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Comparing The Salem Witch Trials: Samuel Sewall And William Stoughton

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The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 are a dark and haunting chapter in American history, remembered for hysteria, paranoia, and the tragic loss of innocent lives. At the center of this period were the judges who presided over the trials, holding immense power and authority in a community controlled by fear and suspicion. Judges such as Samuel Sewall and William Stoughton, prominent members of the Puritan society in colonial Massachusetts, played pivotal roles in the unfolding drama of accusations, trials, and executions that defined the Salem Witch Trials. A closer look at the judges involved in this episode reveals the difficulty and stupidity of their decisions, the impact of their actions, and the legacy of their roles in one of the most infamous …show more content…

However, Sewall’s legacy is marred by his participation in the hysteria that gripped Salem in 1692. Despite later expressions of remorse and repentance, including publicly repenting for his role in the trials, Sewall’s reputation as a judge remains stained by his involvement in the wrongful accusations and executions that occurred during the trials. William Stoughton, another prominent figure in colonial Massachusetts, served as the chief justice of the Special Court of Oyer and Terminer during the Salem Witch Trials. Stoughton was known for his staunch Puritan beliefs and his uncompromising stance against perceived threats to the colony’s religious and social order. His harsh and authoritarian approach to the trials earned him a reputation as a passionate persecutor of witches. Stoughton’s role in the events of 1692 cemented his legacy as one of the most controversial figures of the Salem Witch Trials, with his actions contributing to the hysteria and injustice that prevailed during that period. John Hathorne, a merchant and magistrate, was another influential judge involved in the Salem Witch …show more content…

One of the most troubling aspects of the judges' role in the Salem Witch Trials was their reliance on spectral evidence as a determining factor of guilt or innocence. Spectral evidence, which is witness testimonies claiming to have seen the spirits of people accused of engaging in acts of witchcraft, was highly subjective and lacked any actual proveable basis. Despite the questionable nature of this evidence, the judges accepted it as valid proof of guilt, leading to numerous wrongful convictions and executions. The use of spectral evidence not only undermined the integrity of the judicial process but also contributed to the creation of fear, hysteria, and injustice in Salem during that tumultuous year. In addition to their reliance on spectral evidence, the judges of the Salem Witch Trials were also complicit in the use of coercive tactics to extract confessions from the accused. Many of those who stood trial were subjected to physical and psychological torture in an effort to evoke confessions of

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The Salem Witch Trials wrongly convicted over one hundred fifty people through unfair court cases in 1692, due to the bias of the people, the unpassable tests used, and the illegal way they were run. The convictions were all done in the Court of Oyer and Terminer, which was created by the current Governor Sir William Phips, and led by Chief Judge William Stoughton, along with 6 other judges (EB 1) (Boraas 24). This court was closed within the year, and a new court was opened, the Superior Court of Judicature, which was less unfair, and made no convictions during the time it was open. This court was then also closed after a few months (EB 1). During the trials, every sort of person was accused, from rich to poor.

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In this article, the author, Edmund S. Morgan discussed how witch trials became an issue in the Salem Village which dispersed to other towns. The witch trials were well known in the sixteenth century. In the beginning, Morgan stated “the trials occurred at a time when the people of Massachusetts were passing through a very difficult time.” (Morgan, 47) The author clearly wanted to inform the readers that Massachusetts was already in a rough state to begin with until the witch trials came along.

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A diverse array of historiographical arguments concerning the preliminary causes of the Salem Witch Trials have emerged subsequently to their occurrences, clashing along a vastly debatable spectrum of economic, social, and political influences (Brinkley, 2014, 74). Escalating accusations backed by miniscule evidence reaped terror among the Salem community. No one was truly immune to an accusation, and being accused had a high probability of ruining one's reputation for the remainder of their lives. Conversely to the linear notion of believing a singular cause was responsible for the atrocities among the Salem community, an intertwined network of various tensions set the anemic foundation for a monstrosity of inhumane punishment and hollow allegation

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At the end of the seventeenth century, specifically in 1692 in the village of Salem, located in the state of Massachusetts Bay colony, there were hearings for the accused in witchcraft cases were where the provisions of the execution of the accused, and there is no enough evidence Except spectral testimony of the bewitched. The key point to know how did the use of spectral evidence make it hard to defend the charges and facilitate the widespread accusations of others? Which they are relate the key question on how to use spectral evidence makes it difficult to defend their duties and ease the charge on a wide range of other it is the history of the spectral evidence, how effect did spectral evidence on governance and its impact on the rest of the trials. Salem witchcraft outbreak in 1692 in one of the most tragic events in American history and was the first such of its kind for the American colonies, which directly influenced the political, social and

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Between 1692 and 1693, more than 200 people became imprisoned due to the false accusations led by Abigail Williams and her assembly of several other Salem girls. Together these girls accused innocent people for involvement in the devil’s work- known as witchcraft-overall about 20 people were trialed and found guilty (The man who made a difference). Even though they were truly innocent, the punishment involved execution by hanging on the scaffold in front of the entire village. Among the twenty people executed remained John Proctor; one of the Salem witch trials most infamous and prideful figures. “John Proctor was the first man to be accused of witchcraft” (1).

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During June and July 1692, I Increase Mather a Puritan leader and minister, am being challenged with a state of panic over witch trials going on in Salem. I am now in a faced with a dilemma as what to do and who to side with. Do I go with the word of God and kill people based on the “spectral evidence”, that is presented to me and the community? Or do I go against the grain and God’s word and be accused of being an advocate for the people being accused of being witches? I have held many sermons that interpreted as a plea to cool the heated atmosphere and in September, I even published and released Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits, [1] which defended the judges and trials, but strongly denounced the spectral evidence used by them.

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Over 300 years ago, more than 100 citizens of the colony of Massachusetts were accused of the crime of witchcraft, and many executed. Although this era in history, known as the Salem Witch Trials, lasted only mere months, its impact on the American criminal justice system has lasted until present day. Although both the trials in Salem and modern America are based on a similar justice system, there are vast differences, specifically in the rights of the defense, most notable in the separation of Church and State, the standards of evidence, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The modern American criminal justice system, in comparison to that of the time of the Salem Witch Trials, has changed drastically. No longer is the rule of law based on

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