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Summary Of Reverend George Burroughs: The Salem Witch Trials

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Imagine that a person is accused and arrested for a crime that they did not commit. Also, imagine this person has been accused not by someone who “witnessed” them commit the act, but is accused by someone who heard the story of them possibly committing it. For Reverend George Burroughs this was a reality. Reverend Burroughs was one of the 20 people executed for witchcraft in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials. He was also the minister of Salem Village from 1680-1683 (Nichols and Whelan). Burroughs was considered “the ringleader of the witches” by those who accused him (Nichols and Whelan). Although he was accused of being the leader of the witches, he was actually the scapegoat for Salem and their witchcraft problem.

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Reverend Burroughs was accused by Ann Putnam Jr., even though she did not actually know him personally (Nichols and Whelan). Putnam Jr. accused Burroughs because of the gossip she had heard from Mercy Lewis. Lewis was the Putnam family’s servant. (Nichols and Whelan). Burroughs and Lewis had met as children because they were both refugees of Native American attacks in Maine (Nichols and Whelan). Putnam Jr. believed that Burroughs had survived the attack by using witchcraft to save himself (Nichols and Whelan). Putnam Jr. had also heard from Lewis that both of Burroughs’ wives had died and others that knew him said he had treated them cruelly. The only evidence to support that he had been cruel and killed his wives were that “Ann Putnam claimed that the two wives came to her as visions and told her that Burroughs had killed them and that he was indeed working for the Devil.” (Nichols and Whelan). This evidence was part of the reason that Reverend George Burroughs was executed. All of Putnam Jr.’s evidence had been not credible in the slightest. Although the court still used this evidence to convict him. Since the court was looking for a scapegoat and a way to explain all the “witchcraft” in Salem they accepted any evidence possible, just as long as it supported killing “the ring leader”; Reverend George Burroughs. The evidence used by the court wrongfully

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The Putnam family was one of the strongest influential forces behind the accusations. Author Anastasia Karson, described the Putnam family as “strait-laced and self righteous, the family placed themselves at the forefront of the social and political circles of the village.” They had positions as Village Committeemen, deacons, and church elders (Carlson). Their positions gave them lots of political power, which enabled them to accuse people without being doubted. The family started to abuse their power by accusing the people that they did not get along with (Wallenfeldt).

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Level 1: Literal In the Wonders of the World by Cotton Mather, Martha Carrier is accused of being a witch and was “...indicted for the bewitching certain persons, according to the form usual in such cases, pleading not guilty to her indictment”. During her trial, many people were called as witnesses to testify against her. Even her children went as far to say that “they were witches themselves, but that their mother had made them so”. Though her children’s statement was not used against her, there was already enough sufficient statements that were claimed to be true “evidence” against the case of Martha Carrier.

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Ann Putnam and Abby Williams were summoned to nearby Andover, where they accused 50 more people and they were mostly strangers. Fortify by their power, Putnam and several other precocious girls started accusing even more people. When they accused Lady Phipps they had gone to far, she is the governor wife, the minister of Boston was forced to step in. Thomas Brattle then wrote something saying that it is a mere fantasy of people and deprived and deluded by the devil, and not a reality to be regarded or minded by any wise man. His letter made a profound ripple in the colony.

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Option D With the incline of Hysteria throughout the village of salem the so called “Virtuous Puritans” became backstabbing in some cases greedy folk who were only in it for themselves. From Putnam to Parris they were profiting trying to gain something or save themselves from trial. Putnam himself would just outlandishly accuse many villagers most likely them all innocent just to gain land for his own greed gains. As a side note to keep himself from the danger of the trials.

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As one of the succession of three ministers who left the Village in the years leading up to the trials, he became involved in the Village 's social conflicts. During his stay in Salem he borrowed money from the Putnam family and when he was unable to pay it back, conflict with the Putnams arose. Burroughs was identified by several of his accusers as the ringleader of the

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Putnam claims that “There is a murdering witch among us, bound to keep herself in the dark. Let your enemies make of it what they will, you cannot blink it more” (16). Putnam is yet another powerful male figure in Salem Betty has taken a grip over in the town. He, in this quote, truly believes that the devil is among the town of Salem based on Betty’s current condition. Reverend Hale, encouraging Tituba to give more names of witches, tells her to look at Betty’s “god- given innocence; her soul is so tender; we must protect her; Tituba; the Devil is out and preying on her like a beast upon the flesh of a pure lamb.

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Much of what happens in Salem still resembles some things we see in society today. The word of one man can change people’s ideas and images of another without conclusive evidence. What people fear the most can sometimes bind us together, even if it is not

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in New England had reached a truly tumultuous point. So much so, that by 1692 male religious dissenters were often met with the same scrutiny as socially ostracized women. In the annals of the Salem Witch Trials no other case best exemplifies this notion than the execution of the Reverend George Burroughs. Burroughs had been the Puritan minister from 1680 until his departure in 1683. Unlike the later Reverend Samuel Paris, Burroughs was not an ordained minister, but he had assumed the ministry for the rural Salem village.

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In the book Crucible written by Arthur Miller took place in 1692. Some may believe that Reverend Hale is not to blame for all the deaths of innocent people in Salem. The only reason Reverend Hale is involved in this case, is because he is pushing his limits to get the truth. Also, to not let any guilty doers off the chain, for the reason that they will keep repeating their dirty crimes. There has been many witch trials taken place in salem, of which many people have been accused and persecuted.

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Another man, George Burroughs, left Salem to settle in Maine immediately before the Indian attacks. His convenient departure attributed to his suspected involvement with the enemy. Burroughs preceded Samuel Parris as minister in Salem Village, and later became the “alleged leader of the witch conspiracy.” These men did not fit the stereotypical witch, making it evident that the politics of the Indian War played an immense role in the witch

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Rebecca is accused for murdering the seven children of Ann Putnam who have died long before any questioning arose. Following this accusation, which is one of many that are false, Rebecca would go through the court process of either admitting to her actions as a witch or

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He is held in contempt of court, sacrificing his freedom of life for the protection of others and for not telling the court who the witness is that claims to have heard Thomas Putnam. Putnam confesses that he had been accusing his neighbors of witchcraft in order to purchase their land. Due to his refusal, he is forced to suffer the consequences that would follow his actions, “You know well why not! He’ll lay in jail if I give his name!” (Miller 1196).

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In 1982, John Demos expanded his theory. Demos plays a very important role in determining a feminist approach to the reason for the Salem Witch Trials. Demos payed close attention to the fact that most of the accused were adult women.17 Teenage rebellion is a theme that comes across in a lot of the late twentieth century ideas.

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