In 1689, a man by the name of Samuel Parris opened up a new church in Salem Village, Massachusetts. Parris had attended Harvard University a few years prior before leaving to pursue a career in ministry. At the time, the village of Salem was divided into two different parts: Salem Town and Salem Village. The two parts of the village were set apart according to their economy, class, and character. The residents of Salem Village were mostly poor farmers, while Salem Town was a prosperous port town with mostly wealthy wholesalers. The division between these two towns is believed to play a small role in the Salem Witch Trials (Economic and Social Divisions). During the winter of 1692, the minister’s daughter, Betty Paris, became extraordinarily …show more content…
The chief justice of the court was an avid witch hunter by the name of William Stoughton. Mather urged Stoughton and the other judges to admit “spectral evidence,” and his advice was followed. The judges, who had little to no legal training, looked to the ministers for guidance. Evidence that would be excluded in courts today, such as hearsay, gossip, and stories, were generally admitted as evidence. The judges allowed touching tests to take place during court. Touching tests were completed by asking the defendants to touch the affiliated person to see if their touch was a touch of the witches. Defendants’ bodies were also examined for “witch’s marks” such as moles. Many protections that are allowed in today’s modern courts such as legal counsel and being able to have someone testify on their behalf were not allowed during the Salem trials. However the witches were able to speak for themselves, present evidence, and cross examine their accusers …show more content…
One of the most famous cases was the one of John Proctor. Ann Putnam, Abagail Williams, Indian John, and eight-teen year old Elizabeth Booth all testified against Procter and his wife during the trial. Booth claimed that ghosts came to her and accused Proctor of serial murder. Proctor denied this over and over and demanded that his trial be moved to Boston. His request was denied and Proctor was hanged. His wife, Elizabeth Proctor, was also convicted of witchcraft; however, she was pardoned from the execution because she was pregnant at the
As the new court was created for the Salem witch trials five judges were assigned, coincidentally three of the appointed judges were really good friends with Cotton Mather. Furthermore, Mather’s own accounts became textual fact for determining the evidence of witches. This heavily influenced the court’s scheme. Mather implied to the judges to seek statements from those that were accused, accepting claims such as a witness testimony that the accused persons spirit or spectral shape appeared to him/her witness in a dream at the time the accused persons physical body was at another location as a legal
Salem Village was a part of Salem town but wanted independence because they had no political or religious power. Half of Salem village wanted to remain with the Town, while the other half struggled and fought for independence. Wealth was also a main cause for arguments between the people in the Village. While it can be broken down as simple as the rich versus the poor, it was much more complicated than that. Instead it was the Porters versus the Putnams, two of the richest families in Salem Village.
Throughout History, women have long struggled and fought for the same equality, justice, and rights as males in society. Historians have two opposing views of what life was like in Puritan society. One side argues that Puritan society was a golden age for women as they worked alongside their husbands, had an important role in the household. However, opposing historians argue that Puritan women were inferior to men in the society for five main reasons. Women were inferior because they were supposed to be silent company, they only received half the inheritance of their brothers, they were meant to have and take care of the children, they received harsher punishment for their wrongs, and they had to follow strict rules.
REVIEW OF LITRATURE A.) SUMMARY SOURCE A Although the whole book had information on the Salem witch trials. The introduction, chapter 1 and 2 and the conclusion had information regarding the research needed • Introduction: states what the Salem witch trials where and who they accused.
In Salem, Massachusetts, in the time of 1692, mass hysteria was created around witches and the idea of the devil being alive in Salem. Salem was a theocratic society meaning that its government is controlled by religious beliefs and practices. As a result of this government, and the era this story takes place, Men took a more commanding role in society. The men took care of the land, and their livestock, and were tasked by God to provide for their families. On the other hand, women in this age took a more quiet role in society.
Most of the chargers in Salem were leveled by economically desperate farmers against more prosecco merchant families. That is one of many things that caused a lot of conflict between the rich and the poor which was one of the many things that led to the Salem Witch trials. Most of the people and the events that were going on were typically associated with the Salem Witch Trials and were centered in Salem
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.
The accused are brought to trials, imprisoned, then and/or hanged. These trials are not fair and do not need proof. An accusation is enough to implicate an innocent person. Finally, by 1692, a suspension on the trials for witch craft was suspended by Governor William Philips of Massachusetts, some ministers, and clergy who believed that justice was not being followed.
The Salem witch trials were the prosecution of people accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts from June to September 1692 by the Court of Oyer and Terminer. Though the trials were held in Salem, the accused were brought in from the neighboring towns of Amesbury, Andover, Topsfield, Ipswich, and Gloucester as well. To this day the trials are considered the epitome of injustice, paranoia, scapegoating, mass hysteria, and mob justice. The results were almost 200 arrests, 19 executed “witches”, one man pressed to death, one man stoned to death, and two dogs killed because they were suspected to be familiars of their owners who were accused of being witches. (Familiars are evil spirits in the form of animals used by witches to cast spells and perform
In conclusion, the Salem Witch Trials affected the little Puritan settlement of Salem, Massachusetts in several
Can you imagine being accused of a crime that you did not commit? This is exactly what happened from June 10th to September 22nd. Twenty innocent women were put to death in a small town by the name of, Salem Boston. This was called the “ Salem Witch Trials.” The Salem Witch Trials were due to a variety of things.
All of John’s family, including his children, were accused. Proctor was executed August 19,
In Massachusetts during 1692, Salem Village underwent a time of grief, trial, death, and Witchcraft. The chaos in Salem Village began when young girls would have what they called “fits” and they would scream vey vulgarly and fall onto the ground and shake uncontrollably (Magoon 6). These fits frightened the surrounding people and the Doctors of Salem couldn't find a diagnosis. After studying and trying to understand the illness they had, the people of Salem came to the conclusion that these girls were possessed by the Devil (Magoon 7). The result would lead to one of the most recognized events in American History, the Salem Witch Trials.
The novel displays many decisions made by the people, in which, they are aware that one must be with the court or they are against it. Members of the community know they cannot sneak by interrogations without fully believing in the court or else they will be hanged for witchcraft. Putnam states, "there is a murdering witch among us, bound to keep herself in the dark" (Miller 16), but perhaps the real murderers are right in front of the people the whole time, calling themselves a
These refugees were from northern New York, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. The displaced people created a strain on Salem’s resources because they did not have their own resources and they used others. That aggravated existing rivalries between families with ties to the wealth port of Salem. (“Salem Witch Trials”, 1). The first witch case involved Reverend Parris’ daughter Elizabeth, age 9, and his niece Abigail Williams, age 11, in January 1692.