Final Paper Tituba was a slave for a town reverend in Salem. She had been practicing witchcraft in secret, in February of 1962 there were many teenage girls who gathered in the kitchen where Tituba was working to learn more abut witchcraft. Tituba had acquired a following of girls who shocked the townspeople by their actions. These girls would dance a black magic dance in the woods, fall out in hysteria, played fortune telling games (which were prohibited by the puritans), they barked like dogs, complained about having a fever, and they would hide under furniture. This behavior began to spread all around Salem causing ministers from nearby communities to come in and help get the town back under control. The ministers made changed to the way …show more content…
This was just a search for witches or things that seemed related to witchcraft. This resulted in the arrest of nearly 150 people, multiple court hearing, and the guilty convictions of dozens of people such as Dorothy Good who was by far the youngest to be accused at four years old, Sarah Good her mother was also convicted and later executed, there even two dogs killed because people had suspicions about their link to witchcraft. Those who were accused of being guilty were often sent to “witch jail” which meant they were chained to walls in the basement of the prison, which was dark, cold, wet, and infested with water rats. During their stay in prison the accused (mostly women) were constantly embarrassed by being forced to strip naked and have their nude bodies examined. There were five types of evidence “First, the accused might be asked to pass a test, like reciting the Lord's Prayer, Second, physical evidence was considered. Any birthmarks, warts, moles, or other blemishes were possible portals through which satan could enter a body, Witness testimony was a third consideration, fourth was spectral evidence. Puritans believed that Satan could not take the form of any unwilling person. Therefore, if anyone saw a ghost or spirit in the form of the accused, the person in question must be a witch, Last was the …show more content…
During this time, it also caused people to leave their houses and chores unattended. The trials also affected planting season which caused crop failures and epidemics in Salem. Which the citizens were not the only ones affected by the trials, politics were also affected. “Salem's Politics were also affected. The Essex County Court declared that the Salem Village committee was being neglected and that they would be dismissed and replaced by an anti- Parris committee. Reverend Samuel Parris hearing his job was in jeopardy, so he decided to make a "meditation for Peace" sermon, admitting that he put too much weight on spectral evidence, but he did not gain the forgiveness from Salem and agreed to move out of