Jonathan Higbee Mr. G English 11 6 December 2022 Causing the Salem Witch Trials Five hundred to a thousand people killed, how does a religion manage to do that? In England from the 15th to the 18th century the witch trials took place. Between June 1692 and May 1993, the Witch Trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts. The Puritan culture was the religion present during the Witch Trials. Few religions are tied to such a well-known event as the Witch Trials. So, if the Witch Trials were such a terrible event what ingredients are needed for such a recipe of disaster. The Puritan culture’s fear of God, hyper-fixation of perfection and religion-based government led to the Witch Trials. God was the entire focus of the Puritan religion. If someone …show more content…
After the Puritan Religion was formed and split off from the Church of England, they could not fully escape all the “unholy” practices of the Church of England. This led to many different families leaving England to go to America. “The fact that the Puritans had left England to escape religious persecution did not mean that they believed in religious tolerance. Their society was a theocracy that governed every aspect of their lives” (Baracskay). The idea of a theocracy is extremely dangerous because it creates a system without balance. Not only does the church control personal life and the choices people make, but because the church oversees the government as well it controls laws and what is right and wrong. Brittanica only adds to this by saying “The New England Puritans fashioned the civil commonwealth according to the framework of the church. Only the elect could vote and rule” (Britannica). If only the people controlling the religion could vote and rule, then the religion is able to control everything that the government is doing. This imbalance of power opened the gates for the church to become a judge, jury, and executioner of the Puritan people. In the play The Crucible we see this happening repeatedly. The courts were able to accuse people of being witches in the name of God. Then after being accused in the name of God, they were tried and excused in the name of God. This cycle is what the Salem Witch Trials were until the system finally
The Mass Hysteria of Salem Mass hysteria struck colonial Massachusetts in 1692 when several hearings took place known as The Salem Witch Trials. In this small town of Salem, there were 141 people arrested, 19 people hanged, and one person crushed to death. Why would this take place you ask? They were all accused of witchcraft, the Devil’s magic, and it was not taken lightly..
The Background of the Salem Witch Trials and How They Affected America The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692 when teenage girls’ behaviors were questioned at reverend Samuel Parris’ house. The girls were accused of performing dark ritual dances in the woods. They would randomly fall on the ground and scream hysterically. After this strange event this type of behavior was spreading throughout the whole town.(History of salem). There were 140 people accused of being witches.
The Salem Witch Trials are widely known in American History. My inquiry into the trials consists of a series of questions: What was the purpose of mainly targeting women? How did the trials overall affect future legislation? How did the trials change society then and now? This will introduce the misogyny behind the trials, the ages that were mainly affected, and why they were targeted.
Since its discovery, America has been a haven for the discriminated, the ambitious, and the religiously persecuted. The original New England colonies which embodied all three of these attributes and set the stage for future immigrants were influenced by the Puritans. The Puritans were a religious group who were unsatisfied with the teaching of the Church of England. They continuously pushed for greater reforms and fought to “purify” the church, thus the name Puritans. By the seventeenth century, they had begun searching for places outside Europe to practice their religion without dispute or antagonism.
Our topic, on the Salem Witch Trial, was chosen because we were inspired by a lesson taught by our 7th-grade social studies teacher, Mr.Wong. He had discussed the Salem Witch Trial as part of the 7th-grade curriculum; we were fascinated by this topic that we wanted to learn more about this event. What captured our interest? It was mostly due to the fact that this topic involved witchcraft since at this day it would most likely not be accepted. We found that the Salem Witch Trial was significant to the US’s history since it foretold the fragility of the US’s society in the past when reacting to a magical threat.
One main cause for the Salem Witch Trial was religious hysteria. Puritans believed that any sin should be punished. Witchcraft and magic were major sins that were considered the greatest crimes to commit. There was a constant fear
How would it feel to be accused of and punished for something you didn’t do? In Massachusetts in the 17th century, many people were accused of witchcraft and suffered punishments for crimes they didn’t commit. These people were often unfairly tested and then killed if they performed the test the way a “witch” would. This essay will describe how the Salem Witch Trials had a strong impact on society’s view of witches, showing what can happen when people make opinionated decisions and spread rumors. Salem was a village that was secluded from surrounding towns, and its residents were very religious.
There were a number of religious factors that contributed to the Salem witch trials. Among these are the influence of the strict Puritan lifestyle, the believed presence of the devil in the community. On Salem Witchcraft Trials, an internet article, Linda Alchin states, “Puritans practised strictness, simplicity and austerity in their religion, lifestyle and conduct. Puritans were strongly opposed to sensual pleasures and were strong advocates of propriety, modesty and and decorum.” (Alchin).
The Salem Witch Trials : People Involved, Causes and Trial Tests Considered to be one of the most infamous events in United States history, the Salem Witch Trials caused around 200 people to be executed while seven men and 13 women were given the death penalty. There were many people involved that greatly influenced the Salem Witch Trials. Witch Trials tests were performed hundreds of times in order to determine who was a witch. Occuring in 1692, the Salem Witch Trials were a series of events that involved many people, had several different causes and performed dozens of witch trial tests. During this time, there were many people involved that greatly influenced the Salem Witch Trials.
The accused witches in the Salem Witch Trials were blamed for many things. Like random deaths, out of the ordinary events, crops dying and many other things. The People accusing the "witches" would do many different test to see if they were witches. They would hold the accused witches underwater and if they drown then they weren't witches, if they were still alive they were witches and then got hung. So either way the people still died, guilty or not.
In The Crucible, religion and government were so closely interwoven that it blurred the lines between right and wrong which affected the way people reacted and behaved. At the peak of the witch trials, the Puritan society was considered a theocracy. They build the belief of the religion around the idea
Sadly, in even today's society people pay the price for something they didn’t do without proper evidence. Thirty-three men and women paid the ultimate price for being accused of witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials are a famous mark on the history of the United States, which led to the conviction and execution of those accused of witchcraft in 1692 in Massachusetts. This time is history shows the human brutality and what extremes people will go to when face-to-face with fear. The terrifying Witch Trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts during the Puritan Era were never fully resolved, since then many theories have evolved over time for the cause of them.
In 1692 the people of America witnessed the worst show of human greed and violence disguised in the veil of religion, The Salem Witch Trials. With the fear of divine punishment, these trials in the early courts of Salem prosecuted at least 185 thought-to-be witches on the basis of religious beliefs, leading to twenty public executions and 4 others to die in prison (Conforti, 2008, p. 1). What these Puritan colonists learned at the end of these trials impacted the lives of those present, and the course of American History. These trials brought about the Age Of Reason in America, changing how we interact socially, our skepticism, and our ability to think and live life without threat of divine power. The Salem Witch Trials ultimately helped shape the future of America.
Many practicing Christians, at the time, believed that the Devil could persuade people to use the powers that he gave them to harm others. The Salem Witch Trials occurred because of resource struggles, many women were accused and tortured, and in the end the Governor realized that it was a big mistake. (“Salem Witch Trials”, 1). In 1689, English rulers William and Mary started a war with France in the American colonies which sent many refugees into the Essex County and Salem Village.
The Salem Witch Trials were one of the most dreadful times in the history of Massachusetts; many people got put to death for absurd reasons. The trials began because a few teenage girls essentially bored with their puritan lives; they wanted to do something different. Therefore; they forced many people to believe that there was an evil power among them, encased in friends, neighbors, and even family members. This preposterous theory that the girls brought to the small, quaint, puritan town of Salem, turned out to be extremely devastating to the town and the people who inhabited it.