Returning to George Burroughs “Ringleader of the Witches”
In June of 1692, the first Salem witch trials began. A group of girls, ranging from eleven years old to nineteen years old, accused Tituba of practicing witchcraft. Tituba was an old Indian slave, which made her an obvious choice for a witch accusation. She later plead guilty to the charges of being a witch. She was housed in the Salem jailhouse to repent for her sins. Many others were accused of witchcraft and either hanged, died in prison, or later released after their amnesty. Nineteen accused witches were hanged in 1962. Three accused witches died in prison. One man accused of witchcraft was pressed to death when he would neither plead guilty or innocence.
Among the witches convicted, George Burroughs was hanged. He ministered at the Village of Salem for two years. He left abruptly after a dispute about his salary and left to returned to Casco, Maine. There at Casco, he was driven
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The accusations against him were more absurd than any other convictions. He was not simply a witch, but the ringleader of the Salem witches. One of George’s accusers testified that his specter told him “he was above a witch, he was a conjurer.” During his trial, the afflicted girls acted so wildly that they were removed from court for fear of their safety. The most damaging testimony against George Burroughs was by the witches who confessed. They stated that he was Satan’s personal representative at Salem Sabbaths. They also claimed that the meetings were personally organized and presided over by Burroughs. Another testimony against George was the supposed mistreatment of his wives. Both of his wives died. Ann Putnam (one of the afflicted girls) stated that she meet the two deceased wives of Burroughs who said they died by his abuse. There was also beliefs that Burroughs had superhuman strength and speed. That he was faster than a horse and could carry a barrel of molasses great
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
Along with Tituba many others were accused of practicing witchcraft. The witchcraft trials were the reasoning behind many deaths; nineteen hangings, one crushed to death, and seven
The Witch Trials are a way to punish those whom do not abide by the religious orthodoxy in Salem, and ultimately “eliminate” the Devil’s influence in the community. Throughout the play, it is easy to realize the Trials are exploited,
The witch hunt of Salem 1692 was perpetuated by Tituba. She is the sole reason the trial was spiraled into such an epidemic hysteria. Based on extremely, creatively, woven tales Tituba expressed to the court, in extreme detail the evidence needed to create the trials. To save her own life, and resist against her oppressive master, Tituba spun the town of Salem upside down with a single confession.
He also discusses why he thinks such an absurd conspiracy spread like wildfire throughout the community of Salem Village. Unlike the witch hunt that occcurred in Europe, Salem has several documents that were't lost or destroyed to help piece together a remarkable story. Many of those documents are the arrest warrants of the victims. These warrants consisted of the list of people accused as witches, the name of the person who was making the complaint, and the name of the child who was afflicted. Through these warrants, Robinson argues “the question of whether the witch hunt was driven by mass hysteria or by conspiracy can be answered by simply tabulating all the legal documents filed with the official documents.”
Salem Witch Trials Twenty-five people were killed in the Salem Witch Trials including the nineteen who were hanged, one which was stoned and then those who died in prison awaiting trial. Even though these people weren’t witches, the villagers killed them on the accusations of some teens and a few adults. People just needed a scapegoat to explain away the negative impacts that were occurring in Salem Village in 1692. The victims of Salems prejudice were people as well.
Thomas Putnam is a greedy man who is bitter and use to getting his own way, which motivates him to falsely accuse his neighbors of witchcraft. He is a rich man who can afford to buy any land forfeited by a witch. To him the, Salem witchcraft trials, is an opportunity to get rid of his neighbors and take land away from them. He does this to a man named George
After learning Rebecca Nurse has been put in jail, Reverend Hale pleads to Francis, “I have seen too many frightful proofs in court- the Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points” (75)! Salem has become a dangerous place full of corruption and dishonesty. Many people used the power of false accusations for personal gain and for their own self protection. After much time passes, no one in Salem, not even the honorable judge, has begun to realize there is no Devil wandering in town. This shows the lasting effect that hysteria can create.
This quote effectively demonstrates how an individual, or multiple individuals for that matter, could end up being falsely accused of witchery merely because one girl felt obliged to accuse someone; Her accusations led to the eventual convictions of both of the people Betty accused. This example shows how a simple false accusation was able to turn the entire village of salem against these two people. Furthermore, personal rivalries also caused mass destruction and
I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (Miller, 1953, p.48). This quote proves how people were lying during the Salem Witch Trials to prevent themselves from being charged with witchcraft. It shows hysteria because people are going wild and arguments are being caused because they do not want to be charged with witchcraft. “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law…” (Miller, 1953, p.77).
Another man, George Burroughs, left Salem to settle in Maine immediately before the Indian attacks. His convenient departure attributed to his suspected involvement with the enemy. Burroughs preceded Samuel Parris as minister in Salem Village, and later became the “alleged leader of the witch conspiracy.” These men did not fit the stereotypical witch, making it evident that the politics of the Indian War played an immense role in the witch
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.
He immediately assumes that they were practicing witchcraft and begins to spread rumors throughout Salem about witches being among them. This causes mass hysteria among the townspeople as they become paranoid about witches living among them. This fear leads to false accusations being made against innocent people as they are accused of witchcraft without any evidence or proof.
The mass mentality of the people made the problem soon become out of hand. More and more women and some men were accused; the numbers soon grew to over fifty supposed witches. Many of the accusations were made by the three original girls who were afflicted. However, some historians believe that the parents of the girls were telling them who to accuse as revenge (@rbeatricebrooks). By the end of May 1692, local prisons were full and over one hundred people were on the charge of witchcraft.
He was a stern Puritan who denounced the worldly ways and economic prosperity of Salem Town as the influence of the Devil. His rhetoric further separated the two factions within Salem Village. It is likely that the jealousies and hostilities between these two factions played a major role in the witch trials. The "accusers," many of which were the "afflicted girls" to whom the book refers to throughout the work, did not even know the persons they were accusing. In fact, the afflicted girls could not even pick out the accused without whispers from other people telling them who was who.