Cause Of The Salem Witch Trials
explanatory Essay
1369 words
The infamous Salem witch trials began in the Salem village of Massachusetts in 1692, when a group of young women claimed to be possessed by the devil thus setting a spark of other local women accusing each other of practicing witch craft. Even though none of these were said to be true, however those that were accused were usually either trialed or hanged in front of the fearful townsmen. As a result of these accusations on fellow townsmen over 150 people died from the Salem Witch Trials. The practice of witchcraft was commonly believed in the English colonies, the people of Salem Village was very edgy and fearful of death. They were afraid of death by starvation, death by exposure, and death by savages, due to these paranoia it led to the paranoia …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials began in 1692, when a group of young women claimed to be possessed by the devil.
- Explains how salem priests used "touch test" techniques to tell whether someone was a witch. the puritans used spectral evidence to prove that the victim saw the spirit or the shape of the "witch."
- Explains that the puritans migrated to north america to escape the discrimination that was put upon them. they settled in massachusetts and established a strict religious system.
- Explains that the salem witch trial was a tragic moment in the early colonist history. the court system accused people of being witches with bizarre techniques like spectral evidence and the touching method.
Tabooed in England by Catholic leaders, they choose to migrate to North America to start new and escape the discrimination that was put upon them. Upon coming to the new world they settled in Massachusetts and established a strict religious system where a person had to attend the norm of a weekly three hour sermon that everybody attended. Those that didn’t attended or choose not to attend were deemed as a witch because they choose to ignore god and are seen aligned with the devil and influenced by him …show more content…
Thus the first witches to be accused were Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn who were accused of bewitching them and had been in recent contact with these two. Although accused Tituba was the first to admit to being a witch and confessed that Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn and four other women of being witches. She admitted that four other unnamed women made her hurt the children. With that it started the Salem Witch Trails and begged the questions who the other four witches were? Soon others were accusing their neighbors or fellow townsmen of being a witch just to save themselves from being accused. Shortly after a number of women were accused thus overwhelming the court system of Witchcraft cases. In the early stages of the Salem Witch Trials many women who were accused usually fitted the image of being a widowed or not going to church every week. During these the early times many townsmen believed in norm and the society that the Puritans lived upon mostly reflected it. However as many months passed it began to get so ridiculous that it was over land disputes and family crops. Most people who accused of being a witch if their neighbors crops were wiped out or
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- How Did Tituba Salem Witch Trialopinionated essayThe Salem Witch Trials were horrendous days in which a reasonable amount of people died, and it certainly caused a severe impact in the society of Massachusetts Bay. The nonsensical Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts Bay were mostly due to the strong connections that the colonizers had with regard to the bible that leaded them to hang and jail innocent people. In fact, plenty of people felt that Satan was behind all the witchery that was going on, and some other thought that Satan was inducing evilness into people; especially in old women. Women were more likely to be considered to be witches because they were expected to be more docile and mentally weaker, which made them more susceptible to be tempted by the devil. For this
In this essay, the author
- Explains the nonsensical salem witch trials in massachusetts bay were mostly due to strong connections that the colonizers had with regard to the bible that leaded them to hang and jail innocent people.
- Opines that the salem witch trials were a result of people getting crazy when it came to hunting witches.
- Explains that women played an important role in the salem witch trials because they were the main targets. the first accused women were tituba, sarah good, and sarah osborne.
- Opines that the salem witch trials were an era that massachusetts bay residents would never forget, not only for the witchery things that were happening, but for innocent people who were killed.
877 wordsRead More - Salem Witch Trials Research Paperexplanatory essayThe harsh realities of life in the rural Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts generated from the aftermath of war with France in 1689. The people of Salem feared attacks from neighboring Native American tribes. Fear of catching the recent small pox epidemic flowed throughout the entire town. During the 14th century in Europe, people began to believe in the supernatural. Practicing the devil’s way was said to give certain humans the power to harm others in return for their loyalty. This wrongful practice began to spread throughout the world. Suspicion and resentment towards fellow neighbors and the fear of outsiders caused an outbreak known as the Salem Witch Trials.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the harsh realities of life in the rural puritan community of salem, massachusetts generated from the aftermath of war with france in 1689.
- Describes how elizabeth paris and abagail williams became ill in 1692. the doctor of the salem village diagnosed the girls with bewitchment.
- Describes the three women who afflicted witchery on elizabeth paris and abagail williams. tituba was a slave woman who confessed to seeing the devil.
- Explains that sarah good and osborne claimed their innocence, but tituba confessed. martha corey and rebecca nurse were accused of witchery.
- Describes bridget bishop as the first official victim of the salem witch trials. she was hung on june 10, 1692 at gallows hill.
- Narrates how the community questioned the truth behind the trials. john proctor's third wife, elizabeth, was also accused of witchcraft.
- Narrates how john alder jr. was accused of witchcraft while passing through salem while on his way to his hometown of boston. he was arrested and put in jail for 15 weeks, escaped to new york where he was later found innocent.
- Narrates how the elderly giles corey was arrested, but refused to plead guilty or not guilty. he was stripped naked and forced to lay on the ground.
1043 wordsRead More - Cause Of The Salem Witch Trialsexplanatory essayIn 1692 the town of Salem, Massachusetts was home to one of the most controversial upsets in judicial history. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions in which several people in colonial Massachusetts were accused of performing witchcraft. The supernatural was a commonplace observance in 17th-century North America. “:Witchcraft cases were hardly unknown in New England in the 1600s—more than a hundred were recorded before 1692—but they were mostly isolated, widely separated in time and space, scattered around the colonies”(Brandt 38). However, from 1560 to 1670, witchcraft persecution became a concentrated epidemic throughout New England. There are many theories as to the origins of these trials and superstitions, but none that provide justified reasoning as to why they should have occurred.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the salem witch trials, a series of hearings and prosecutions in which several people in colonial massachusetts were accused of performing witchcraft.
- Describes how betty paris and her cousin abigail williams began to have fits beyond natural causes during the winter months of 1692.
- Explains that overzealous religious puritan faith fueled by superstition, panic, and rumor caused mass hysteria throughout the salem villagers.
- Explains that the salem witch trials of 1962 took the lives of 24 people, 20 of whom were executed, and four died in prison. the puritans felt they were being punished by god.
- Opines that the infamous trials are a measure of how much the american judicial system has changed over the course of three hundred years. the american people have been able to eliminate the causes of such an epidemic and can be better prepared for the future.
727 wordsRead More - Why Did Salem Witch Trials Occuranalytical essayOn October 31, thousands of people across the nation put on a black dress with a black pointed hat. Some even go as far as to paint their faces green and carry around a broomstick. Each of these people decided to be a witch for Halloween this year. However, little do these people know that the real life witches of the seventeenth century looked nothing like that. In fact, those accused of witchcraft over 300 years ago could be any one of us today. Some were young and some were old. Some were married and some were widowed. Who was a witch had barely anything to do with one’s appearance. So if it was not one’s appearance that made them a witch, why were people accused of witchcraft? Why did the Salem Witch Trials occur? These questions
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the salem witch trials must be understood in order to prevent anything like them from happening again.
- Explains that the puritans believed in the supernatural and were always looking for the cause and meaning of everything that happened in their lives.
- Explains that religious and superstitious beliefs in the supernatural were common to seventeenth century puritans.
- Explains that the death of cotton mather, or rather what happened prior to his death, carried great significance with the puritans in his community.
- Analyzes how samuel sewall found reassurance in the appearance of a rainbow. he believed the rainbow meant christ remembered his covenant with his people.
- Analyzes how le beau and godbeer agree that one must look through the eyes of those who participated in the salem witch trials rather than through a modern day lens.
- Explains that the puritans believed that god was active in the physical world, but also believed the devil caused different events. the colonist's fear of the indians and the afflicted girls was evident.
- Explains that the colonists had conflicts with the indians for several years before the trials began.
- Analyzes rosenthal's book salem story: reading the witch trials of 1692. the colonists believed both god and satan were present in day-to-day life.
- Analyzes how the colonist's fear of the indians can be seen in tituba, a key character in the salem witch trials.
- Argues that multiple sources provide evidence and argue that the indian wars played a role in the massiveness of the salem witch trials.
- Explains that the colonists feared the devil in the afflicted girls. they believed that witches in salem had agreed to be servants of satan.
- Explains that ann putnam was one of the most notable afflicted girls during the salem witch trials. she was responsible for the deaths of several people with her testimonies against them.
1301 wordsRead More - Cause Of Hysteria And Witch Trials In Salem 1692opinionated essay“Bridget Bishop, please step forward.” "No, I am innocent to a witch.” Though everyone thought she was a witch, Bridget Bishop was not. Lots of other people went through this same persecution. Tons of innocent women and men were accused of practicing witchcraft. The cause of hysteria and witch trials in Salem 1692 was what? I am certain that it is a group of young girls. Based on the documents given in my class, it is because the girls were jealous, power seeking, and craving attention.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the cause of hysteria and witch trials in salem 1692 was a group of young girls who were jealous, power seeking, and craving attention.
- Explains that the main gender group of accusers were women, and that most people in this town got very little attention.
- Opines that the girls wanted power, respect, and to be feared. in the first case on witchcraft, bridget bishop (the accused) would fake being tortured at any moment. charles upham was a historian.
- Opines that the gang of young ladies may have been jealous of the poor land they lived on, or wanted their homes and/or land.
- Concludes that the young women were the most likely cause of the salem witch trials. they wanted attention, power, and jealousy.
475 wordsRead More - What Is The Cause And Effect Of The Salem Witch Trialsargumentative essayThe Truth: The Salem Witch Trials began in Massachusetts around 1692 and lasted till 1693. People started to get accused of practicing witchcraft which was known as “Devil’s magic” to the point where it was thought that nearly 200 colonist might be in the practice. Many religious people, most of which stood by the Christian faith, assumed that the Devil himself could give people the power to hurt others way of life in exchange for their loyalty. Around the early months of 1692, Betty Parris, age 9, and her cousin Abigail Williams, age 11, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris began to have “fits” to the point where they would throw things around the room, make strange and unique sounds, and shape themselves into bodily positions that weren't very comfortable.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials began in massachusetts around 1692 and lasted till 1693.
- Describes how betty parris, abigail williams, and ann putnam's symptoms were blamed for being supernatural or unknown by a local doctor.
- Describes how osborne, good, and tituba were trialed in front of the jonathan corwin and john hathorne and interrogated for several days at a time.
- Analyzes how a group of young women are striking curiosity of witchcraft being used within the puritan community of salem in 1692.
- Compares nicholas hytner's "the crucible" to the real-life salem witch trials. the plot and storyline can still be applied to modern times.
589 wordsRead More - Salem Witch Trials Vs Holocaust Essayexplanatory essayIn 1692, the Salem Witch Trials first started to occur(Miller). The very first group of people were falsely accused of consorting with the devil and up to twenty were executed(Miller). There were many ways people could get accused of being a witch, but the most were not improving from a sickness, married with few or no kids, and have been accused of other crimes before(Miller). Most deaths were by hanging, burned at the stake, or hung upside down from a tree where accusers would swing them back and forth causing hallucinations(Miller). The Salem Witch Trials escalated quickly with 110,000 people tried for witchcraft and between 40,000 to 60,000 were executed(Miller).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials and the holocaust did not happen at the same time but had many things in common such as false accusations, betrayal, and differing religious beliefs.
- Explains that the salem witch trials began in 1692, when people were falsely accused of consorting with the devil and up to twenty were executed. most deaths were by hanging, burned at stake, or hung upside down from a tree.
- Explains that the nazis targeted jews because they were an alien threat to the so-called "german racial community" in 1933, and by 1945 germans killed nearly two out of every three jews.
- Explains that both the holocaust and salem witch trials punished and alienated the people they believed were different and embodied the devil.
- Explains that the holocaust and the salem witch trials were deliberate and horrible events that took place in our world's history.
450 wordsRead More - The Salem Witch Trials In 1692: Afflicted Womenanalytical essayThe Salem Witch Trials in 1692 is a time of “afflicted girls” with false beliefs. During this time the puritans believed that they were under attack from the devil and so they “…began fasting in order to [their town] of the devil’s influence” (Salem Witch Trials 1692,1). During this time girls were given pressure to find woman who were bewitched and bring them to court. During these trials, men, woman and children went absolutely crazy, believing lies about upstanding citizens. These lies sent innocent woman to be hung, or even crushed by a boulder. “Nineteen victims of the witch hunt had been hanged, one crushed to death under the weight of stones and a least four died in prison awaiting trial” (Salem Witch Trials 1692,1).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials in 1692 was a time of "afflicted girls" with false beliefs. they were given pressure to find bewitched women and bring them to court.
- Analyzes how the salem witch trials picture shows how people were acting absurdly, making the women on trial preform ridiculous acts to prove if they were bewitched or not.
222 wordsRead More - 5 Paragraph Essay: The Salem Witch Trialsexplanatory essayThe Salem Witch Trials began in the spring of 1692 in the small village of Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Witch Trials began because some young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil. More than 150 people where accused to witchcraft, and twenty people died.The Salem Witch Trials were famous, many innocent people were accused of being witches, and many innocent people were killed.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials began in the spring of 1692 in a massachusetts village. more than 150 people were accused of witchcraft, and twenty people died.
- Explains that the salem witch trials were famous because they were hanging and deaths due to being accused of being witches. from june to september 1962, 19 men and women were convicted of witchcraft.
- Explains that the salem witch trials accused many innocent people of being witches. the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and tried to hide it.
- Explains that the salem witch trials killed many innocent people. eight people were hanged for alleged crimes as witches. the puritans led more than 200 accusations against anyone suspected of witchcraft.
- Explains that the salem witch trials were famous because many innocent people were accused of being witches. the colony admitted the trails was a mistake and tried to hide it.
315 wordsRead More - Events In The Salem Witch Trialsanalytical essaySalem Witch Trials In the spring of 1692, a group of three girls were claimed to be possessed by the devil. This caused a wave of mass hysteria to wash over the city of Salem, Massachusetts, resulting with the unjust death of over nineteen people. The Salem Witch Trials can be attributed mostly to belief in the supernatural, mass hysteria and fear of the unknown. 9-year-old Elizabeth Parris and 11-year old Abigail Williams displayed bizarre behaviour, including random outbursts of gibberish, convulsions and contortions.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials were attributed to belief in the supernatural, mass hysteria, and fear of the unknown.
- Explains that tituba, a slave from the west indies, was the first suspect. she was known for telling the girls about her native folklore, including omens and voodoos.
- Narrates how tituba confessed she was involved in witchcraft and claimed there were other women involved as well. she was approached by a tall man from boston.
- Describes how the trials overwhelmed the local justice system. william phips ordered the establishment of a special court of oyer and terminer on witchcraft cases.
- Explains that george burroughs, the village's ex-minister, was accused of being the "ringleader of the witches." his efforts were in vain and he was hanged.
- Explains that giles corey, who suffered the same fate as the rest of the accused, was pressed to death under heavy stones. his wife martha was hanged.
- Describes the names of 19 accused witches hanged on gallows hill: bridget bishop, rebecca nurse, sarah good, susannah martin, elizabeth howe and sarah wilde.
- Opines that there were other witches that died in prison, including sarah osborn, roger toothacker, lyndia dustin, ann foster, and others.
- Analyzes how the reverend hale argued that it was better for ten suspected witches to escape than one innocent person to be condemned.
- Analyzes how property disputes and congregational feuds played a big role in determining who was innocent and who wasn't. governor phips blamed the entire affair on william stoughton, who refused to apologize or explain himself.
- Analyzes how the salem witch trials proves that we shouldn't succumb to our irrational fears. it also shows how unjust the punishment system can be.
923 wordsRead More