Preceding the Salem witch trails, the court fell under attack. Those who made confessions began to recant them. Though they played a direct role in the executions of innocent people, they insisted that they only made accusations out of force. In Document 77, Margaret Jacobs describes the ordeal of how she was told to either confess or be hanged. In another record, “Declaration of Mary Osgood, Mary Tyler, Deliverance Dane, Abigail Barker, Sarah Wilson, and Hannah Tyler,” the girls contend, “There was no other way to save our lives, as the case was then circumstanced, but by our confessing ourselves to be such and such persons as the afflicted represented us to be; they out of tenderness and pity persuaded us to confess what we did confess” …show more content…
In Document 90, the jurymen confess. They state, “We do heartily ask for forgiveness of you all whom we have justly offended, and do declare according to our present minds, we would none of us do such things again on such grounds for the whole world” (Godbeer 176). In Document 93, restitution was granted to the families of those involved in the witch trails that suffered damages. They also understood that it was necessary to prevent these events from ever occurring again in the future. In particular, the use of spectral evidence was heavily criticized and the standards for future witchcraft prosecutions were changed. In Document 81, the writer declares that even if a spectre did appear, it can take shape of an innocent person. Furthermore, he asserts that, “We [cannot] esteem alterations made in the sufferers by a look or touch of the accused to be infallible evidence of guilt, but frequently liable to be abused the Devil’s legerdemains” (Godbeer 153). This is apparently in response to the questionable methods used in court, where simply alleging to have seen a spectre could warrant a guilty …show more content…
Understandably, this resolution would certainly have fewer ramifications than hanging an innocent person. Finally, in Document 84, Thomas Brattle dismisses the “touch test” often used in court and addresses how the confessors often contradicted themselves when giving testimonies. Brattle questions how one could possibly trust a man or woman who is a confessor. If they confessed to witchcraft, then they have given up God, and were in no position to swear to an oath. He also disapproves the use of the “Devil’s Mark,” because everyone has blemishes on their body which could be mistaken for a preternatural excrescence, and remarks how the afflicted girls accused one woman, but no actions was taken against her, presumably because she was the mother-in-law of ones of the judges. He ends his letter by commenting, “What will be the issues of these troubles, God only knows. I am afraid that ages will not wear off that reproach and those stains, which these things will leave behind them upon our land. I pray God pity us, humble us, forgive us, and appear mercifully for us in this our mount of distress” (Godbeer 164). In this document, he insists that they should all fear God’s wrath and shows concern for the how future generations’ condemnation against
Additionally, both courts made use of the following method described in the Malleus maleficarum: “while he is being tortured, he must be questioned on the articles of accusation, and this frequently and persistently, beginning with the lighter charges-for he will more readily confess the lighter than the heavier. And, while this is being done, the notary must write down everything in his record of the trial - how the prisoner is tortured, on what points he is questioned and how he answers.” There was no presumption of innocence in the Salem trials; one was assumed to be guilty and in need of confession, rather than the plaintiffs being forced to prove the supposed acts of witchcraft performed against them. In conclusion, it is surprising that more defendants were not convicted of witchcraft, given the significant lack of due process rights for the accused and the (obviously) Puritan nature of those overseeing the Salem courts, in which hearsay and heresy went hand in
A month later in August another case came up. Elizabeth and John Proctor.. When the trials started John always said that the three affiliated girls were lying. But no one ever believed him. One day is servant Mary Warren began acting strange with very awkward behavior.
They have been charged with witchcraft. They shall be hung for not confessing to their wrongdoings. In the book the Crucible it's about tragedy it Arthur Miller wrote about how it was scary back in the 1690’s. People were charged with witchcraft for doing nothing really. Anyone could just accuse you of it and you could just be called guilty right there.
Whenever someone accused of a crime goes to court they need evidence to prove if they're innocent or guilty. This occurs in The Crucible and with Good Night and Good Luck. Whenever someone is accused, there were different ways determining if they were guilty. In The Crucible, spectral evidence was used to convict witches. The only source of evidence they had was the claims of the girls.
Accused, trial, guilty, executed, devil, jury - the news spreading around Salem, Massachusetts was deathly. Starting with women, and then expanding to men, there were accusations of witchcraft encompassing the whole town. The arraigned did not stand a chance against the court. The accused witches went through one of the most arduous times of all people in Salem; however, after a well-abounding amount of trials, the cases were closed and the issue was solved. “It was the darkest and most desponding period in the civil history of New England.”
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a tragic and dark period in American history, marked by fear, misinformation, and the persecution of those deemed different or non-conforming to societal norms. One individual caught up in these trials was Martha Carrier, a woman from the town of Andover who was accused of practicing witchcraft and causing harm to others. My analysis of the case against Martha Carrier will examine the reasons for her prosecution, the evidence used to claim her guilt, and her defense against the charges. I will argue that Martha Carrier's story represents the larger pattern of women who were brought to trial during this period, highlighting the dangers of fear-mongering and the unjust consequences of misinformation. Through
In the Town of Salem, in Massachusetts, many people were being accused to be witches. Many accused, were lynched by the judge. Death's, day, by day. Girls, walking down the paths screaming that they are being tormented by witches, and cursing for no reason. Many innocent and guilty people were hung in the process.
In total, the process of his execution took two full days (Findling 162-163). Executions consumed the summer of 1692 for Salem Village. Finally realizing how awful the court system and executions were, the Salem Witch Trials came to an end. Although the chaos caused by the trials had started to resolve, some of the same original fits occurred in the years following (“Salem Witch Trials” n. pag.). Salem Village was ready to move on, so the victims were ignored.
In Document B, Demos presents that most of the accusers of witches were single females in their younger years of age. In the late 1600s, women were extremely dependent upon men for their financial stability, overall safety, and mental/emotional well being. In an interpretation of this document, it can be assumed that these younger female women were seeking family ties and protection in a harsher time period. On the same hand, Document C, a most likely extremely biased account, recounts the “bewitched actions” of Bridget Bishop, a witch, upon the afflicted. Samuel Parris, the examiner of Bishop, seems to shed a negative light on Bishop.
Propriety of the court may be brought under further investigation, fueled by John’s confession and the rumors of rebellion in Andover. Though it can not concretely be said that John’s confession would bring forth this course of action, his position in the town, and the town’s growing discontent with the court, is indicative of its strong possibility. If these events were to pass, the likelihood of the accused being let off due to the dissolution of the court, brought upon by the townspeople of Salem, would be significant. The reputations of the accused, living and dead, confessed and mute, would be restored. Nonetheless, these events never come to pass.
The evidence John Proctor showed to the court ended up only getting more people accused, which is what leads many not to confess to witchcraft even if it would save their life as it would put others at risk. “Then you tell me that you sat in my court, callously lying, when you knew that people would hang by your evidence?”(Miller 1200), this is one of the judges arguing with John Proctor about his evidence of Mary Warren's new confession. It shows how they believed that there had been wrong doing up until that point and that they had no idea they were being used. Their reaction to this information is all to save their reputation, and not to actually bring justice to Salem. This shows how they are corrupt and how despite John's best intentions, he was always going to fail at his overall goal, and in doing so putting more at risk of hanging in the process because of the judges not wanting the town to find out they were wrong as that would cause them to be removed from
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.
REVIEW OF LITRATURE A.) SUMMARY SOURCE A Although the whole book had information on the Salem witch trials. The introduction, chapter 1 and 2 and the conclusion had information regarding the research needed • Introduction: states what the Salem witch trials where and who they accused.
In Salem, Massachusetts summer of 1692, a group of teenage girls were said to have been “under evil hands”. When the girls were asked, who had done this to them, they accused local middle aged men and women. According to Castillo, “the first three women they accused were Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, the slave” (1692, Castillo). Tituba claimed to not be a witch however, her mother was. These three women were the first witches to go on trial, all three were found guilty.
In Salem, Massachusetts a series of hearings and prosecutions started, commonly known as the Salem Witchcraft Trials. The witchcraft trials in Salem became a big concern after two-hundred innocent people were accused and twenty people were executed. Many people of Salem believed the court was just in accusing all these victims. A seldom amount of people went against the court in saying that the court was a fraud and that the decisions were biased being made. Abigail Williams held all the power in the court and determined who was “guilty” or not.