The West Memphis Three vs. The Salem Witch Trials Society makes people feel pressured to make assumptions for their own benefits. There have been many examples of this throughout history. Society has been pressuring people to change and make assumptions, dating back to the stone ages all the way until the present. Why does society pressure people to make assumptions? Society makes people feel as if they are obligated to be what other people want them to be, and perform what society wants them to. Examples of this dates back to the Salem Witch Trials, where over 200 people were convicted of witchcraft and 20 people were executed. There are recent cases of this happening in our society too, such as the West Memphis three cases. The West Memphis …show more content…
Justice was not served in either one of the two cases mentioned above. People made assumptions on false evidence, and justice was mutilated in both situations. In the Salem Witch Trials, people were convicted of witchcraft because of hearsay and lies. The colonies came out and apologized to the people convicted years later, but is that really justice? In my opinion, the colonies are making a mute attempt to admit that they have done wrong. The situation in the West Memphis three was very similar, however, very different. The three were convicted on hearsay too, not strong evidence. They sat in prison for years appealing the conviction, and hoped to be released from prison. Finally, after 18 years they were released, but were strongly recommended to take the Alford Plea, in which the defendants have to admit to the crime to get out of prison. The state of Arkansas offered the men the Alford Plea, so they could not sue the state when they got out of prison. In my opinion, that is not …show more content…
Maybe society should live by that rule. If society were to follow that rule, there would be a decrease in false accusations. If Damian would have worn name brand clothes and dressed in colors other than black, there is a good chance that he wouldn’t have been accused of the murders. People have the right to express themselves and dress how they want to dress. People in the Salem Witch trials weren’t really accused because of how they looked, but some would say that they were. The West Memphis three teens stood out as “the weird ones” in the school, which ultimately lead to them being the top
Sermon of Rae My people, I am here to inform you that our neighboring city of Salem, has discovered a witch. It was late last night when the news broke out. Strange behavior was seen in the children of Salem village early this morning. They described it as an attack, being choked, and thrown to the ground. The witch has escaped their village and is now lost somewhere in Massachusetts.
The Salem Gazette has the news about the so called “Salem Witch Trials”. These trials began in January of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts when Betty Parris, Tituba, Abigail Williams, and several other girls were found dancing in the forest, around a fire, in the middle of the night. This suspicious activity led to the hospitalization of young Betty Parris, and the rise of hysteria in our small, farm town. After questioning, none of the girls confessed until they were threatened to be punished.
What Caused the Salem Witch Trials Hysteria of 1692? In Exodus 22:18, it proclaims, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!” In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, the Puritans believed every word that the Bible said, causing the death of twenty people because they were accused of witchcraft. What caused the panic and alarm that lead to the death of twenty people in Salem?
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.
In today’s society the general attitude towards an individual is conform or be an outcast. It is seen in schools where people who do not fit into specific cliques become outcasts, the weird people. It is seen in the work place as well. People have conformed to standards set by society simply because society has said to do so. Society asks people to change themselves to fit in.
The Accused Witches of 1692 The year of 1692, accused witches were being hung left and right. About 134 people were accused of being a witch or wizard, these hangings mainly occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. What caused the exaggerated behavior of 1692? The Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692 could have been caused by the puritans religion, acting or lying, and ergot poisoning. One possible cause of the Salem witch trial could have been the cause of religion because the ministers and church leaders had to let everyone know about witchcraft and that they needed to end it.
Even though there are numerous individual opportunities and benefits for not conforming to society, internal, subconscious desires compel individuals to forego their individualism and assimilate to
Salem is a city located in Essex County , Massachusetts in the United States . Most people associate the city with the Salem witch trial in 1692 , which is very much exploited on a touristic level, even though the accused actually lived nearby, in Salem Village (now Danvers ), where the events unfolded. . On the other hand, the rest of the proceedings and the trial itself took place in the city in May 1692. The city has 40,407 people in the 2000 census , a vibrant downtown area with more than 60 restaurants, cafes and coffee
This contributes to a regulatory state and controlling authoritative figures. The end result of this is a stagnated society, which is intolerant of the free expression of one’s individuality and ultimately limits the advancement of society. Blind acceptance of traditions and strict social conformity can lead to the
Can you imagine being accused of a crime that you did not commit? This is exactly what happened from June 10th to September 22nd. Twenty innocent women were put to death in a small town by the name of, Salem Boston. This was called the “ Salem Witch Trials.” The Salem Witch Trials were due to a variety of things.
Braulio Escalera Professor Leon History 100 October 14, 2017 Midterm • Section 1: 50% of total grade 1. Identify and describe the importance of five (5) of the following terms: Salem Witches Trial: being a witch indicates that you have super natural or specific devil powers and you can use them against humans by hurting them in return of their soul or loyalty. The story of the Salem Trial witches began in the year 1692 after several young girls were accused for being witches in Salem village, Massachusetts. After the accusations some witches were hanged on June 1692. But the people that were accused of witchcraft were not only women, some of them were men too.
The Salem Witch Trials Vs. “The West Memphis Three” While there were some obvious differences between the Salem Witch Trials and the “West Memphis Three trials,” there were a lot of distinct small characteristics. There wasn’t any good eyewitnesses at the crime scenes, and one main confessor that accused some innocent people after a while of interrogations. In the Salem Witch Trials, only one man thought he saw some girls dancing in the woods and drinking potions.
Imagine one day being wrongfully accused of a crime and sent to jail without a fair trial or even a proper representative in court. That seems a little unjust, does it not? Unfortunately, many people in the past were imprisoned and killed for crimes they did not commit like in the Salem Witch Trials or the Scottsboro Trials. Even though the Salem Witch Trials and Scottsboro Trials were over two-hundred years apart, there are many similarities between them.
In 1692 to 1693 the Salem Witch Trials took place, there was a total of 200 accused and 20 convicted and killed. Was it a mistake though? Judge Samuel Sewell confessed they had made a mistake, this lead to the general court declaring a day of fasting a soul searching on January 14, 1697. The colonies later passed a pill stating that all of the accused, as well as their descendants names be cleared.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play about what happened during the Salem Witch Trials. It gives insight about what people had to deal with in this situation and how they handled it. The trials were basically a big test which helped figuring out whether or not people were guilty of witchcraft. This is an example of what a crucible is. In our world today we still have crucibles and even though they are different than back then, they all relate to each other because of what influence they have on people.