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. For starts, Elaine Breslaw, explains Tituba’s confession may have been used as resistance against her abusive master, Samuel Parrish (#). Her well thought-out confession was an uprising against her treatment and meant to keep herself safe from the villagers of Salem. By creating such vibrant and fabricated ideals, she hoped it would keep people
There were a lot of different types of dark forces in salem witch trials. Salem was very hard on there people. The people of salem got punished for not believing in god. The salem people get accused of witchcraft over and over again. Tituba confessed and said that she want to be a good christian.
For scholars wanting to know more about Tituba and her life this article is perfect. He gives detail of her back-story and fascinating details about her contribution to the Salem With Trials.
As they spoke, Betty awoke for a moment, screaming and calling for her mother; trying to fly out the window to her. This caught the attention of those in the church meeting, causing a run of the people to where Betty is. As the people held in the building, questioning was done for if the girls have done witchcraft. The girls lied, accusing Tituba for the reason Betty stays asleep. People then began to use this lie to blame Tituba for things she may have not done.
The Salem Witch Trials started in February 1692. It all began with a young African American slave who was owned by Samuel Parris. Samuel Parris called a doctor on this day for his daughter and niece because they were having weird out buts and not acting like themselves. The doctor claimed that his kids where under the exemption of witchcraft. The girls later on accused Tituba and two other woman.
Tituba created mass hysteria, due to conjuring spells and talking to the dead as well as calling on the devil. Tituba was a slave of Reverend Parris and just wanted to survive ,so she tried to help out as best as she could. Abigail Williams, the niece of Parris, calls out to Tituba “ she comes to me every night to go and drink blood” due to Abigail, claiming that Tituba forces her to drink blood in front of everyone, it causes people to become scared that she’s conjuring spells and speaking to the devil. Tituba is now accused of being touched by the devil because she’s doing spells and forcing a preacher's niece to drink blood. Tituba declares that “ you beg me to conjure!
During the late 1691 several young girls began to suffer fits and nightmares, attributed by their elders to witchcraft (Foner 106). Tituba who was a slave from Barbados that lived with two of the girls that were having fits as a servant. The girls invited several friends to share this delicious, forbidden diversion. Tituba’s audience listened intently as she talked of telling the future. Villagers sat spellbound as Tituba spoke of black dogs, red cats, yellow birds, and a white-haired man who bade her sign the devil’s book.
Tituba Tituba was an enslaved servant who lived during the 17th century in Salem, Massachusetts during the infamous witch trials of 1692. Tituba also served as a character in the 1953 play; The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. In the play, she has the same life and background as she did in 1692 however, Miller makes her participate in witchcraft, thus adding to the mystery as to if she ever really was guilty of witchcraft. Tituba had a very interesting and mysterious life.
The town Salem decided that the people in their town that resembled witches would be put on trial and persecuted, but the people weren’t witches and were being killed for being different from the rest of society. The convictions of the first people started a continuous strain of executions and imprisonments throughout the community. The courts of the time were corrupted with religious views and biased, so convictions were not far when it came to the accused. No one from this community was safe from the chance of being accused of being a witch. Salem, Massachusetts was a very religious community that held a fairly large amount of power over the people and laws.
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.
Tituba was an Indian woman that was convicted of being a witch from this situation. Tituba was a slave of Reverend Samuel Parris, and she was married to a man named John that was also a slave of Parris. When “Betty” Parris began to have these fits that would suggest witchcraft activity, Tituba made a “witchcake” out of rye and some of Betty’s urine. She fed this cake to the dog because the dog was considered a “familiar” of the Devil. When Reverend Parris found out, he was infuriated and made Tituba confess to being a witch.
Later in the story Tituba under the pressure of the court confest which ignited a hunt for witches. in both the salem witch trials and the red scare people where both paranoid of something. At the time of the witch trials the people were afraid of evil spirits, and the devil if you were accused of being a witch you would lose almost everything you owned. With the power of the church the people of Salem where easy overpowered by Propaganda and hysteria, with this people started so claim any was a witches for power, land, and even political strength. “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!”
So speak utterly, Tituba, turn your back on him and face God- face God, Tituba, and God will protect you” (Miller 44, Act 1). Tituba, the lowest of the low, has her status temporarily elevated because of the witch trials. Normally, she is the one told what to do and told to obey; now, however, she has the power of life and death over others. With the “good” power and the “bad” power being displayed in the town of Salem, times got very puzzling for the court and
Tituba was slave of Reverend Samuel Parris, Reverend Parris called a doctor to examine his daughter and his niece and the doctor told him that the girls were “victims of witchcraft”. Tituba was later accused of being a witch, she was one of the first three women to be accused. Tituba was from an island in the caribbean called Barbados, Reverend Parris purchased Tituba on the Island. Many people thought that Tituba was a Native American because of her skin color. Her skin color can also be the reason why she was accused of being a witch, some may say that Tituba was used a scapegoat.
To begin, it is a popular belief that Tituba, a slave in the story, was justified in her confession to witchcraft in order to save her own life. After the girls of Salem peg Tituba as the culprit for corrupting their souls and torturing them, she is interrogated and accused by characters such as the esteemed Reverend Hale and town’s Reverend, Mr. Parris. Finally, Parris exclaims, “ You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!” (1.941-942). Tituba instantly confesses, and saves herself from a terrible death.
Tituba is one of the first three women to be accused of witchcraft. But, she is the only one of them to survive the witch trials. Many historians think that Tituba introduced the “afflicted” girls to witchcraft. Her confession legitimized suspicions and led to investigations (Ray 2002). Meanwhile, John Proctor was actually around sixty years old at the time the Salem Witch Trials took place.