329 years after the Salem Witch Trials, a Grade 8 class fights to clear a woman's name
Bill to exonerate Elizabeth Johnson Jr. clears Massachusetts Senate, thanks to junior high civics students
A woman who was convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death more than 300 years ago is one step closer to exoneration, thanks in large part to a Grade 8 civics class.
The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill on Thursday to clear the name of Elizabeth Johnson Jr., a 22-year-old woman who was convicted of witchcraft in 1693, at the height of the infamous Salem Witch Trials.
Jonson is believed to be the last accused witch in the state who has yet to be exonerated. Her case was brought to light — and the legislature — thanks to eighth-grade civics students at North Andover Middle School.
"They have spent all year working, learning, trying to see what they can do to help her," their teacher, Carrie LaPierre, told As It Happens guest host Tom Harrington. "We're pretty excited."
Who was Elizabeth Johnson Jr.?
Johnson was just one of about 200 people accused of witchcraft during 1692 and 1693, a period known as the Salem Witch Trials.
The witch hunt was led by fanatical Puritans and stoked paranoia and superstition. Twenty people from Salem, Mass., and its neighbouring towns were executed in the frenzy. Nineteen people were hanged, and one man was crushed to death by rocks.
But Johnson got lucky. She was scheduled to be hanged, but before the sentence could be carried out, the state's governor halted the execution and disbanded the court that he'd founded to hear witchcraft trials.
In the three centuries since the Salem Witch Trials, dozens of so-called "witches" have been officially exonerated in Massachusetts, including Johnson's own mother. But Johnson somehow slipped through the cracks. Her name wasn't included in various legislative attempts to set the record straight.
"The assumption is she had no direct descendants to push for her exoneration" LaPierre said. "She actually tried to get herself exonerated, but the General Assembly didn't take up her case. So we are the last hope for her, I guess, at this point, taking up her case and advocating for her."
LaPierre says her class first learned about Johnson from a book by Richard Hite, and they were very interested in the plight of this woman from their hometown of Andover.
"I think the biggest thing for them is the idea of justice, that she wasn't treated fairly. She was kind of on the margins of her society, being unmarried [with] no children, possibly having some mental challenges," LaPierre said.
"She would have been a target of being accused of witchcraft because she was different. So I think that especially for eighth graders, resonates when they are at an age where they're trying to be individuals, but they're also trying to be part of the group."
Artem Likhanov, a student who participated in the school project, told The Associated Press last year that Johnson's case shows that superstition and paranoia about witchcraft continued long after the Salem Witch Trials ended.
"It's not like after it ended people didn't believe in witches anymore. They still thought she was a witch and they wouldn't exonerate her," Likhanov said.
Case still resonates today
LaPierre says her Grade 8 class from last year began researching Johnson and advocating for her exoneration. This year's class has picked up where they left off — writing post cards and e-mails to state lawmakers.
They caught a break when state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, a Democrat from Methuen, championed their cause. She introduced legislation to exonerate Johnson, and tacked it onto the budget bill, which cleared the Senate on Thursday.
"Elizabeth's story and struggle continue to greatly resonate today. While we've come a long way since the horrors of the Witch Trials, women today still all too often find their rights challenged and concerns dismissed," DiZoglio said in an emailed statement.
"We will never be able to change what happened to victims like Elizabeth but at the very least, can set the record straight. If we do not right the wrongs of the past, history is destined to repeat itself. I am so proud that these students stood up and spoke out for justice — setting an example for us all."
The Senate passage was a huge victory, LaPierre said, but the battle isn't over yet. Next, a committee will be struck to review and consolidate the Senate and House budgets into one piece of legislation, which will then go to the governor's desk for approval.
LaPierre says her students are currently busy advocating directly to the governor's office.
"I keep telling them, OK, 10 or 15 years from now you'll look back and you'll realize, 'Hey, we did something really big,'" she said. "I think they'll be excited, but I don't think they get the full grasp of what a big deal it is."
Written by Sheena Goodyear with files from The Associated Press. Interview produced by Leslie Amminson.
