” has finally had her name cleared.
In a powerful Senate floor speech made by Senator DiZoglio, she mentions that 11 women were convicted but never executed during the Salem Witch Trials, apart from the 19 that were executed.
Out of those 11 women, 1 had escaped, two were pregnant, and the rest had not yet been executed because they had confessed.
Eventually, they would’ve been executed. But the trials had come to an end before that could happen.
Senator DiZoglio states that beginning in 1702, those remaining women had started working to have their convictions overturned. Nine years later, all of them had been exonerated except for one woman – Elizabeth Johnson Jr.
In her speech, Senator DiZoglio explains that the specific reasons as to why Elizabeth had not been pardoned were unclear.
However, there is speculation that because she was not a wife or mother, the courts and general assembly made no efforts to clear her name.
“Elizabeth’s story and struggle, friends, continue to greatly resonate today,” says Senator DiZoglio in her speech.
popovatetiana – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
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“While we’ve come a long way since the horrors of the witch trials, women today still often face positions where their rights are challenged, and concerns are dismissed.”
Senator DiZoglio also reminded the Senate floor that in the 20th and 21st centuries, the 19 women who were executed but never exonerated had their names cleared through legislation.
But Elizabeth was tragically “overlooked” since she had not yet been hanged for her alleged crimes.
Elizabeth had little to no support in having her name cleared, especially since she had no descendants to act on her behalf.
“That was, at least the case before the North Andover Middle School stepped up to the plate,” says DiZoglio.
Students and their civics teacher, Carrie LaPierre, went to meet with DiZoglio to ask that they all work together in filing a piece of legislation that would clear Elizabeth’s name.
According to DiZoglio, the students in Carrie’s class put in tons of work to research Elizabeth and figure out exactly what it would take to have her officially exonerated.
They spent months learning about writing a bill, drafting advocacy letters, writing postcards to the Governor, and creating extensive presentations about Elizabeth.
“These students are to be celebrated for stepping up to the plate and having the courage to be a voice for someone who hasn’t had a voice for so long,” Senator DiZoglio continued.
“We’re so grateful to them for their hard work and to incredible teachers like Carrie who empower students to be well-informed, active citizens and give them the opportunity to change the world around us.”
The legislation introduced by DiZoglio and the team at North Andover Middle School was approved and passed in late May under Amendment 842. Amazing work!
To view Senator DiZoglio’s Senate floor speech, visit the link here.
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