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The salem witch trials primary source documents
Salem witch trials and historical analysis
Salem witch trials and historical analysis
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Did you know that you had to believe in God and the Devil and if you only believed in the devil they considered you as a witch. In 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts people were accused of witchcraft and some were hanged. A respected man named Cotton Mather wrote something about devils and witches walking the earth.
In the May of 1692, Increase Mather returned to New England with Sir William Phipps. By the time of their arrival, the witch trials were already taking place, having started a few months prior in February. As the witch hunt in Salem escalated, the prison cells started to fill up with individuals accused of witchcraft. The confusing political situation following the ascension on William and Mary and the new charter allowed for a court Oyer and Terminer to be put in place on the 27th of May 1692. The lieutenant governor, William Stoughton, became the chief magistrate for this newly appointed court.
The reasons that made me believe this were the age, where they lived, and jealousy. To start, if you examine each document you start to notice patterns. The most common pattern I found was between the accusers and the accused. In document 5 it states the gender, age, and relationship of both accusers and accused.
In addition, one cause of the Salem Witch Trial hysteria was sexism. Evidence of this is from the Salem Court Records where out of 20 people executed for witchcraft 14 were women and six were men(Doc A). This evidence shows that there were more women than men being executed and accused of witchcraft. The people were sexist against women because they weren’t as many men being executed and accused. The accusers, who were mostly women, were being sexist against other women that were being accused.
Fair amount, right? On the west side imagine 17 witches and 2 accusers. Much more witches than accusers. Not only are the numbers different but here 's the thing, the west side of Salem had been gaining more wealth than the east side. The east side had lost complete political power and farmed poorer land while the west side gained wealth and political influence.
The Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692 may have been instigated by religious, social, geographic and even biological factors. During these trials, 134 people were condemned as witches and 19 were hanged. These statistics also include 5 more deaths that occurred prior to their execution date. It is interesting to look into the causes of this stain on American History, when as shown in document B, eight citizens were hanged in only one day.
What Caused The Salem Witch Trials? As we were sitting in the courtroom I could feel everyone staring at me like a was a serial killer about to be put away for life. However, what I was about to endure was much worse than that I was about to be hung for being a witch the worst crime to be accused of. As we were sitting there all I could think about was the 19 before me to be hung because of being accused of being witches
In today’s society witches are usually linked with Halloween. Kids envision witches flying across a moonlit sky on broomsticks and having slinky black cats as pets. Evil cackling, pointy hats, bubbling cauldrons, and ugly physical appearances spring to mind. All of this is in good fun and people open their doors and give little witches candy and smiles. There is no fear.
Imagine being a wealthy 45-year-old woman in 1692 being accused of being a witch. The Salem Witch trials were caused by jealousy, fear, and lying. People believed that the devil was real and that one of his tricks was to enter a normal person 's body and turn that person into a witch. This caused many deaths and became a serious problem in 1692. First of all, jealousy was one of the causes of the Salem witch trials.
Salem was a town divided into two sides, the west side being poor, and the east side being where wealthy people stayed. Document E shows that the accusers were mainly on the west side, and the accused witches were mostly on the east side, this showing that the poor were the ones mainly accusing the rich and wealthy. Document E’s evidence is backing up the theory that another cause of the Salem witch `trial hysteria was Salem being divided, with one side accusing the other. “Although” statement where you agree there might be other contributing causes. It is true that other causes may help explain the hysteria.
In Salem, Massachusetts the year was 1692. Bridget Bishop hung from wooden scaffolds on Gallows Hill with a noose around her neck, the villagers watched as she took her last breath. This event took place during the Salem Witch Trials, where more than 200 people were accused of practicing witch craft. Over twenty-three people and two dogs were executed for that reason. In 1693, the wife of the governor of Salem was accused of practicing witch craft, so naturally, he ordered the trials to cease at that point.
Salem is the perfect town for these witchcraft accusations to occur. Salem is a rural town that is isolated from the rest of Massachusetts. Since it is isolated the people won’t experience changes in culture like everyone else. The government was Puritanism so the Church had all of the power and Salem didn’t know about enlightenment ideas so they believed it.
Salem, Massachusetts, USA and occurred between February 1692 and May 1693. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned and even more accused; but not pursued by the authorities. 29 were convicted of witchcraft but only 19 were hanged. The best known trials were in the Court of Oyer and Terminer.
In American history, the Salem Witch Trials serve as a prime representation and example of intolerance and injustice. The Salem Witch Trials were trials that went on for approximately one year, it all began when two girls claimed that they were being possessed” by the devil and they accused some women of witchcraft. The two “afflicted girls” accused the very first three victims, Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. The Salem Witch Trials began in February of 1692 and ended in May of 1693. The Salem Witch Trials are an important representation and illustration of prejudice and injustice in American history.
Excellency, surely her claims and this trial deserve to be re-examined. Human lives are on the line! Have you thought of the unfairness of this court? If the devil lives on such confidence (Act 3, p78), the court is surely the devil or it worships his majesty for believing the girls’ false claims without even requiring a single piece of evidence from them. Giles Corey and John Proctor presented the court with credible and tangible evidence.
