The Salem Witch Trials: The Diary Of Samuel Sewall

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” (Miller 68). With the invitation of Reverend Hale, he believes that the Devil is present and the town should not back away from fear. Instead, they must investigate whoever shows any evidence of witchery and shut them down before the heat becomes overpowering. The request for Reverend Hale to come investigate the hysteria is a surefire sign of the heat that is quickly escalating in Salem. After Hale arrives, the heat exponentially rises to unbearable levels, as there is more and more tension revealed between the townspeople, which eventually leads to the trials.

“What made a minister who saw the dangers, who wanted to protect the innocent and convict the guilty, side with the court?” ( Overview) Hale was brought into the village of Salem on a mission to prove if there was witchcraft present. Hale comes into the village with good intentions, and a strong desire to help the village. (Overview) As the story unfolds, Hale begins to notice how the girls are throwing out the accusations as a way to gain attention, and causing innocent people to be murdered or taken to prison.

Just arriving in Salem, Rev. Hale is already the center of everyone’s attention; he was going to be the hero who finds the witch and brings back the holiness of the town. Hale was determined to find the truth and felt that he had to know everything about a person before they were convicted. When talking to John and Elizabeth Proctor, he mentions,” … I find it hard to draw a clear opinion of them that come accused before the court.” (Miller 63).

“Tell them I confessed myself, say Proctor broke to his knees and wept like a woman.” Weeping and snickering like a child in trouble in front of Elizabeth, John refuses to admit to such a lie. Reverend Parris wishes to post-pone the hanging. Reverend Parris believes there will be a revolt for the hanging of innocents. Danforth continues the hanging process.

The situation escalates quickly and soon a court is set up in Salem with people being accused, convicted, and executed because of witchcraft charges. The central figure in this story, John Proctor, along

To start, Mary Warren, the Proctor’s maid, comes rushing into their humble home after a busy day in town. She begins to speak frantically about how the number of hangings and accusations has increased rapidly. Mary feels ill and her head is spinning with stress. Proctor firmly declares, “You will not go to that court again, Mary Warren” (2.129). This confirms that even though Proctor knows little about the witchcraft disasters, he keenly realizes from the beginning, nothing good would come out of it.

In 1692, the people in Salem, Massachusetts went on a hunt accusing people of being witches. This was a hysterical time in history known as the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials led to many distraught people and false accusations. The famous trials started with two sick children and then led to discrimination manly towards women of a lesser class. The accused people were tortured and eventually killed.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It was not odd that they would not confess the first demonstration as reasonable proof against the accused and the trial continued after this acknowledgment was deemed forged, even though this witness was the sole grounds on which the accused names were originally issued was baffling. The early accusation is must be taken on reliance, and the reliance in Branch was dubious and not proven, best emphasized by this quote, “Perhaps, as the ministers suggested, her torments were a combination of involuntary fits and crafted performance.”

Pretense, sir” (Miller, 106). The girls turn on her and she again goes back on her story and doesn’t tell the truth. Because she is aware that she may not be believable in court, she goes mad and then, accuses Proctor of

Abigail Williams: The Conniving Woman of the Crucible The Salem Witch Trials began in Salem Massachusetts in 1629. Many people were accused of being a witch and many lives were lost. In Author Miller’s The Crucible, Abigail Williams is the most to blame for the events of the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail is one of the main characters in the play.

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.