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Exemplification Essay: The Salem Witch Trials

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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 1431, Joan of Arc was accused of witchcraft and burned alive at the stake. After her death, she was declared innocent and deemed a martyr. In 1484, Pope Innocent VII officially declared witches are real. In 1492, Christopher Columbus overcame ignorant superstitions hoping to land in West Indies. In 1530, King Henry of England separated his nation from Roman Catholicism, which resulted in creating the church of England because he did not believe in witches. In 1607, English settlers landed in Jamestown, Virginia and they strongly believed in …show more content…

John Hathorne was one of the main Judges in court, he believed fully in witchcraft and in the accusers, which is most likely why so many people lives were ended just from young girls acting up and accusing multiple adults. John’s great, great, grandson, author Nathaniel Hawthorne added a “w” in his name most likely to distance himself from Hathorne because of the role he played in the Salem Witch Trials. Samuel Sewall and William Stoughton were the two other judges involved in court. Deliverance Hobbs was one of the only witches that confessed without being forced. A warrant was issued for Deliverance on April 21, she was arrested two days later and committed to prison. The Mather’s played a role in the trials as well, Cotton Mather was the minister of Boston’s Old North Church. Cotton was a true believer in witchcraft and accused many people. Increase Mather was his father, who was the Boston Minister and mostly believed in witchcraft until his wife got accused of it, then he knew it was all

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In 1692, a group of young girls from Massachusetts named Elizabeth and Abigail, believed they were being possessed by the devil and falsely accused several woman, men and children of witchcraft. Once the men and woman were accused they were ordered to attend multiple trials in which would be help in the Massachusetts general court. Once the men and woman were taken to trial they were proven guilty by the girls actions that proved the court these men and woman were apart of witchcraft. After the accuses were proven guilty in front of the court they were either held in prison and eventually died or hanged and died. There were multiple young girls who were apart of the witchcraft accusing other than just Elizabeth and Abigail.

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He also defends himself as he was faced with scrutiny and backlash for his role in the Witch Trials. Many believed that he is one of the few people that “fueled the fire”. Mather’s talks about how the Devil became irate after the Puritans descended onto his territory. Satan then sent forth legions to extinguish the threat of God’s wrath. The witches of Salem, in this case, were the Devil’s instruments of destruction.

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