INTRODUCTION:
During the late 17th century, there were many accusations of witchcraft within the thirteen colonies. Many men and women of all ages and authority were accused of witchcraft. When the British were colonizing North America, the traditions of witchcraft were supposedly taken to the new land with the colonists. The Salem Witch Trials taught people that they shouldn’t believe everything they are told and that people shouldn’t assume something without having specific research that can prove it. It also taught us other morals like that people shouldn’t spread rumors that they aren’t sure are true or not. People should take the knowledge of what happened to the colonies during the Salem Witch Trials and realize how the system of justice has changed or how it should change and why the rights of all people should be protected, no matter race, gender, age, or wealth. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were one of the most influential events that lead to women fighting for their rights and the beliefs of Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism, while showing the United States how the court systems were effected and how they
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Tituba was an older woman, who was sold from the Barbados to be a slave in the colonies. Tituba worked for Samuel Parris, the minister of Salem’s main church, and was one of the first people to be accused of performing witchcraft, along with Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, within the colony of Salem. Many of the girls would turn on each other, in order to stay alive. These witches used and needed witchcraft in everyday life. It was said that Tituba had a circle of witches, almost like a witch army that she commanded that would attack other people with. After a while, people believed that Tituba’s circle met inside of the Parris household. (See Figure 1 in the Appendix) Tituba disappeared after the trials, and was never seen
Tituba is most blamed for the Salem Witch Trials. Tituba was a slave from Barbados, where she was raised to gain the knowledge to invoke spirits as something she had no option to, now Tituba has to deal with the consequences through Gullibility, crudity, and Ignorance which all led her to be accused and responsible for the witch-hunt. Tituba was a slave that came from Barbados, and now is a slave in Salem, Massachusetts. Many specifics about her life are really unknown. Tituba later worked for Reverend Parris.
Due to religion, lying, and health problems, it caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692 to occur. Religion was important to the Puritans in their daily life. They would take every word from God and turn them into action. Without religion in their life, then the Puritans would not have come to New England. Religion was an extensive impact on the repercussion of the Salem Witch Trial.
Witchcraft was considered a capital offense. The first to be accused of witchcraft was Tituba and Sarah Good. Tituba was the servant of Reverend Parris. The Salem accusations began in Reverend Parris’ kitchen.
Because of her Arawak customs and beliefs, Tituba was a target for a lot of criticism. Most of the people in Salem were relatively the same, considering they all followed the same religion and did the same type of jobs. Tituba prayed, ate, and worked alongside the Parris’s for most of her life, but her clothing, personal religious beliefs, and customs were strange to other people. So, when strange things started to happen, it only made sense for the people of the community to blame the outlandish
Nearly anyone from the New England has heard of the famous Salem Witch Trials. A year of persecution, leading to the accusation of nearly 200 citizens of all ages. No one was safe; men, women, children, even pets stood trial and 20 were hung for the supposed crime of witchcraft (Blumberg). 1692 was a year of witch hunting. Most today blame the trials on hysteria, or perhaps a bad case of paranoia.
To begin, Tituba is being whipped by Mr. Parris for dancing and drinking blood until she finally confesses that she was with the devil. Rev. Hale states, “You have confessed yourself to witchcraft and that speaks a wish to come to heavenś side. And we will bless you tituba¨(Miller 161). Here, tituba comes out and admits that the devil has come from below and has taken her. Tituba’s ignorance gets carried away a little carried away when she says the number of people that was with the devil that night.
Doctor William Griggs declared all those afflicted bewitched and the village agreed with this statement. Indian slave couple Tituba and John were accused in the making of the witch-cake which all those afflicted had had. Tituba was reverend Parris slave, caretaker of Abigail and Betty. February 25 and 28 Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good also accused as the tormentors. The first three women to be accused witches were not originally born in Salem and Tituba was also linked towards the Indian war.
The Salem witch trials are an outstanding example of a dysfunction in a “perfect” society. Tituba as part of that society helps us understand the simpleness of a complex shaped idea. Notwithstanding that Tituba is considered irrelevant during the Salem trials, nevertheless Tituba exposes European perceptions of Native Americans as a basis for cultural superiority and oppression, since Tituba is an indisputable symbol of injustice, of an ignominious drama, slavery, racism, as well as the defamation of a culture. The decisions that Tituba made throughout her trial, contributed in a substantial magnitude to the American history that’s known nowadays.
Tituba 's actual confession of witchcraft is historically significant, for it confirmed witchcraft activity in the community. Although not the only slave caught up in the 1692 episode, Tituba has a unique role in the literature about Salem, for her story has taken on nothing short of mythical
So speak utterly, Tituba, turn your back on him and face God- face God, Tituba, and God will protect you” (Miller 44, Act 1). Tituba, the lowest of the low, has her status temporarily elevated because of the witch trials. Normally, she is the one told what to do and told to obey; now, however, she has the power of life and death over others. With the “good” power and the “bad” power being displayed in the town of Salem, times got very puzzling for the court and
Tituba was slave of Reverend Samuel Parris, Reverend Parris called a doctor to examine his daughter and his niece and the doctor told him that the girls were “victims of witchcraft”. Tituba was later accused of being a witch, she was one of the first three women to be accused. Tituba was from an island in the caribbean called Barbados, Reverend Parris purchased Tituba on the Island. Many people thought that Tituba was a Native American because of her skin color. Her skin color can also be the reason why she was accused of being a witch, some may say that Tituba was used a scapegoat.
To begin, it is a popular belief that Tituba, a slave in the story, was justified in her confession to witchcraft in order to save her own life. After the girls of Salem peg Tituba as the culprit for corrupting their souls and torturing them, she is interrogated and accused by characters such as the esteemed Reverend Hale and town’s Reverend, Mr. Parris. Finally, Parris exclaims, “ You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!” (1.941-942). Tituba instantly confesses, and saves herself from a terrible death.
A slave brought to the Americas from Barbados, Tituba is a naive, and significant character overlooked in Puritan Society. She caused the uproar of witchcraft making Tituba responsible for the mass hysteria that occurred in Salem. Brought to Salem from Barbados, Tituba began working as Reverend Parris slave. Following her culturally rooted background, Tituba brought along a group of girls into the woods to start casting spells, and perform “black magic.” Eventually in the story the girls are found dancing in the woods by Reverend Parris and the blame is amongst Tituba.
Tituba was a slave who served a very wealthy family, Sarah Good was a homeless beggar and Sarah Osborne was an elderly women who was sick and married her servant. Tituba was one of the first accused of being a witch. She was beaten in order to admit to being a witch. In order to make her beatings stop, Tituba accused three other women of being witches, and in return was not hung, but jailed. Sarah Good, the first of being accused, was a beggar and immensely old.
It is easy for a typical villager in Salem to place blame upon a slave, someone who is considered lower in society and in life. Tituba’s main motivation is to save her own life after being accused of witchcraft. Frightened and vulnerable, Tituba surrenders herself when Parris threatens her, saying “You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!” (Miller 1119). Tituba answers “No, no, don’t hang Tituba!