The fight for justice is active. H. 1927 is now H.5154.
The Massachusetts witch trial exoneration bill naming the 8 individuals convicted of witchcraft in colonial Boston is now in the hands of the House Committee on Ways and Means. Every step forward honors the memory of those wrongly accused and executed. If you want to help, contact your representative today and share the petition change.org/witchtrials
  malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5154

Bill H. 5154  will clear the names of 8 individuals convicted of witchcraft in Boston:  Margaret Jones, Goody Glover, Alice Lake, Elizabeth Kendall, Anne Hibbins, Hugh Parsons, Eunice Cole and Elizabeth Morse; and  ALL Others  accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts.

On January 15, 2025, Rep. Steven Owens (Cambridge and Watertown) proposed HD 3054, An Act Exonerating Certain Individuals Accused of Witchcraft in Colonial Massachusetts. This legislation now titled Bill H. 1927 will clear the names of 8 individuals convicted of witchcraft in Boston and all others accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Witchcraft Trials occurred between 1638 and 1693. During this period, at least 250 individuals were accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts. More than 200 of these were complained of, implicated in court, questioned, arrested, and/or imprisoned. To date, the names of 31 of the convicted Salem victims have been cleared by legislation. However, 8 individuals convicted in Boston in other witch trials have not been exonerated.

More than 200 people were accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts. 31 convicted or killed in Salem have been exonerated. However, none of the 8 people convicted for witchcraft in Boston has been exonerated.

Between 1647 and 1693, more than 200 individuals were formally charged with witchcraft by Massachusetts courts. During this dark chapter in history, these individuals suffered imprisonment, interrogation, loss of reputation, loss of income, separation from their families, illness, and death. To date, only the 31 individuals convicted or pressed to death during the Salem Witchcraft Trials have been cleared. Many of the Salem victims survived only because the governor instituted a new court with new rules after several months of executions had taken place. Before that, the court had a 100% conviction rate. Meanwhile, those accused in the years before Salem have been all but forgotten. 

Witch-hunting didn’t end with Salem; it went underground. Today, these underground witch-hunts result in thousands of murders around the world each year of people accused of witchcraft. Activists working to eliminate these murders and other harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks have told us what we are doing is important to them. Passing this legislation will send a message that the United States recognizes that witch trials were held in the past and condemns them and all forms of witch-hunting today.

Victims and survivors centuries ago and now deserve to be remembered. They deserve to have their names cleared. The Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project proposes that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts restore to good standing those convicted of witchcraft and issue an apology to all who were accused and suffered the consequences of accusation. This effort follows on the heels of the exoneration of Elizabeth Johnson Jr by Massachusetts in 2022 and the exoneration of 34 individuals by Connecticut in May 2023.

We support exoneration because correcting injustice is always the right thing to do. These women, men, and children were universally innocent of charges of witchcraft and covenanting with the devil. They and their families suffered, and their pain has been passed down through generational trauma. Confronting our past is an important step in moving forward. It is important that people learn from these events so we can stop making the same mistakes our ancestors did. Even today, witch-hunting claims many lives around the world. Each week, stories come in that echo those of the 17th-century witchcraft trial victims.

Please help us correct this injustice by signing and sharing this petition. Lend your voice to speak for people like Tituba and little Dorothy Good, the 4-year-old jailed during the Salem Witch-Hunt.

Learn all about witch hunts: The Thing About Witch Hunts Podcast and The Thing About Salem Podcast

If you, your class, or your organization are interested in assisting, please visit https://Massachusettswitchtrials.org/volunteer join our Discord group at https://discord.gg/ykskdmasjH or make a tax-deductible donation at https://endwitchhunts.org/donate