Since 1692 students and adults have learned about the Salem witch trials through the famous play The Crucible by Arthur Lee Miller. Yet, the novel by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum present the story of the witch trials and Salem in a divergent meaning. History is based on power, yet it is obtained and shown in various ways. The various ways in which power is shown in history were uncovered from the many Salem Village and Salem Town residents over an almost 100-year time span. Three prime examples which are money or inheritance, your name, and who did not like who, will be discussed in the following essay. Lets first look at the example of money or inheritance, which was probably the most influential aspects of the Salem witch trials in …show more content…
The second example is who you were or what last name you had. First, the two wealthiest families in Salem Village were the Putnam Family spoken of earlier and the Porter Family, who seem to have been wealthier than the Putnam’s (Boyer and Nissenbaum 111). Despite the fact that the Porter’s had more money they associated themselves as anti-Parris and helped out behind the scenes or quietly (Boyer and Nissenbaum 115). While the Putnam’s were wealthy but not quite as wealthy as the Porter’s, they were outspoken and “bluff” (Boyer and Nissenbaum 115). The approach of the Putnam’s seemed to work as in 1692 more people related or associated with the Porter’s were accused and more than likely hung as witches (Boyer and Nissenbaum 184). One other way their name played a role was if you were considered an outsider. Outsiders made up eighty-two percent of the total group of accused witches in 1692 (Boyer and Nissenbaum 190). While they usually lived outside the bounds of Salem Village; seventeen lived in Salem Town and sixty-six resided in neighboring towns. The remaining thirty in towns of northwestern Massachusetts (Boyer and Nissenbaum 190). In saying this the outsiders either moved into Salem Village, married someone who was from Salem Village or knew someone in the village while they lived in a neighboring town. Bridget Bishop was hanged on June 10, 1692 as a witch, she was also considered an outsider even …show more content…
Yet, in Salem 1692 this was exactly what they did to the people whom they either disliked or hated. Take Sarah Osborne as an example, she was an outsider from Watertown, Massachusetts, who married a Salem Villager Robert Prince. He later died leaving his land to Osborne and their two sons James and Joseph. Osborne soon married her second husband and former hired hand Alexander Osborne, they both then gained full and permanent legal control of the Prince lands in defiance of her late husband Robert Prince’s will (Boyer and Nissenbaum 194). Thus, cheating the Prince boys of their rightful inheritance. This made the Village view Osborne as an evil person who cheated her own sons. Three years after the death of Sarah Osborne her two sons Joseph and James signed petitions supporting Samuel Parris even after Parris helped bring their mother to death (Boyer and Nissenbaum 194). The last example is of John Proctor, who was a tavern keeper on Ipswich Road and a native of Ipswich, Massachusetts. He came into Salem Village in his thirties when he leased one of the largest farms in the area “Groton”, his interests grew further when he inherited one-third share approximatley 1,200 pounds upon his father’s death (Boyer and Nissenbaum 200). Although he was considered an elite by his prosperity and tavern license, he was never in the eyes of Salem
The Salem, Massachusetts Witch Trials have generated extensive evaluation and interpretation. To explain the events in Salem, psychological, political, environmental, physical, and sociological analysis have all been examined. The authors Linnda Caporael, Elaine Breslaw, Anne Zeller, and Richard Latner all present differing perspectives to speculate about the events of the Salem Witch Trials. This changing interpretation and perspective has resulted in an extensive historiography to explain the
One cause of the witch trial hysteria was economic status. According to historian Paul Boyer, the eastern half of Salem was prosperous and gained political influence, whereas the western half was poorer and lost political power (Doc. E). Many of the accused witches were on the eastern half, while the accusers were
The inhabitants of Salem village were Puritans who left Great Britain to pursue their religious freedom. However, their search for the sacred land was merely a dream; as they set foot on the new land, they faced numerous challenges. In the article, Boyer and Nissenbaum point out, “problems which [confront] Salem Village … :the pressure of commercial capitalism and the social style that [accompany] it; the breaking away of outlying areas from parent towns … the shifting locus of authority within individual communities and society as a whole” (Text 194). These social and economic problems created a conflict between Salem village and Salem town - in other words, the gap between the poor and the wealthy, “a community … that its inhabitants experienced two different economic systems, two different ways of life, at unavoidably close range; and so structured politically that it was next to impossible to locate” (Text 195). These differences were directly responsible for socioeconomic tensions. However, socioeconomic problems weren’t the only reasons of the tension as the authors believe factionalism play a role as well. According to the authors, “[t]he charges against Daniel Andrew and Phillip English, for example, followed closely upon their election as Salem Town selectment” (Text 195), therefore, these charges were merely a reason to eliminate political opponents. Yet that wasn’t the worse part, the population of the village was divided into two factions: pro-Parris and anti-Parris. After analyzing many different cases, the authors conclude, “supporters of the trails generally belonged to the pro-Parris faction, and opponents of the
What do you fear in our twenty-first century society? Terrorism, inequality, losing your home, or injustice? Salem, Massachusetts during the seventeenth century feared injustices among the government. Individuals hid and lied to keep safe from being condemned as witches. This era of history is known as the Salem Witch Trials. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible explores the Salem Witch Trials while following the lives of several individuals. The fear and mistrust among the seventeenth century Salem society can be directly related to today’s twenty-first century society. Americans have lost hope and belief in their government creating individuals who are scared to stand up for what is right. Glancing into our twenty-first century world comparisons can be made among the Salem Witch Trial era. Today, compared to seventeenth century, realization of fear of governmental policies, erratic and chaotic life styles, and the condemnation of individuals standing up for what is right become evident and similar in both societies.
The Salem Witch Trials is a devastating event in which 19 people and dogs were killed due to the cry of witchcraft. The outburst of these events could be blamed on several things. Certain things like economics, medicines and culture have to be taken into account when trying to understand the events of the Salem Witch Trials. People like Franklin Jr. Mixon, Linnda R. Caporael, Dr. Allan Woolf, Elaine G. Brewslaw, and Isaac Ariail Reed take into account one of the three: economics, medicines and culture and explain as to why or why not the event happened the way it did disregarding all the other factors.
The purpose of my paper is to compare and contrast Arthur Miller’s The Crucible with the actual witch trials that took place in Salem in the 17th Century. Although many of the characters and events in the play were non-fictional, many details were changed by the playwright to add intrigue to the story. While there isn’t one specific cause or event that led to the Salem witch trials, it was a combination of events and factors that contributed to the birth and growth of the trials. Some of these events included: a small pox outbreak that was happening at the time, the revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter by Charles II, and the constant fear of Native attacks. These helped in creating anxiety among the early Puritans that they were being punished by God himself.
The Salem Witch Trials were a series of prosecutions of men and women who were accused to practice witchcraft or have associations with the devil. The first Salem witch trial began with two girls in 1692, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams who started to have “fits”, in which they would throw tantrums and have convulsions. The random outburst of the girls threw the town of Salem into a mass of hysteria. Although historians have not found a definite reason or cause for the witch trials, they have taken different approaches to explain the hysteria that took over Salem. Some historians approach a psychological theory by proposing the girls suffered from diseases that made them act out. Other historians refer to factors such as religion, economics, and weather to explain the beginnings of an unforgettable time in Salem, Massachusetts. For over 300 years, historians have tried to reveal the truth about the beginnings of the Salem Witch Trials, but in order to do so historians must look at both the way of life in Salem in the seventeenth century and use knowledge that is available now to explain the phenomenon.
In 1692, the small town of Salem, Massachusetts was in a state of unrest. The farming families in the western part wanted to split from the town and form Salem Village. These separatists felt that Salem’s increasing economy was creating individualism and taking away from the communal nature of Puritanism. The family leading these separatists was the Putnam family. They started a congregation under Reverend Samuel Parris, which only increased division between the two blocs.
In his view, the girls were “under an evil hand” (Godbeer 2). Thus the quote from local Salem Village physician William Griggs in January of 1692, to start what became known as The Salem Witch Hunt and Trials. At the end of the seventeenth-century, the small village of Salem Massachusetts was predominantly Puritan and governed by Puritan laws. The Puritans were educated, middle class folk who were able to pay for themselves and their family’s way across the Atlantic.
As flawed people, achieving perfection is an impossible task. Yet, despite this inevitability, individuals strive for perfection only to reveal and witness imperfections. The Puritan lifestyle attempted to achieve this unattainable mission by setting strict morals upon the people of Salem, Massachusetts, however they struggled to do so. Salem faced a major change as a result of the Puritan ambition. Because of their thought on the ideal community as a straitlaced society, those who portrayed an imperfect model were to be isolated. Suspicion flooded the holy Puritan town, and led to accusations of innocent people. After a close analysis, it may be relevant to look at the Puritan belief system as a possible catalyst for the events that occurred during the Salem witch trials.
In 1692 the area of Salem town and Salem village became very vulnerable to conflict. Severe weather such as hurricanes had damaged land and crops, the effects of King Phillips War began to impact New England society, and colonists were being forced off of the frontiers by Native peoples. The Church and the government were in heavy conflict. And those residing in Salem began to grow suspicious of one another when some prospered and others hadn’t (Marcus, p13).
All participants in the witch-hunt were influenced by the society that existed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Salem operated as a theocracy, a government ruled by and subject to religious authority. In a theocracy, people's sins are not forgiven, so that when they commit an indiscretion, they are left feeling guilty. "The witch-hunt was....a long overdue opportunity for everyone so inclined to express publicly his guilt and sins, under the cover of accusations against the victims." (p. 7) Characters such as Abigail Williams and Mrs. Putnam used the witch-hunts in the way cited above, as a method of confessing their sins without being accountable for them. Others used the chaos created by it for their own benefit. Thomas Putnam made his daughter Ruth accuse both George Jacobs and Rebecca Nurse so he could buy the resulting unclaimed land after they were hung. Any character that accused, confessed, or in any way joined the witch-hunt failed his or her test.
In the period of the Salem Witchcraft trials the colonist ran their courts with the use of empirical evidence (Craker, W. 1997, pg.350). Jail during this period had horrendous living conditions with many of those awaiting trials, and others serving sentences dying from varies reasons during their time imprisoned (Craker, W. 1997, pg.357 & 358). The beliefs of the people running the justice system was that of people who wanted to bring retribution to those who had committed non-spectral acts, while at the same time showing mercy to those who confessed to their crime’s (Craker, W. 1997, pg.345).
This paper will pertain to the Salem Witch trials and the wrong things that happened
The thoroughness is one of its key strengths, allowing for people of varying knowledge about Salem to gain an understanding of the events and background of the witch trials. The author includes multiple sources to show the exceptionally varying ideals and their effects on Salem. “the peace that came under Joseph Green's conciliatory leaders... the important role religious strife played in the events of 1692”(Latner, 2006, 118). Joseph Green completely paralleled his predecessors, he was responsible for restoring order to Salem. This is significant because it shows the impact that ministers had, they had the power to change the town completely, Green was one of the first to not cause strife. Compared to Christine Leigh Heyrman’s “Witchcraft in Salem Village: Intersections of Religion and Society” Latner’s article correlates with the central idea that religious leaders and religion itself started the witch