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Puritan Attitudes Towards The Witch Trials

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Ignorance of medical and scientific explanations: Puritan attitudes towards the witch trials were largely governed by the authoritative figures present at the time. Any medical explanation given was disregarded, thus showcasing how the villagers’ views could be easily manipulated. They chose to only consider two possible extremes for the cause of this outbreak; either the women were possessed or they were fabricating such behaviors. Chadwick Hansen describes the behavior of the bewitched being a 'neurotic syndrome '. It was known patients experiencing this disorder turned "their mental worries into physical symptoms such as blindness, paralysis of various parts of the body, choking, fainting, or attacks of pain"(The …show more content…

5. Evidently from the documents, the most frequently recurring phenomena the accusers felt was the witch 's presence awakening them in their slumber and in some cases said to be sitting on their chests choking them. The bewitchment of animals and creatures being another apparent part of testimonies. For instance, John Louder states "And some tyme after that I being not very well stayed at whome on a Lords day and on the after noon of s 'd day the dores being shutt I did see a black pig in the Roome Comeing towards mee soe I went towards itt to kick it and it vanished away,"(Bridget Bishop,TSB-4,11). He also "...did see a black thing Jump into the window and came & stood Just before my face, upon the bar the body of itt looked like a Munky only the feete ware like a Cocks feete w 'th Claws and the face somewhat more like a mans than a Munkies," which threatened him as well. The accused were also known to cause the death and sickness of children during the epidemic outbreak of allegations. In particular, we make take the case of Samuel Gray who stated "the child that before was a very Likely thriveing Child #[before] did pine away and was never well, althow it Lived some moneths after, yet in a sad Condition and soe dye,"(Bridget Bishop,TSB-4,9)the reason being it was an aftermath of Bishop 's presence

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Hobbs accused Bishop of attending and taking part in the meeting of the witches. John Cook testified that approximately six year earlier, Bishop had assaulted him with a blow to the head and on a separate occasion, made an apple that he was holding, fly out of his hand just by walking into the room. Another testified, fourteens years previously, while sleeping, he was awaken to Bishop in his bedroom, even though his doors were locked. She was standing next to a cradle where his child was lying. He testified that Bishop vanished but came back later and assaulted him.

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They could have left the marks on the afflicted and caused many many strange behaviors. In Document D it says that the jury is acting to pass out so this proves that disease is still a possibility. On document E it shows a map about where witches accusers and defenders were mostly on the left side where bread was more common and ticks were more common.

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Shortly after that, these actions started to allot all over Salem. Ministers came to Salem trying to find who is responsible for this crisis. The Puritans believed that to become bewitched, a witch must draw a person under a spell. The young girls of Salem could not have brought this situation onto themselves, so they were questioned and forced to name their torturers.

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Betty Parris, Abigail Williams, and Ann Putnam had illnesses that the a doctor just couldn't be explain. The girls would cry, fall down, and have fits. They first accused a slave named Tituba, said that a man came to her and told her to sign a book. Authorities believed that it was the Devil himself that told Tituba to follow his orders. In March, they accused Martha Corey, a well respected citizen of the community.

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The accusations started when Reverend Parris caught the girls dancing in the woods. Betty pretended to be sick and blame it on the witches. Abigail and the girls accused many people to be witches. The people that were accused were, Tituba, three local beggar women, Giles Corey, and his wife, Rebecca Nurse, John Proctor, and his wife, Elizabeth.

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The Puritans believed word from word what was written in the bible, they put their religious belief into their laws and believed that all sins should be punished by hanging or thrown in jail. Not only did they extremely focus on religion but there was already tension between Salem Village and Salem Town, where they were far wealthier. As the accusations of witches started in Salem, the Puritans religious belief and the conflict between Salem Village and Salem Town caused the Salem Witch Trials. Puritans are colonists who were seeking religious tolerance, so they left England and settled in the American colonies. Their goal was to create communities that was centered around the church to support their Christian way of life (Salem Witch Trials).

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Men and women also had different takes on sin. Women were more likely to read their sins as a pact with the devil no matter how severe the sin was whereas men paid close attention to the sin as an individual moment of weakness in which they would be able to return to their relationship with God. Believing that they could turn to the devil themselves, women were more likely to then accept that other women could be equally demonized.

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People in the town of Salem are all furious and upset with the current witch trial that are taking place. The prosecution that the court has provided is that Abigail, Mary, Danforth, and Hale all provided factual information and truthful evidence to those that have been accused of witchcraft. They are trying to prove that those accused are practicing and using witchcraft, and that the accusers are trustworthy, reliable people who have no reason to be doubted. The main problem with the previous trial were caused by Abigail, Mary, Danforth, and Hale. Abigail Williams is an unreliable and untrustworthy person.

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Doctor William Griggs declared all those afflicted bewitched and the village agreed with this statement. Indian slave couple Tituba and John were accused in the making of the witch-cake which all those afflicted had had. Tituba was reverend Parris slave, caretaker of Abigail and Betty. February 25 and 28 Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good also accused as the tormentors. The first three women to be accused witches were not originally born in Salem and Tituba was also linked towards the Indian war.

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