Lauren McGilvray February 15, 2023 Prompt 1: The Salem Witch Trials of 1962 and the New York Slave Conspiracy of 1741 are two events that seem to have unraveled in similar ways. Each event created paranoia and distrust in the surrounding community and made nearby townspeople question their safety. These two events were impacted by various factors that led to a questionable way of dealing with each situation. Beginning the year of 1962, a hysteria began in the Salem Village of the Massachusetts Bay Colony over the possibility of witches inflicting harm on the community. In order to understand the causes of this event, it is important to mention factors that may have contributed. King William’s War caused much strain on the new American colonies, …show more content…
However, Horsmanden’s fear, partnered with the peoples’ fear, resulted in the unjustifiable deaths of many slaves who had no participation in the fires. Horsmanden believed that slave owners needed to take precautions to keep their slaves from acting out or against them. He shares his thoughts in his account of the event and says, “…be warned to keep themselves upon a strict guard against these enemies of their own household, since we know what they are capable of …” (Daniel Horsmanden, A Journal of the Proceedings in the Detection of the Conspiracy, 1744). It is evident that Horsmanden acts with prejudice, sending many slaves to their …show more content…
They saw Catholic Spain as their enemy and decided to move forward in settling the New World in hopes of spreading Protestantism. Bartolome de Las Casas’ writing was seen as justification to “rescue” the inhabitants of the New World (Foner 126). While Spain’s main focus was to expand its empire, the English came to America on the premise of religious freedom and economic independence. Unfortunately, after working well with the Native Americans for a period of time in “Anglo-Indian harmony”, the English settlers eventually began to overpower them. The English way of living disrupted that of the Native people which resulted in conflict, prompting the Uprising of 1622. The Jamestown colony took a turn for the worst due to disease and an extremely harsh winter (https://historicjamestowne.org/history/history-of-jamestown/the-starving-time/Links to an external site.) George Percy describes the brutality and hardship faced by the colony saying, “…All was fish that came to net to satisfy cruel hunger as to eat boots, shoes, or any other leather some could come by…” (George Percy, “Starving Time” (1624)). Not only did the people of Jamestown starve during a harsh winter, left to eat leather and some turning to cannibalism, but the uneven ratio of men to women also contributed to the population’s decline. Overall, the colony had a very rough go at creating a new
Truth Untold: Unraveling the Salem Witch Hunts through Marc Aronson Marc Aronson uses this his book, Witch-HUNT: Mysteries of the Salem witch trials, to unravel and debunk myths surrounding the events of the Salem witch hunts and replace them with plausible theories based on evidence. Aronson relays that the modern ideas on the events of the witch trials and what may have happened are often wrong and the perpetrators of those pies used them to over stimulate the imaginations of those who were to believe these tales. The Salem Witch Hunts that are referred to by Aronson’s book are the hunts and trials that took place between February 1692 through May of 1693 in Salem Village, Massachusetts. In a time of lawlessness or anarchy in
Section 1: Identification and Evaluation of Sources This investigation will attempt to answer the question “How did the causes of the 1647 Connecticut witch trials differ from those of the 1692 Salem witch trials?” Two sources that were crucial to this investigation, and will be evaluated, are Cynthia Wolfe Boynton’s Connecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World and Chadwick Hansen’s Witchcraft at Salem.
Witch-hunts occur more often than you think. The first documented witch hunt was in1692 at the Salem witch trials. We still have witch trials today, for instance, the banning of guns, the banning of the confederate flag, and the dentist who killed a trophy lion. Witch hunts, the term, comes from the 1692 witch trials. The witch hunts still happen today when a group of people are trying to eradicate another person’s or group’s actions or beliefs.
The colonist endured harsh conditions
Context: Explore the different events that led up to the outcome of the Salem witch trials. Thesis statement*: Throughout time, it has been proven again and again that new concepts create fear among society. In modern times, people fear the advancement in technology. While in the 1600s, people feared the advancement of the government, religious or scientific ideas.
In the late 1600s, the small town of Salem, Massachusetts was engulfed by a dark cloud of mass hysteria during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Innocent women were unjustly accused, condemned, and subjected to torturous deaths for the alleged crime of witchcraft. Amongst the chaos and fear, lived a young woman named Sarah Osborne. This narrative essay delves into the life of Sarah, exploring her experiences before and after being accused, and sheds light on the devastating consequences that arise when mass hysteria drives people to make irrational choices. Sarah Osborne, a spirited and determined young woman, lived a modest life in the close-knit community of Salem.
Drawing inspiration from the Salem Witch Trials, Miller illuminates the devastating consequences of baseless accusations, fear-mongering, and the abuse of power. By exploring the historical context through the lens of a 17th-century witch-hunt, Miller unveils the parallels between the two eras and reveals the dangers of unchecked political manipulation. Miller's focus on the Salem Witch Trials highlights the destructive nature of McCarthyism. The hysteria and paranoia that plagued Salem serve as a cautionary tale, revealing the ease with which fear and ignorance can lead to the death of innocent individuals. When Miller emphasizes the themes of mass hysteria and the fragility of justice, he exposes the stupidity of the witch-hunt mentality that was present in both eras.
The establishment of the colonies was a universe of anxiety and lust for an individual. An atrocious event that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. A town where colonist feared starvation, exposure to disease, and Native Americans. This was only the beginning for Salem and their uprising nightmare. A nightmare that I would desire to experience and travel back in time to 1692-1693.
The Salem Witch Trials In the summer of 1692, a series of unfortunate events occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, The Salem Witch Trials. These witch trials resulted in the deaths of a score of people, both men and women and imprisonment of more than 200 of the villages residents (Blumberg). There are endless reasons as to why the Puritan village went into hysterics, including but not limited to paranoia, the Puritan’s strict religion, conflict between residents, economic turmoil, an ongoing war, and unexplainable events(Linder).
This warm June afternoon, I live in the Protestant village of Salem, Massachusetts, year 1692. Being a mere girl, I help my mother out at home with cleaning, tending to the farm, taking care of my younger siblings and many more chores. My older, and eldest sibling John is at school practicing literature and medicine as my father did before him. Everyday, he passes the town's courthouse who host trials starring witches prosecuted for doing the devil's work. It was rumored Marybelle Fisher was to be trialed today.
The Salem Witch Trials; Madness or Logic In Stacey Schiff’s, List of 5 Possible Causes of the Salem Witch Trials and Shah Faiza’s, THE WITCHES OF SALEM; Diabolical doings in a Puritan village, discuss in their articles what has been debated by so many historians for years, the causes of the Salem Witch trials. Schiff and the Faiza, purpose is to argue the possible religious, scientific, communal, and sociological reasons on why the trials occurred. All while making word by word in the writer’s testimony as if they were there through emotion and just stating simply the facts and theories. They adopt the hectic tone in order to convey to the readers the significance, tragedy, logic, loss, and possible madness behind these life changing events,
Sadly, in even today's society people pay the price for something they didn’t do without proper evidence. Thirty-three men and women paid the ultimate price for being accused of witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials are a famous mark on the history of the United States, which led to the conviction and execution of those accused of witchcraft in 1692 in Massachusetts. This time is history shows the human brutality and what extremes people will go to when face-to-face with fear. The terrifying Witch Trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts during the Puritan Era were never fully resolved, since then many theories have evolved over time for the cause of them.
During the Salem Witch trials many died due to false accusations of being witches. Just like with the Jews during the Holocaust of the 1940s. Jews were persecuted similarly to the Salem witch trials of 1692. These two events are similar due to that, but still very different in their own ways.
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.
Salem, Massachusetts is a Puritan community that where the economy is based on local farms and the society is very religious constrained “They did not celebrate Christmas, and a holiday from work meant only that they must concentrate even more upon prayer.” (P4). With land being so vital in the community and religious leaders governing the community; people that hold these positions are more in control. Land disputes often arise due to the high value land has and these grudges between landowners can last for years and years. This, along with Miller’s background narration of character, helps explain why characters like Thomas Putnam acted and how this Witch Hunt gave a perfect opportunity for people to express their feelings and hatreds “Long-held hatreds of neighbors could now be openly expressed, and vengeance taken..” (P7).