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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1m

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#SalemWitchTrials #WilliamPhips #MassachusettsHistory #ColonialAmerica #HistoryMatters #OnThisDay #History #Salem

The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1m

Within months, the remaining prisoners were released, and public sentiment had shifted firmly against the judges who had presided over the executions. In the years that followed, Massachusetts leaders would publicly apologize and provide compensation to some of the victims’ families.

Fanciful representation of the Salem witch trials, lithograph from 1892

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1m

He wrote that he had suspended the Court of Oyer and Terminer and that he intended to establish a new court, one that would follow stricter legal standards. The tone of his letter was careful and diplomatic, but it was clear that Phips was attempting to contain a crisis.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1m

In his letter to the Earl of Nottingham, the British Secretary of State, Phips described how the situation in Massachusetts had changed since his return. He acknowledged that the trials had produced widespread confusion and that the accusations were spreading far beyond Salem Village.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1m

By October, however, the governor could no longer ignore the growing unease spreading through the colony. Prominent ministers, including Increase and Cotton Mather, had begun expressing doubts about the reliability of spectral evidence, which relied on visions and dreams rather than tangible proof.

Portrait of Increase Mather, Puritan clergyman, 1680

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1m

To manage the growing number of cases, he had established the Court of Oyer and Terminer, a special tribunal with the authority to hear witchcraft accusations. What followed was a series of trials that led to the execution of twenty people and the imprisonment of many others.

William Stoughton (1631 – July 7, 1701) was a New England magistrate and colonial administrator in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. He was in charge of what have come to be known as the Salem Witch Trials, first as the chief justice of the Special Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692, and then as the chief justice of the Superior Court of Judicature in 1693. In these trials he controversially accepted spectral evidence (based on supposed demonic visions). Unlike some of the other magistrates, he never admitted to the possibility that his acceptance of such evidence was in error.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1m

Phips had been away for much of the early chaos, focused on military affairs and the defense of the colony. When he returned to Boston in May, he found a region consumed by fear and suspicion.

Examination of a Witch (1853) by T. H. Matteson, inspired by the Salem trials

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1m

By the fall of 1692, the frenzy that had gripped Salem was beginning to unravel. What had started as strange fits and accusations in a small Puritan village had grown into one of the darkest chapters in early American history.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1m

On October 12, 1692, Massachusetts Governor William Phips sat down to write a letter that revealed how deeply concerned he had become about what the Salem witch trials had become: 🧵

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1d

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#AmericanHistory #WomensHistory #DAR #WashingtonDC #RevolutionaryWar #HistoricalPreservation #USHistory #AmericanPatriot

The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1d

The Daughters of the American Revolution remains active, with members continuing to research genealogy, protect historic sites, and serve their communities. It has endured for over a century, carrying forward a legacy of remembrance and national pride.

Women with the Daughters of the American Revolution during the dedication ceremony of the Wren-Darne Cemetery on July 14, 2018, in Falls Church, Virginia. (Jason Andrew for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1d

By the 20th century, the DAR had already left a significant mark on American cultural life. They helped restore historic buildings, funded scholarships, and supported schools for underserved children. Their headquarters in Washington, D.C., Memorial Continental Hall, became a major landmark.

Memorial Continental Hall at 17th & D Streets, NW in Washington, D.C. The building was constructed in 1921 and is a National Historic Landmark

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1d

Members worked to collect and safeguard historic documents, preserve old landmarks, and encourage the study of early American history in schools. As the organization expanded, chapters formed across the nation, each dedicated to similar goals in their own communities.

On October 15, 1963, Richard Avedon photographed a group of executive officers of the Daughters of the American Revolution during their convention at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. His picture shows the women preparing to sit for an official portrait. The art curator and writer Hilton Als described the portrayal of the women as "self-important" with "a smug self-regard," while pointing out that the one of most prominent focal points in the photograph is the "wide backside" of a woman who stands facing her colleagues with her back turned to the viewer. The work was printed on gelatin silver.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1d

From the beginning, the Daughters of the American Revolution, or DAR, established three central aims: to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism.

Members of Windsor’s Abigail Wolcott Ellsworth DAR chapter pose on the front porch of the Oliver Ellsworth Homestead on the occasion of opening it as their new chapter headquarters, October 8, 1903. WHS collections 2008.2.2, photo by Katherine Barker Drake (standing far right).

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1d

All four women traced their ancestry to patriots of the American Revolution, and they wanted to ensure that the contributions of both men and women during that era would not fade from public memory.

The Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution sculpture honoring DAR's four founders

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1d

The idea for the group took shape after the Sons of the American Revolution chose not to admit women. Mary Desha, Mary Smith Lockwood, Ellen Hardin Walworth, and Eugenia Washington decided to form their own organization.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 1d

On October 11, 1890, a group of women in Washington, D.C. gathered with a shared goal: to preserve and honor the memory of those who fought for American independence. That meeting marked the founding of the Daughters of the American Revolution: 🧵

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

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#Columbus #SantaMaria #Mutiny #AgeOfExploration #MaritimeHistory #History #ChristopherColumbus

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

The mutiny never came to pass, but it had nearly undone one of history’s most consequential voyages. The near-rebellion on the Santa Maria showed how thin the line can be between discovery and disaster, and how easily history might have turned out differently.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Just days later, in the early hours of October 12, a lookout on the Pinta spotted land. The island, which Columbus believed to be part of Asia, was in fact part of the Bahamas.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

To calm them, he made a deal. If they did not sight land within three more days, he promised to turn back to Spain. It was a calculated gamble, one that he knew might cost him his life if he was wrong.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

According to later accounts, the crew of the Santa Maria confronted Columbus, demanding he turn around. They argued that to keep sailing west was suicide. Columbus, however, refused. He believed land was near and knew that retreating would end his ambitions forever.

Mutiny aboard Columbus' ship the Santa Maria by Andrew Melrose

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

They had families and reputations to think about, and they feared what might happen if they continued into what they called the “Sea of Darkness.” By the beginning of October, their patience had run out. Some began to talk of mutiny.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

The mood grew darker each day. Supplies were limited, the air was heavy with doubt, and the sailors whispered about turning back. Most of them were experienced seamen from Andalusia and Galicia, not explorers or dreamers.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

The men aboard the Santa Maria, as well as those on the Niña and the Pinta, had expected to reach Asia by now. Instead, all they could see in every direction was water. No land. No sign of other ships. No proof that their commander even knew where he was going.

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