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Salem Witch Trials Compare And Contrast Essay

835 Words4 Pages

According to Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage and Hartman (2014), hundreds of people faced accusations of witchcraft, while dozens had to stay and suffer in jail for months without trials. This was known as the Salem Witch Trials. This signaled the erosion of the religious confidence and assurance. Witchcraft was defined as “entering into a compact with the devil in exchange for certain powers to do evil” (Sutter, 2000). During this time period, Puritans believed in witches and that they had the ability to harm others. Witchcraft was considered a sin and a crime, because it denied God’s superiority, and the witch could use the Devil in his or her shape to perform malicious acts against others. Puritans also believed that in order to become bewitched, …show more content…

The first of the evidence was the accused needed to pass a test, such as reciting the Lord’s Prayer. This test was used because usually if the accused person was actually a witch, then in the middle of the test, the person would be known to scream and writhe on the floor. The second type of evidence was physical evidence, which could be any warts, moles, birthmarks, or any other blemishes on the body. These were thought to be places where the devil entered into the body. The third type of evidence was witness testimony, in which any person that observed the accused person doing any type of witchcraft or sorcery could testify in court. The fourth was spectral evidence, in which if anyone saw a ghost or a spirit in the accused individual, than the person must be a witch. This was evidence because Puritans believed that the devil could not take form in any unwilling person. The final type of evidence was the confession, which was usually the only way out. If a person confessed, even if they thought they were innocent, then they would promise repentance, and a person who confessed was never convicted (Witchcraft in Salem,

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There were various amounts of evidence that would be used to identify a witch before convicting them. It was more common to capture malign witches because of their actions. Some of the evidence that were recognized the most were the used in witchcraft. The witches tortured people by using dolls that resembled them in a way. The author states, “When the witch stokes the doll of stick pins in it, the person bewitched is supposed to undergo excruciating pains in the part of the body…

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Anyone who can ascribe their misfortune to a “sorcerer” would help with the conviction. Fourth, puritans believed that Satan cannot take the form of an unwilling person. This is spectral evidence. Thus, of a person saw a ghost in the form of the accused, then the accused must be a witch. Finally, this fifth type of evidence is confessing.

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In 1692, as the puritans of Salem Massachusetts over-turn on each other, they started scapegoating many of their villagers with witchcraft. During this time many were murdered unfairly. The Salem Witch Trials was a reformation of the government. People believed that this was an era where the devil gave certain humans powers to harm others in joining them into their beliefs. It was certain to happen, because many had personal envy which caused many of the accusations,trials, and the implementations.

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INTRODUCTION: During the late 17th century, there were many accusations of witchcraft within the thirteen colonies. Many men and women of all ages and authority were accused of witchcraft. When the British were colonizing North America, the traditions of witchcraft were supposedly taken to the new land with the colonists. The Salem Witch Trials taught people that they shouldn’t believe everything they are told and that people shouldn’t assume something without having specific research that can prove it.

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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

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Witchcraft was a crime that was punishable by death. Many believed that there were truly evil forces at work other believed it was caused by jealousy or mania. The purpose of this essay is to explain what caused the Salem Witch trials. The leaders in Salem at the time were Puritans. “Puritans were Protestant Christians who were unhappy with the church in England.

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Religion was a very strong influence in the lives of Puritans as they followed a very strict moral code and based their entire lives on their faith. Most Puritans were taught from the Bible that "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (Doc. A), which explains why the witch scare was taken so seriously and why the accused were punished so harshly. They believed and feared that "evil spirits were all around" (Doc. C) as noted in Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions by Cotton Mather, who at that time was a reputable expert in the "invisible world. " It seems strange to 21st-century dwellers that people believed that witches could be identified by marks of the devil, as portrayed in an 1853 painting by T.H. Matteson (Doc. D).

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In a Puritan belief system, behaviors that don’t seem real or can’t be explained were viewed as witchcraft. If witchcraft was believed to be the cause then the victim or the person accused would be tried in front of the court and possibly if believed guilty they would be hung and if they confessed however, they would still be punished but not in such a severe way. Elizabeth Proctor has been accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams, if found guilty she will hang. Abigail Williams has agreed to go to trial and is arrested

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Touching tests were completed by asking the defendants to touch the affiliated person to see if their touch was a touch of the witches. Defendants’ bodies were also examined for “witch’s marks” such as moles. Many protections that are allowed in today’s modern courts such as legal counsel and being able to have someone testify on their behalf were not allowed during the Salem trials. However the witches were able to speak for themselves, present evidence, and cross examine their accusers

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Christianity was prevalent in the 1600’s and anyone who didn’t believe in God was seen as a heretic and put to death. In 1641 the colonists established a legal code and put witchcraft as the second one, the punishment for that, of course, was death. The Devil was highly feared and if there was word of somebody using witchcraft a big deal would be made out of it; as The Salem Witch Trials have proven. Women were mainly the ones who happened to be executed because they were also feared, if any woman had the same amount of power as a man she must’ve made a deal with the Devil. All of this made 1692 was an intricate time for the people of Salem Village, Massachusetts.

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The Massachusetts Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were unfortunate, unforgettable tragedies that resulted in the slaughtering of innocents, tests and punishments against accused witches, and ultimately regret that tore a community apart. Puritans were wary of witchcraft so by the end of May 1692 prisons were full of people who were believed to have sold their soul to the devil (Wilson 103). However, the accused citizens had much to say about that outrageous claim. Sarah Good, a woman executed in July of 1692 due to the Salem Witch Trials yelled this as she was being convicted; “You are a liar. I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life God will give you my blood to drink” (Brandt 34).

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In Salem, Massachusetts, Puritans were strong believers in the Bible. The Bible states, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” The Puritans beliefs led to them accusing 20 innocent people of being a witch, this resulted in their deaths in 1692. Even though the Puritans couldn’t see it at the time, their accusations were really based off jealousy, lies, and Salem being divided into two parts. One cause of the Salem witch trial hysteria was jealousy.

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any innocent people in the colonial times who were accused of witchcraft didn't even partake in any of the activities that were associated with witchcraft, were still labeled as witches, and harshly punished or sentenced to death. The people of salem frowned upon witchcraft. the people had come to the conclusion that the devil had come to their town in 1692. Most of the cases of witchcraft were girls were acting strange and doing weird activities with women in the woods believed to be witches.the townspeople thought this was strange and took action.

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Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials began in colonial America in 1692. Many people were falsely accused of practicing witchcraft during the beginning of America. The Puritans of Salem, Massachusetts began to fear that if the colonists close to them could in fact be witches. Most accused people had no evidence against them and twenty people lost their lives to the Salem Witch Trials. (www.smithsonianmag.com) These Puritans came to America because they wanted to Purify the Church of England.

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Most of the evidence was spectral evidence, a testimony of the afflicted who claimed to see the person afflicting them but “devil marks” on the body (moles or birthmarks), poppets(dolls used to cast spells on the represented person), pots of ointment, books of horoscope/palmistry, gossip/stories or “witch cakes”(rye flour and human urine of the afflicted person, which was fed to the dog to see if it was afflicted). Eventually doubts developed as to why so many respectable, wealthy people were guilty to such shocking crimes. Many of the accused were better off financially than the accusers and the accusers often gained their property. Governor Phips ordered for proof of guilt had to given by clear and convincing evidence and many of the trials ended in acquittals until the movement came to a halt. The Court of Oyer and Terminer was dissolved in late October 1962 and a Superior Court tried the remaining cases.

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