What Is The Conflict In The Salem Witch Trials

Eliza Davis Coach Hatfield U.S. History 8 February 2018 Conflict in The Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trails itself was a very corrupted but significant event in history. These trials took place in a settlement called Salem, which was a part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony at that time. In January of 1692, a group of young girls mysteriously became ill and started acting out in abnormal ways. This group of girls was later known as the "afflicted girls". The group known as the 'afflicted girls" consisted of Mary Wallace Scott, Ann Putnam Jr., Mercy Lewis, Abigail Williams And Elizabeth Parris. In February of

When the examination occurred, a confession was made from Tituba that she along with Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne had communicated with Satan and that they had agreed to let him bind them as witches. This confession created chaos and caused the hunt for witches to become larger and more common. More than 200 people were later accused of being a witch. Of the 200 accused, 19 of them were hanged. Those accused whom survived were either pardoned, escaped jail or were found non-guilty (Brooks, Rebecca B). Fear of the devil and his witch binding was an example of scapegoating which caused the start of the Salem Witch Trials. The fear of the devil was very strong throughout Salem, Massachusetts. When Tituba confessed that she had spoken to the devil, this confession

This court consisted of eight judges and was known as the Court of Oyer and Terminer. The talk of people being accused as witches grew, which spread around to the neighboring colonies and people were brought to Salem over from those neighboring towns and later were put on trial. Those accused were brought on trial and were questioned by a judge. Those accused then had to decide if they wanted to plead not guilty or guilty. In the center of Washington Street, these trials were held in the Salem Courthouse. Kept in a dungeon were those who had been accused of being a witch or performing witchcraft. It was believed that if those accused were kept in a regular jail sail, that their spirit could still escape and do harm onto their victims. Bridget Bishop was once accused of witchcraft, but she later was cleared of the crime. Bridget Bishop was then accused of witchcraft by the five afflicted girls which later led to her being sentenced to death after her trial. On June 10, 1692 at Procter Ledge, Bridget Bishop was hanged and became the first victim of the Salem Witch Trials. The hanging of five more people occurred after the death of Bridget Bishop. One of the Five victims that was hanged was Rebecca Nurse. Rebecca Nurse was a highly respected woman which was a significant part of the Salem Witch Trials because women accused were usually considered antisocial or unpopular. She