The Puritans In Salem

Salem is a Puritan community, and its occupants live in an extremely strict society. Although the Puritans left England to avoid religious commitment, they established a society in a America founded upon religious discrimination(Critical Essays Historical Period: Puritans in Salem, 2016). Government and religious authority are virtually inseparable, and the individuals who question the local authority are accused of questioning divine authority. The Puritan community considers physical labor and strict discipline to be a religious doctrine which is the best indicators of faithfulness, honesty, and integrity.

Historical Puritans The puritans created the Puritans religion were created to cleanse the corrupt and sinful practices in England and enforce public morality. The puritans believed that churches specifically Roman Catholic were full of hierarchies and so the Puritans escaped England and to gain religious freedom “They [puritans] contended that The Church of England had become a product of political struggles and man-made doctrines. The Puritans were one branch of dissenters who decided that the Church of England was beyond reform”(Kiser). The Puritans headed for america and created a “pure” religion and lifestyle. They strictly followed the bible and were calvinist.

Puritans are known for being extremely religious they practice strictness, simplicity and severity in how they live and conduct themselves; they are strong supporters of modesty, propriety, and decorum but strongly oppose any forms of pleasure (6). The community of Salem considered anyone who practiced witchcraft a felon, it was a crime in the 17th century and they saw it as going against the government (1). Puritans believed the devil could provide you with supernatural powers to harm others in return for loyalty (4). After several incidents that occurred in the town people believed that the devil was roaming the streets of Salem, numerous outbreaks of small pox and fights with the Native Americans led the townspeople to believe so (9). Witches

Puritanism was a religious reform movement that wished to purify the Church of England of the remnants of the Roman Catholic faith. The Puritans were persecuted by many denominations across Europe and around 1620, King James I, a member of the Church of England, began oppressing the Puritan community as well. This led the Puritans to flee England and come to the New World where in the words of John Winthrop they were to build a “city upon a hill”. The Puritans settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colonies, more specifically just north of Boston. The most prominent members of this time were John Winthrop.

In 1620, when the New World was an exciting new place full of new freedoms and opportunities, a group known as the Puritans made the journey from England in order to purify the Anglican church as well as gain economic opportunities that were present in America. John Winthrop lead the first group of Puritans to the new world in order to create a “city upon the hill”, a beacon of light in attempt to spread the word of Christ. They settled in Boston and by 1643 there were 20,000 Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and more to come. Puritan beliefs began to spread rapidly and have influence on the developing colonies. Many Puritan ideals spread throughout the New England colonies and are also seen in present day American culture.

There were several tensions throughout colonial America. In the beginning the colonies struggled financially. Many came to the New World with the promise of land and opportunity and it was difficult to get started. Many farmers lacked the proper tools to tend their land and many died from a lack of good medicine. The work was hard and labor intensive for crops like rice and sugar and this required indentured servants and later slavery.

Throughout history, women have continuously been the targets of oppression. One historical incident that exemplifies this trend was the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria. The Salem Witchcraft Hysteria resulted from various causes; it occurred in a specific historical, social, and economical context. In regards to the history of the Salem Witch Trials, it is particularly evident that the Puritan society regarded women as subservient to men. This notion can be drawn all the way back to the story of Eve.

From 1692 to 1693, the Salem witch trials had Massachusettes in shambles because of the rising hysteria and madness. This madness was caused by many factors, including a corrupted justice system, personal grudges against one another, and one's willingness to lie for pride. The Salem government was considered a theocracy, in which the government was ruled in the name of God and the hands of the priest. Judge Danforth exemplifies unprofessionalism when he decides he cannot pardon anyone because they have already hung many others, which would be admitting his wrongdoing. “You misunderstand, sir; I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime.

Between 1692 and 1693, in Salem Village, Massachusetts, the Salem witch trials were taking place. In the event, many were accused of witchcraft and some were even executed. This event had left many curious as to what caused the people to accept witchcraft and treat it as a crime. To explain the trials, Paul Boer and Stephen Nissenbaum wrote the book Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft in which they analyzed and broke down key components of the witch trials.

The Puritans was a huge deal in the 1600s. It consisted of colonists who were seeking religious tolerance. Puritans were so strict that it was so far fetched from tolerant. One would be punished to not attend church, it was against the law. Men and women were separated through the day long services.

What you believed depended largely on where you lived. As mentioned, the Puritans controlled a large area of New England and were predominantly Protestant. The middle colonies which included New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, attracted people of all religious groups consisting of Catholics, Lutherans, Amish, Jews, Presbyterians, and Cutch Mennonites among others. The middle colonies accepted all religions and tolerance was practiced by all as you were guaranteed freedom of religion.

Throughout History, women have long struggled and fought for the same equality, justice, and rights as males in society. Historians have two opposing views of what life was like in Puritan society. One side argues that Puritan society was a golden age for women as they worked alongside their husbands, had an important role in the household. However, opposing historians argue that Puritan women were inferior to men in the society for five main reasons. Women were inferior because they were supposed to be silent company, they only received half the inheritance of their brothers, they were meant to have and take care of the children, they received harsher punishment for their wrongs, and they had to follow strict rules.

The Puritans were the founder of the northern colonies of New England although, not all New England Colonists were Puritans. The Puritan religion was an influence in the seventeenth-century. Then there were Quakers, who believed that neither preachers nor bibles were necessary to worship god. Which was the complete opposite of what puritans believed. There is one major difference between the two.

The year of 1692 identified a significant event in history in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Witch Trials revealed series of prosecutions of people being accused of witchcraft, which resulted in the executions of twenty innocent people. Out of the twenty people, fourteen of them were women were hung to death and the others died in prison. It all began with several girls that experimented with magic, which the Puritans believed they were collaborating with the Devil. Based on the Puritan beliefs, the meaning of witchcraft was the Devil’s magic.

Most Puritans settled in New England, but immigrated to the Americas to escape religious