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Research Paper On The Salem Witch Trials Of 1692

670 Words3 Pages

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 have become a prominent event in American culture. A series of the witch trials took place near Salem, part of the Massachusetts colony, in which more than 150 men and women were accused of witchcraft and dozens deteriorated in jail for months without trials. Those who were found guilty were hanged on nearby Gallows Hill. Only a combination of economic conditions, teenage boredom, and personal jealousies can account for the mass hysteria, spiraling accusations, trials, and execution that occurred in Salem Village, Massachusetts. In January 1692, Samual Parris, a Puritan minister in Massachusetts Bay colony, faced a problem with the two girls in his household. According to “Specter of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth-Century America,” Elizabeth Parris, …show more content…

During the trial, the girls described attacks from the apparition of the three women, and they fell into their pattern of strange behavior and physical torment. As stated by “The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: A Commentary” by Douglas Linder, other people from the village came forward with stories of cheese and butter mysteriously gone bad or animals born with deformities after they were visited by one of the three accused. The trial might have ended with reprimand were it not for Tituba. On March 1, 1692, Tituba confessed that she was approached by Satan and that she had signed the devil’s book. More important course of the trial, she indicated that were more witches abroad and there were “nine marks” in the devil’s book, including those who were already accused (Adams, Gretchen). The significant element of her testimony was the news of the nine conspirators. Her confession also served to silence those who questioned witchcraft, and other local ministers began the witch hunting with

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they had a feud of some kind with the accused. It all started when little Betty Parris and her cousin Abigail met an Indian slave named Tituba and asked for their fortunes. After that, the girls were seen, as put by Reverend Samuel Parris, “getting into Holes, creeping under Chairs and Stools,...” and were questioned on the matter. Under pressure, they identified two local white women and Tituba herself. Throughout the spring, a large chunk of the Salem population was accused, executed, and jailed for being witches.

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“The American Promise” claims the amount of men accused was about twenty percent leaving eighty percent of the accused being women and most of those women were “past the normal childbearing age”. Although the amount of women charged with witchcraft compared to men is considerably larger, it shows that outspoken women were not only the targets of the Salem witch hunt. With speculation, one might say, that the age of the women could have played a role in the decisions of who was accused of being a witch. Especially since the sentence for being found guilty of being a witch was death.

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These symptoms intensified when people became alarmed at the strange behavior of the girls, who then began to have visions of the witches” (Saari 43). These girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused three women as the witches, identified as Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne, whom were all “easy targets for the accusation of witchcraft” (Brooks). In fact whilst on trial, Tituba confessed that she was a witch working for the Devil.

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Paragraph 1- (Intro) The Salem Witch trials of 1692 were a dark and (prevalent) time for the people of Salem, Massachusetts. During this time, nearly 200-300 people were convicted of witchcraft, and over 60 were officially hanged by the government. This must all be looked at from the colonists’ point of view- they had come from a land where religion was the most important aspect of their everyday life, keeping beliefs close to heart. They took this aspect to the New World, the area inhabited with mysterious other people’s foreign to them, where fears of the devil replaced common fears of everyday life. The floodgates of scapegoating did not truly start, although, until Tituba, a young slave, confessed of witchcraft herself.

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1049 Words | 5 Pages

Yelitza Andrade Pyles English 11 Honors 12 October 2015 Witch-hunts Justification In Salem, Massachusetts 1692 the Salem witch trials began when a group of girls lied and said that they were possessed by the devil and the accusations of several innocent people being involved with witchcraft took place. Trials later took place after the accusations for the hearings of each person and to hear their story. Many people who had hearings lied to the court and said that they were possessed to not get executed and to save their lives but many did not want to lie because it was wrong and an injustice. The event led to 19 executions of all innocent people and 100 other innocent women, men, and children were put in prison because of the false accusations.

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758 Words | 4 Pages

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a tragic and dark period in American history, marked by fear, misinformation, and the persecution of those deemed different or non-conforming to societal norms. One individual caught up in these trials was Martha Carrier, a woman from the town of Andover who was accused of practicing witchcraft and causing harm to others. My analysis of the case against Martha Carrier will examine the reasons for her prosecution, the evidence used to claim her guilt, and her defense against the charges. I will argue that Martha Carrier's story represents the larger pattern of women who were brought to trial during this period, highlighting the dangers of fear-mongering and the unjust consequences of misinformation. Through

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In 1692, in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, there was a group of young girls who were accused of being bewitched. The girls behaved in abnormal ways. The strange behavior began after Reverend Parris caught them in the woods with Tituba, who was Parris’s slave from Barbados. The girls called witchcraft on Tituba and she confessed and named two other women with the devil, including Sarah Osburne and Sarah Good. With Tituba's confession, the young girls, scared of getting in trouble, claimed to see other women and men contributing with the devil.

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1378 Words | 6 Pages

The life of a Christian should be considered to be one that brings thanks and praises to God. A Christian is expected to do everything that honors and praises God all to His glory. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were legal proceedings that took place in Salem Massachusetts in the year 1962. The witch trials had resulted in the killing of 20 people who were hanged for witchcraft and mostly the women when very little or no evidence existed. Those who followed Satan were considered to be witches.

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The Truth: In Salem, Massachusetts during 1692, the Salem witch trials started which became one of the famous trails in American history. A group of girls in the village came forward saying they were possessed by the devil and then proceeded to claim local woman of witchcraft. In January of 1692, a girl name Elizabeth and Abigail started having fits. A doctor was brought in to figure out was wrong with the girls and the doctor blamed the witchcraft for the girl’s conditions. Then soon other girls like Ann Putnam started to experience the same condition as Elizabeth and Abigail.

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1439 Words | 6 Pages

The year 1692 marked a major event in history that left a lasting effect in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Witch trials resulted in more than 200 people being accused of practicing witchcraft, the death of nineteen men and women who were hung, one man being crushed to death, along with seven other individuals who lost their lives in prison. In 1629 King Charles I of England granted a religious group called the Puritans, a charter to settle and govern an English colony in the Massachusetts Bay. Their desire was to create a new perfect society based on the principles of the Bible, a theocracy with no separation of church and state.

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946 Words | 4 Pages

Contrary to popular belief, the Salem Witch Trials should not be solely attributed to demonic ‘possession’, but rather a harmful pathogen: Ergot of Rye. There are many questions as to what actually occurred in the Massachusetts colony during this time. History.com identifies one of the main problems by claiming that that girls were

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953 Words | 4 Pages

However many people do not know what actually caused this hysteria. It was a result of the citizens being afraid of their community falling apart after an alleged witch named Tituba said she and many others were working for the devil. ” This induced panic and hysteria and quickly sparked a massive witch hunt. The fact is, although there were many other contributing factors, Tituba’s confession is the main reason why the Salem Witch Trials happened.” (The Salem Witch Trials: Facts & History.).

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Bridget Bishop, a resident of Salem, was the first person to be tried as a witch. Surprisingly, Bishop was accused of witch craft by the highest number of witneses. After Bishop, more than two hundred people were tried of practicing witchcraft and twenty were executed. Many of these accusations arose from jealous, lower class members of society, especially towards women who had come into a great deal of land or wealth. Three young children by the names of Elizabeth, Abigail, and Ann were the first three people to be “harmed” by the witches.

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1006 Words | 5 Pages

On March 27th, 1692 Parris said “Occasioned by dreadfull Witchcraft broke out here a few weeks past, & one Member of this Church, & another of Salem upon publick examination by Civil Authority vehemently suspected for Shee-Witches, & upon it Committed”. His position in the town gave him many advantages. One was that he had the ability to easily accuse his enemies, or outsiders in the town. And could also easily gather the town. It wasn’t just Parris who accused witches, his niece Abigail Williams did

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801 Words | 4 Pages

The Salem witch trials was one of the most absurd and tragic events in history of pre-colonial America. A fine example of how believing in accusations and hearsay could affect a lot of people in a short span of time. the justice system is flawed and prejudice was allowed to reign over the people. I found this topic very interesting even though it is one of the most regretted in history. I’ve always been the type of person who likes reading all those weird and peculiar things on the internet.

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