In 1692, the Salem Witch Trials occurred in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Before the trials, witch hunting occurred longer in European countries; England, Germany, Italy, and France for over 300 years. Witch hunting was a common activity after Pope Innocent VIII declared that witchcraft was against Christianity in 1484. Many Christians would purge the suspected people of witchcraft with torture methods such as hanging, being pressed to death, etc . Two centuries later, King Charles I developed a new religion called the Puritanism that is made up of pure christians that devote and base their lives on the word of God. If not followed correctly, they are risking their soul being sent to hell, and because of constant concern that they may not please …show more content…
These women were easily accused because of their social status in the town. If, for some reason, they were to be accused then no one would defend them; it would be seen as a given that they would be witches. During the trial, Tituba, the slave that was accused, admitted of being a witch and that there are more witches that are still in town that have not been discovered. After admitting to witchcraft and confessing that there are more witches, the town was scared and the girls were able to accuse over 100 men and women of witchcraft. The Salem Witch trials are one of the most unforgettable events of American history. The event provides Americans with a lesson that they should separate church and state because they can make blind accusations that can cause harm towards the citizens. If there was separation between church and state, then the deaths of the 19 accused witches would not have occurred if the people and the government were more open in investigation that could help the citizens; rather than execute …show more content…
For example, they were screaming, throwing things, and put their bodies in different positions . The two girls went to the doctor and the doctor proclaimed that the cause of these actions was supernatural activity. The girls accused three women: Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, claiming that they casted spells on them to cause them to act abnormally. The two girls were related to Reverend Parris who was the Puritan minister in Salem who was well known in the town. Furthermore, the accounts of the children would be taken more seriously than the women that were accused like Sarah Good (the town beggar), Sarah Osborne ( an impoverished woman), and Tituba (Reverend Parris’s slave). Elizabeth and Abigail are considered more credible than adults due to their social status, but many people today would question whether or not they were credible sources psychologically. At the age of 9 and 11, the girls are considered to be in the middle childhood stage of development. During this time of development, they are experiencing more peer pressure and are seeking the acceptance of others . Research has shown that children that have difficulty being accepted by others are more creative than other children. Due to this behavior, these young girls may have been crying for attention, and because they are related to Reverend Parris, it is easier for them to be taken
As we suspected, the majority of female defendants were accused of inflicting their sorceries on only female victims. Out of twenty cases (the gender of the victims was unclear in one of our selected cases, so the population is reduced for this figure), nine female defendants had only female victims. Five were accused of attacking only men, and the other six were accused of affecting members of both gender. Because there were so few values for this particular variable, we did not find it relevant to graph or chart this information. We did, however, feel it necessary to create a frequency chart for this set of data, as it directly addresses one of our hypotheses.
Throughout the trials, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and 20 were executed. The people of Salem lived in constant fear of witchcraft accusations being brought against them, which only enhanced the hysteria in the village. The females got really sick when they went back home that could cause illness or death. The main point is that a large group of
One reason the witch trials transpired was a result of jealousy. The accusers were primarily single women over the age of 16 (Document B). The ones who were accused primarily were married women over the age of 21 (Document B). The accusing women may have been envious of the other women’s marriage.
There are many important events that led up to the Salem Witch Trials. In 1233, Pope Gregory established the medieval inquisition to bring order against the growing heresy in which he later hunts down witches. In 1347, the Bubonic Plague or also known as Black Death struck in Europe demonstrating how ignorance lead to superstition.
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.
By copying the actions of the accused woman, the girls make it more likely that the “witch” will be put to death. Furthermore, girls normally tend to overreact in certain situations just for attention, which is the case in the Salem witch trials. Getting attention is satisfying and make people feel like they are needed, so the girls acted just to have the upper hand. Even though acting was a reason why the witch trials hysteria occurred, actual panic could’ve triggered the many
The Salem witch trials were a big event in American history, but no one knows for sure why they started. The people at the time could have been very tense and paranoid because of the weather, indian attacks, and because of the war that had occurred prior. The girls that started the accusations could have been sick from a disease or infection that causes tremors, hallucinations, and paranoia. At the same time, the girls in that time period were very repressed. Children, especially, were treated strictly at this time.
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.
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 beginnings of the European witch trials actually did not start in England, but Germany and Switzerland. The very first witch trial in Germany was called Wurzburg witch trial 1625-163, it was when the catholic- prince-bishopric formed one of the biggest massacres and mass
The Salem witch trials was one of the most famous witch hunt in history. More than 200 accused witched occupied the local jail. 19 people executed, were hanged, one pressed with rocks to death and few more died in jail within a year from 1692-1693. It happened in Salem Village, New England in Massachusetts, now known as Danvers. Witchcraft was second among the hierarchy of crimes which was above blasphemy, murder and poisoning in the Puritan Code of 1641.
Did you know that more women were accused of being a witch than men. People In Salem, Massachusetts were involved. There was a high number of people being accused of a witchcraft in 1692. Evidence suggests that the Salem Witch trials happened because single women were jealous that they didn't have a husband. Salem Witch Trial in Salem Massachusetts, 1692
The Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692 may have been instigated by religious, social, geographic and even biological factors. During these trials, 134 people were condemned as witches and 19 were hanged. These statistics also include 5 more deaths that occurred prior to their execution date. It is interesting to look into the causes of this stain on American History, when as shown in document B, eight citizens were hanged in only one day.
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.
Many practicing Christians, at the time, believed that the Devil could persuade people to use the powers that he gave them to harm others. The Salem Witch Trials occurred because of resource struggles, many women were accused and tortured, and in the end the Governor realized that it was a big mistake. (“Salem Witch Trials”, 1). In 1689, English rulers William and Mary started a war with France in the American colonies which sent many refugees into the Essex County and Salem Village.