The Role Of Reverend Samuel Parris In The Salem Witch Trials

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It was more than 300 years ago, but the actions of three individuals Rev. Samuel Parris, Elizabeth (Betty) Parris and Tibuta created a sense of panic in Salem Village that would lead to the horrific deaths of around twenty-four people. The first was Elizabeth (Betty) Parris who I believe was forced to name people as her tormentors by her father Samuel Parris. In the case of Tibuta her contribution was feeding into the idea of witchcraft and pushing the witch-hunt into a craze. Finally Reverend Samuel Parris was a very important figure in a very religious Puritan town and the problems surrounding his contract with the ministry may have led to his role in the trials.

The Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692 it led to a number of people being tried, convicted and executed for so called witchcraft. It was inflicted by a state of panic due to an over super religious faith all driven by superstition, panic, and rumor. The people of Salem village were acting upon dissatisfactions with their political and social statuses by choosing to blame an unknown force. This tension had been building up long before the …show more content…

In his sermons he began to preach that Satan was devising a plan in Salem to destroy the church. It was Samuel Parris’s motivation for pursuing people to accuse was for political, and personal reasons. His daughter was also one of the girls in the town supposedly under the influence of the devil. He had to show that he was capable of doing something and going after the girls’ tormentors. When the trials started, Samuel Parris turned in complaints, and was a witness and testified against a lot of the people who were accused. There was turmoil surrounding his contract with the church. He started to make separation between those who supported him and those who did not. These were the same people he called