Salem Witch Trial Essay

The Salem Witch trials happened between the years 1692-1693, in Massachusetts Bay Colony, Salem town. Between Feb 1692 and May 1693, over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned, with many more accused but not properly brought to justice by the authorities, and 19 were eventually hanged. The best known trials, were conducted by the Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692 in Salem Town. Betty Parris and Abigail Williams were the first to experience the “witchcraft,” and reported it. The first accused were Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba.

What is the definition of witch-trials? The witch trials were a series of persecutions and prosecutions that occurred between the 15th and 17th century in Europe. Thousands of individuals (women) were accused of witchcraft during this time and were subjected to trials, torture, and death. From substantial evidence, the trials frequently featured charges based on hearsay, gossip, and supposition. Several of the accused were subjected to brutal questioning and torture to elicit confessions, and others were killed solely based on their confessions.

They didn't have any evidence whatsoever on how they were witches. In the book all they did was look at a kid and wait for them to start having some kind of spaz and say oh this person is a witch, they were also very pious. “So Betty and Abigail declared that Tituba was a witch.” “ Elizabeth Hubbard claimed she had been chased by a wolf that turned into Sarah Good and attacked by bedridden old lady, Sarah Osborn.” This is another time they

So what provoked this tragedy? Evidence shows that the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692 was caused by boredom, personal, and religious bias. One of the most important things to consider is the biases the accusers might have had. When looking at a map of Salem one may observe that more than ninety percent of the accusers lived on the west side of town, and more than eighty percent of the Accused witches

No one really knew if they were innocent or not,they just assumed. People who were executed were mostly women, and their family. Even 2 dogs were given the death penalty for being accused of working with the “witches”. Some other animals were killed too. Did you know, that people thought that the witches were trying to kill their children, when their kids actually had smallpox.

Many of the tests that were done to check for innocence often resulted in death, even if innocence was proven. For instance, many believed that if weighted down, tied to a chair, and thrown into a body of water, a witch would still be able to float back up, and a non-witch wouldn’t be able to return to the top of the water. So in this test, they wouldn’t believe that a person was innocent until they had drowned and couldn’t even attempt to return to the top of the water. But, by then it was too late to accept their

People believed this because women at the time were changing and becoming more independent. The culture of all the settlers was changing as well. This led people to truly believe that women, men and children were being bewitched by witches in salem. The Salem witch trials were a significant time in history because the

Since ancient times, the world was plagued with the beliefs of witches invading the air ways. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts between 1692 to 1693. The salem witch trials are important to know more about because people should know how others used to treat outcasts in the past. In the with trials the people who were murdered were social outcasts or people who don’t fit in the townspeople’s social circle. But others believe that people should believe in the devil and witchcraft as much as they believe in God.

The Salem Witch Trials was a chain reaction of girls accused of being witches, when women were given unfair punishments for being “witches.” Witch Trials started when “two young girls began suffering from fits, uncontrollable screaming, and body contortions” (Biography.com). One of these girls was Bridget Bishop. At this time, doctors did not know what was happening

Since the beginning of the trials there have been many injustices as well as an increase in paranoia. For every person tried there was little to no evidence besides trust of words from another human being. Many women and some men were convicted based on what others think, if someone thinks that another person is acting suspicious, they will be tried and most likely hanged or imprisoned. Remembering the Salem Witch Trials is remembering victims being killed, tortured, and imprisoned because of what they may believe in or because of spectral evidence. The court, Oyer and Terminer, was the main suspect for the killings of nineteen individuals, the court was put in place specifically for cases of witchcraft but the court allowed spectral evidence as a reason for the person tried to be hanged.

One method used to determine if the accused was really a witch was the swimming test. The swimming test included being bound and thrown into a body of water to determine if they would sink or float. The people of Salem believe that if the accused were witches the water would reject them to keep them from sinking. During this test it was not uncommon for drowning deaths to occur. Another test used during the Salem witch trials was the prayer test.

What is the truth about the Salem witch trials? Surrounding this event, there is a lot of speculation and faulty. The Salem witch trials were established in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts in the spring of 1692 and lasted until the summer of 1693. This event commenced when young girls were accused of being possessed by the devil and witchcraft. The witch trials consisted of trials, executions, and witch tests although there is no proven fact that witches are real.

Salem, Massachusetts, USA and occurred between February 1692 and May 1693. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned and even more accused; but not pursued by the authorities. 29 were convicted of witchcraft but only 19 were hanged. The best known trials were in the Court of Oyer and Terminer.

The Salem Witch Trials The belief of witchcraft can be traced back centuries to as early as the 1300’s. The Salem Witch Trials occurred during 1690’s in which many members of Puritan communities were accused and convicted of witchcraft. These “witch trials” were most famously noted in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Many believe this town to be the starting point for the mass hysteria which spread to many other areas of New England.

Not many people know much about what actually happened in the Salem Witch Trials. Maybe someone would think that it was just about witchcraft and crazy people being hanged, but it is a lot more than that. The Salem Witch Trials only occurred between 1692 and 1693, but a lot of damage had been done. The idea of the Salem Witch Trials came from Europe during the “witchcraft craze” from the 1300s-1600s. In Europe, many of the accused witches were executed by hanging.