Examples Of Injustice Against The Salem Witch

Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Good, and three others would eventually be hanged for witchcraft on July 19th. In August the third trials were held where of the accused was Reverend George Burroughs. For many observers it was hard to believe that a Puritan minister could be a follower of Satan. However others believed Burroughs was

Tori Humphrey Salem Essay September 30th, 2017 Dr. Wood The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Of those 200 people, 20 were executed 14 women and 6 men. The 6th man was essentially pressed to death with heavy rocks because he refused to be tried. The other were hung.

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 the 1600's an event in American history called the Salem Witch Trials occurred. The Salem Witch Trials are now viewed as a dark period during our history. Many innocent people were accused of doing the Devil’s work through witchcraft. Salem was populated with lots of people who followed the Puritan religion. The Puritan religion had strong Christian beliefs and they took anything having to do with the Devil very seriously.

She would also cast spells in the forest which caused people to believe that she was practicing witchcraft. She was the first person to ever be accused and convicted of dealing with the supernatural and because of that, the whole town was not on her side. She told everyone that “the devil came to [her] and bid [her] serve him” (crucible, Miller) which basically meant that she was controlled by the devil and she had no say in any of it. People of Salem went as far as to say that they saw her dancing with the devil and they could tell that she was doing it on purpose. She was also told that her spell casting in the forest was witchcraft and that was added to the list of reasons for her to be shunned.

1692 was a bad time for women in Salem. Most lower class women were accused of witchcraft and killed. A lot of bad things were done to these innocent women, a lot of the time they were tortured to get a confession or to prove she was a witch. Some of these torture methods were inhumane and didn’t really prove anything. They were burned, stretched,crushed, swam; many methods were used and a lot of the time the odds weren’t in the accused’s favor.

The Salem Witch Trials began around February 1692 and lasted until May 1693. During this time, it was really bad for the townspeople of Salem. There was an assumption that people were working with witchcraft, and being unsure who those people were, they were very insecure. They would blame anyone who was accused of this, and then they would execute anyone who seemed a little suspicious to the citizens of Salem. About twenty people were tried and executed.

She was the first person to have her trial held by the special court. The court found her guilty and she became the first person to be hanged for this crime. From this point on the hangings became more of a regular thing. Once a person was accused of witchcraft, they were sent to trial.

In the seventeenth century, the belief in witchcraft was spread among Europe and the colonies. According to the textbook, America a Narrative History, “Prior to the dramatic episode in Salem, almost 300 New Englanders had been accused of practicing witchcraft, and more than 30 had been hanged.” This outbreak of witches ruined Massachusetts Puritan utopia. This paper will discuss the settlers of Massachusetts prior to this calamity, what happened during, and the outcome.

The Causes of the Salem Witch Trials Much of modern America’s fear and infamous interest in witches has been derived most likely from the profound Salem Witch Trials. “The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft,” stated History.com authors. However, many historians still deliberate how such events occurred in the first place. Based on several presented documents, some conclusions suggest that there was a prominent cause to the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials. All in all, the cause of the Salem Witch Trials was the attempt of Salem citizens to either defend or create family

These women were easily accused because of their social status in the town. If, for some reason, they were to be accused then no one would defend them; it would be seen as a given that they would be witches. During the trial, Tituba, the slave that was accused, admitted of being a witch and that there are more witches that are still in town that have not been discovered. After admitting to witchcraft and confessing that there are more witches, the town was scared and the girls were able to accuse over 100 men and women of witchcraft. The Salem Witch trials are one of the most unforgettable events of American history.

Giles Corey, an innocent man, was crushed by large rocks and killed for refusing a trial and confession. Rebecca Nurse, a highly respected church member, was hung for not supplying a guilty plea. These two people are examples of the many guiltless folks who were hung during the salem witchcraft trials of 1692. This era of time is engraved in american history for its unreasonable assumptions, massive amounts of fear and insane trials based on invisible evidence. The salem witchcraft trials began swiftly and just kept running until people were accusing neighbors and even family members left and right.

However, records from the Salem trials show that her original convicted crime was not witchcraft, but having an “independence of mind”, and being an “unsubmissive character”. She was “…indicted for the bewitching of certain persons” and blamed for a smallpox outbreak that she had ‘caused’ by

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.

Many practicing Christians, at the time, believed that the Devil could persuade people to use the powers that he gave them to harm others. The Salem Witch Trials occurred because of resource struggles, many women were accused and tortured, and in the end the Governor realized that it was a big mistake. (“Salem Witch Trials”, 1). In 1689, English rulers William and Mary started a war with France in the American colonies which sent many refugees into the Essex County and Salem Village.