Compare And Contrast Salem Witch Trials And The Present Day American Court System

Almost every society in the history of the world has had some form of a judicial court system, but there are obviously major differences in the various court systems. One of the most outlandish court systems has to belong to Salem, Massachusetts in the 1690’s. The court system of Salem, Massachusetts is so memorable because of the events of the Salem Witch Trials. When you compare the Salem courts from the 1690s to present-day America, it will become quite evident all the freedoms that you get today. The Salem courts from the late seventeenth century and the present-day American courts differ in the freedoms and privileges a person was given, public opinion, and religious bias. There were many differences in the way courts were operated in Salem in the 1690s and the way that courts are operated in present-day America. One of the biggest differences is the type of evidence that was allowed to be used against a person. During the Salem Witch Trials you were allowed to use Spectral Evidence, which is a witness testimony that says that the accused person’s spectral shape appeared to them. In American courts today, hard evidence us required to convict a criminal, and the writ of habeas corpus makes it necessary to

There are still traces of this left in American courts, with the most evident being the oath made over the bible(New World Encyclopedia, 2015). Religious bias is no longer allowed in any form in a courtroom, and its influence on officials has decreased a lot. There is also a lot more public opinion allowed today about the court system and various aspects of certain court cases. In Salem if you were to protest a judge’s decision, you would be accused of attacking the court(New World Encyclopedia, 2015). With that being said, many people did not speak their opinions during the Salem Witch Trials, if they disagreed with