Comparing The Salem Witch Trials In 1691 And 1692

In colonial New England and Europe, belief in the supernatural, specifically in the devil’s procedure of giving some humans –witches –the power to impair others in return for their faith, was unfolded in the early 14th century. People who were thought to be different were accused of witchcraft and apprehended for trials. One of the first trials of Salem was in January 1962, when one of Reverend Samuels Parris’s slaves, called Tituba, would gather a bunch of teenage girls every day. Later in spring, the townspeople were shocked at the girls’ behaviors. It was believed that they danced a black magic dance in nearby woods, and some girls would fall on the floor and hysterically scream.

In the book Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem, Rosalyn Schanzer discusses an outbreak of witch accusations in the little town of Salem, Massachusetts in late 1692. People were accusing friends, enemies, and even family members of being witches and plotting evil schemes with the devil. No one was safe anymore. If a person were to be accused, they were stuck in a stinky, grubby jail where they were pelted with never-ending questions.

In 1692 The Salem Witch Trials started, it was a time when the Puritans, people who were strict to the bible, believed that there were witches living among them trying to taint their society. This ended quickly because the court concluded that the Witch Trials were a mistake after 200 people had been accused of witchcraft while 20 were executed. A long period of time after this, shortly after the end of WW2, in 1947, The Second Red Scare occured in America during the Cold War. This was a fear the Americans had for communists from Russia. The Americans feared communism because it did not allow private owned businesses or practicing religious acts.

In the late 1600’s, in Massachusetts, The Salem Witch Trials began. According to a young group of girls who claimed to be possessed by the devil accused women in the village of witchcraft. “There was series of hearings and prosecutions of innocent people” (Salem Witch Trials). “The hysteria concluded around 150 people thrown in witch jail” (Salem Witch Trials).

The court system during this time was full of confusion and paranoia. These cases influenced the improvement of the justice system, since a lot was learned from what happened over the course of the trials. Between 1692 and 1693, the events took place in the town of Salem and nearby towns in Massachusetts. The whole

Theocracy in Government Corruption being so incessant in our current society, is also a common element within The Crucible. We deal with corrupt politicians and hidden agendas frequently. It is not uncommon for changes to be made in the government, and the public not be aware of it until much later. The Crucible demonstrated these dishonorable and suspicious acts in their own former government. Salem was being overrun with the absolute power of a theocracy, God was speaking to a selected priest and if they were telling anything other than the pure truth, corruption of power was present.

The Massachusetts Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were unfortunate, unforgettable tragedies that resulted in the slaughtering of innocents, tests and punishments against accused witches, and ultimately regret that tore a community apart. Puritans were wary of witchcraft so by the end of May 1692 prisons were full of people who were believed to have sold their soul to the devil (Wilson 103). However, the accused citizens had much to say about that outrageous claim. Sarah Good, a woman executed in July of 1692 due to the Salem Witch Trials yelled this as she was being convicted; “You are a liar. I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life God will give you my blood to drink” (Brandt 34).

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692-1693 was the most infamous witchcraft episode in United State's history. Set in a Puritan New England settlement, Salem Village, the original ten females became afflicted between January 1682 and the madness would not end until May 1693. Salem Village, Massachusetts became engulfed in hysteria. During this time, one hundred and fifty-six people accused of witchcraft, fifty-four people confessed, fourteen women and five men were hanged, a man was pressed to death, three women and a man died in jail. In addition, an infant, who was born in the jail died as welled.

The witch trials was fueled by suspicions and resentment of neighbors and the fear of outsiders. An important figure was Samuel Parris, he was the minister of Salem Village. His daughter, nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris, and niece, eleven-year-old Abigail Williams began experiencing violent fits that included contortions and screaming uncontrollably. A “local doctor, William Griggs, diagnosed bewitchment” (www.history.com). “The young girls accused three women - Tituba, a slave; Sarah Good, a beggar; and Sarah Osborne, an elderly woman,” (www.smithsonianmag.com).

The Salem Witch Trials were a series of events that occurred within the 1690's. The numerous allegations lead to hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, most of them women. Additionally, the accusations lead to community wide hysteria and blood thirst for the death of nearly all the accused witches.

In Salem, Massachusetts, Puritans were strong believers in the Bible. The Bible states, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” The Puritans beliefs led to them accusing 20 innocent people of being a witch, this resulted in their deaths in 1692. Even though the Puritans couldn’t see it at the time, their accusations were really based off jealousy, lies, and Salem being divided into two parts. One cause of the Salem witch trial hysteria was jealousy.

How two little girls (Abigail and Betty) where the first to suffer from fits of hysterical outbreaks and how many accusers came forward and described how they or their animals had been bewitched. It mentions the court cases and how there were more woman than men accused of practicing witch craft. It also states how historians believe the girls were faking their fits from the start. Also mentions how religious Salem was at the time which influenced the trials. •

Over 300 years ago, more than 100 citizens of the colony of Massachusetts were accused of the crime of witchcraft, and many executed. Although this era in history, known as the Salem Witch Trials, lasted only mere months, its impact on the American criminal justice system has lasted until present day. Although both the trials in Salem and modern America are based on a similar justice system, there are vast differences, specifically in the rights of the defense, most notable in the separation of Church and State, the standards of evidence, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The modern American criminal justice system, in comparison to that of the time of the Salem Witch Trials, has changed drastically. No longer is the rule of law based on

In Salem, Massachusetts summer of 1692, a group of teenage girls were said to have been “under evil hands”. When the girls were asked, who had done this to them, they accused local middle aged men and women. According to Castillo, “the first three women they accused were Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, the slave” (1692, Castillo). Tituba claimed to not be a witch however, her mother was. These three women were the first witches to go on trial, all three were found guilty.

The Salem Witch Trials The belief of witchcraft can be traced back centuries to as early as the 1300’s. The Salem Witch Trials occurred during 1690’s in which many members of Puritan communities were accused and convicted of witchcraft. These “witch trials” were most famously noted in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Many believe this town to be the starting point for the mass hysteria which spread to many other areas of New England.