One theory people believed was that the devil had the power to get into someones body through birthmarks, and moles. Therefor if you were accused by one of the girls and you had a mole or a birthmark on your body, it was more believable that the girls were right and that you were a witch. Others believed in taking a few test, such as the prayer test, the touch test, picking and scratches test and the swimming test The prayer test consisted of reading sections of the bible, typically bible verses or prayers. If you were to mess up the bible verse of the prayer at all, then you were considered to be bewitched. The second test, the touch test, consisted of the young girls being under a spell and if when the accuser placed a hand on the young girls they stopped than it meant that the accuser did put the girls under a spell and they were a witch.
The Salem Witch Trails of 1692 began in Salem Village, Massachusetts, when the minister's daughter and niece started complaining about strange pinching, prickling sensations, knifelike pains, and the feeling of being strangled. Soon when a lot other kids started showing these symptoms, the doctors concluded that witchcraft is responsible for them. It was proven that witchcraft did exist because the scripture mentions it. When they forced the girls to name the witches, they named three people. These were called the witch trials.
Additionally, both courts made use of the following method described in the Malleus maleficarum: “while he is being tortured, he must be questioned on the articles of accusation, and this frequently and persistently, beginning with the lighter charges-for he will more readily confess the lighter than the heavier. And, while this is being done, the notary must write down everything in his record of the trial - how the prisoner is tortured, on what points he is questioned and how he answers.” There was no presumption of innocence in the Salem trials; one was assumed to be guilty and in need of confession, rather than the plaintiffs being forced to prove the supposed acts of witchcraft performed against them. In conclusion, it is surprising that more defendants were not convicted of witchcraft, given the significant lack of due process rights for the accused and the (obviously) Puritan nature of those overseeing the Salem courts, in which hearsay and heresy went hand in
Their right thumb was tied to their left toe. The victim was then thrown into a pond or lake. If they floated, it "proved" that they were a Witch, because they must have used the magic to float. If the victim drowned, it meant they were innocent. Finally,” The boots” were two planks of wood, which were bound together by cords.
The only evidence needed to be gained to prove that someone is a witch is accusations, spectral evidence, and that the person can’t recite the lord's prayer. The main reason of the witch hunts were to prevent the work of the devil. If the person accused doesn’t confess to witchcraft they were put to death. If the person does confess they would sign a document writing down their confession which will be shown to the
First, the Salem Witch Trials happened in 1692. In Salem Village, the minister’s daughter, Betty Parris, and his niece, Abigail Williams, severely got sick. The girls felt pinching sensations, knife like pains, and the feeling of being choked. Everybody thought it was witchcraft, the girls accused three women, the first was Tituba. Tituba told the girls stories, and showed them magic tricks.
One other method used during the Salem witch trials was witch cakes. The cakes would be fed to a dog in hopes that it would give the name of the witch that possessed the victim. This was used on one occasion during the witch trials. The woman who made one to be used for a trial was hanged because of her knowledge of the spells used to make the witch cake. A witch’s mark was another way used to identify if the accused was a witch.
First, the men and women who were believed to be bewitched were asked to undertake a series of tests and inspections, such as reciting the Lord’s Prayer, having physical blemishes, and confessions. However, the men and women who attempted the test acted out and “were known to scream and writhe on the floor in the middle of the test.” Secondly, any physical evidence like birthmarks or warts were to be considered as portals to hell, or from which Satan could enter one’s body to become bewitched or possessed. As a last resort, many of the accused men and women of Salem were given the chance of a confession, therefore many pleaded to the village for repentance and forgiveness.
Such anticipations and skepticism unfolded in a bizarre of punishments and executions of individuals accused of witchcraft. A quote to best support this response is, “In all, nineteen people accused of witchcraft were hanged, two dogs accused of witchcraft were killed, seven people died in prison, ten people escaped from prison, and the property of those convicted of witchcraft was confiscated” (“Salem Witch Trials”). This quote illustrates how pathetic and misleading these cruel punishments are. To add, the quote evokes the pitiful misleading of punishments but also how these superstitions and societal tensions provoked the hysterical downfall of the execution of nineteen people, deaths in prison, property confiscation, and animals. When the
The Salem Witch Trials happened under the guidance of the law, which is one of the reasons these trials were so public and brutal. If a “witch”
The Massachusetts Bay Experiment was a colony founded on extreme puritan principal. It was to be a community of “Visible Saints”, for all other religions to look upon, where they could practice their puritan beliefs freely. Whenever there was a problem within the colony the puritans always looked to the church for answers. Since this was such a theocratic society, one could see just how an event such as The Salem Witch Trials could occur. Many historians attribute the cause of the Salem witch trials to various different reasons, it is evident through the various trials and reactions of the people being tried, that the Salem witch trials occurred because of the extremist views of the puritans.
The Salem witch trials of 1692 realized the execution by hanging of fourteen women and five men reprimanded for being witches. one man was pressed to death by overpowering weights for declining to enter a supplication and more than one hundred and fifty individuals were detained while foreseeing trial. In light of the survival of various critical records, including notes, articulations, and power choices, the essential truths of the claims, catches, trials, and executions are known. On January 20, 1692, in Salem, the Reverend Samuel Parris' daughter, Elizabeth, and his niece, Abigail Williams, began show bizarre behavior, including thundering joke and going into trances. Sarah and Osborne maintained that they were exemplary and stayed unconscious of
The Salem witch trials were a series of trials and prosecutions of people who are accused of witchcraft. It started with a group of girls began to behave strangely, making odd noises, assuming strange positions, and spending hours laying motionless in bed. The town is Puritan minister Samuel Perez believed he knew what was going on with the girls. A spell had been placed on them. The girls accused three women of putting a spell on them.
Salem Witchcraft Trials In Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 there was an outbreak of teenage girls who were accused of practicing witchcraft. If you were accused of being a witch you had two options. One option was for the person to deny their practice of witchcraft, which resulted in their hanging, while the other option was for them to confess their practice of witchcraft and be exiled from the community. The following paragraphs will examine events and details concerning two specific Salem Witchcraft Trials; one in which the accused confessed to the practice of witchcraft and another in which the accused denied being a witch.
This then led to a trial being held, where more women were accused of witchcraft. Rumours and news spread like wildfire, reaching all of Sweden. When it reached Torsåker, like many other parishes and regions, the people became terrified and sought to eliminate the witches. Torsåker had an interesting approach to identifying a witch. The water method was a popular method in Sweden at the time, in which the accused would be tied up by the ankles and feet and thrown into a lake.
