Salem Lifestyle Triggers Death
The Salem Witchcraft Trials were part of an important time in colonial history. Taking place in 1692, the trials were triggered by a group of girls gathering to read palms.
What started as a session of innocent palm readings, though, turned into a series of courtroom meetings. The trials resulted in chaos and disruption throughout the town of Salem. Various causes for the trials existed, but among these reasons were the religious state of the community, the unstable condition of the village, and the colonists’ way of life.
The colonists of Salem village were Puritans, and the preachings of this religion played a major role in the cause of the trials. The religion in the colony was based upon Puritan theology. Puritan theology was influenced by John Calvin, who believed that the “elect” would prosper (Burner 43). All of the Puritans believed that God set up the social classes in each community. If someone was meant to prosper during their life, God was the reason that person was born into a wealthy class. Every person lived their life the way God intended them to live it. The felt resentment towards any people who went against this belief. For example, the Nurses were a family that had gained wealth during the course of time, and were not originally born into a high social class. The resentment that many colonists had towards the Nurses influenced why the Nurses were accused and held as suspects in the courts of Salem (Starkey 65).
Followers of the Puritan religion also believed that all people made a covenant with God. For this reason, they all lived together in harmony with God (Burner 43). This would explain why people were so hasty in accusing people of witchcraft. The Puritans did not want anyone breaking the harmonious world that they lived in.
The Puritans also believed strongly in the Bible. All religious followers were expected to believe anything that was written in the scriptures and gospels of the Bible. For this reason, all of the Puritans were expected to believe in witches since the Bible contained stories about them. During the time of the trials, it was especially a shock to the colonists if anyone said that they did not believe in witches. In some circumstances there were people, like Elizabeth Proctor, that stated a disbelief in witches (Miller 70). The colonists thought i...
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...e also intimidated in other ways. They felt they had to confess rather than go against the court. As a result, many people made false confessions in fear of being tortured or hanged (Starkey 93).
The Puritans valued their orderly way of life, and believed people who disrupted it should be punished. Puritan society was very restricted and limited. Great resentment was felt towards the people who were accused of witchcraft because they were disturbing the contentment of life (Tobin 1). Also, “the Puritans believed that one bad person in a colony could bring God’s punishment down on all—like a smallpox epidemic—so many people were worried. They looked for the common fear of witchcraft to get the colonists back to the Puritan way of life”. (Zeinert 19).
Even though the Salem Witchcraft Trials were based upon much false evidence, many other things affect it. The trials fell at just the right time to be taken to the extreme measures that they were taken to. The Salem Witch Trials would not have taken place if it had not been for the extremely religious state of the community, the unstable condition of the village, and the strict beliefs and way of life of the colonists.
...in their family to become sick and possibly die. Many people were accused of witchcraft. More than twenty people died all together. One person was flattened to death because he was accused of witchcraft. When people were accused they had to go to jail, which the conditions were terrible. Then, they had to get a trial from the Court of Oyer and Terminer. After an accused witch had their trial, and went to jail, they would be carted off to Gallows Hill. This was the hill where all the witches were hanged. After a witch was hanged, later that night, their family would usually take the body down and give it a proper burial. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were one of the most terrible times in the history of America. As you can see the chaotic Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were caused by superstition, the strict puritan lifestyle, religious beliefs, and hysteria.
...appenings of everyday life turned into something more. From the belief that women were more susceptible to evil intimidation and for having a weaker constitution since Eve was tempted by the Devil to having a non-existent court system to settle disputes between neighbors or just the fact that there were people who saw an opportunity to gain personal wealth, the Salem witch hunt and trials was more than just a religious cleansing of the community by pious people. They were a microcosm of what could happen when people do not understand the relationships between themselves, their neighbors and the natural cause and effect of the world around them.
First, the Puritan values and expectations were strict, and those who had defied their teachings would have been at a much higher chance of being accused as a witch. Second, economic struggles within Salem Town and Village had further divided the two, by crop failure and livestock death. Ultimately causing economic damages. Third, personal opinions and disputes had contributed to the trials and accusations. The law system was unfair during the trials, so when or if someone was accused the court would side with the accuser, unless of course, they were a witch themselves. In conclusion, the people who died and who were accused of witchcraft were not really witches, Salem and it’s inhabitants were under the influence of mass hysteria, personal beliefs and grudges that eventually became the chaos of the Salem witch hunts of
The puritans were very religious. They wanted to show everyone what happens if you are good and believe in god and the heavens. If you do bad things you would be punished or be killed. If you do good things you can be hand chosen to go to heaven.
A series of events occurred leading up to, and during the Salem Witch Trials making the situation far detrimental than it should have been. Salem, Massachusetts became the main focus in 1692 when over one hundred people were falsely accused of practicing witchcraft. Twenty were executed by being hanged, one by being pressed, and one-hundred and fifty-six jailed. Women played a big role in the trials. Most of them were the accusers, and the unlucky ones were the accused. The Puritans of this town had just recently moved from their old homes, so living in a new environment may have had an effect on the outrageous hysteria. People were not good with change. With that being said, Individualism began to conquer the principles of Puritanism while trying to protect oneself. Humanity was in a panic from trying to deal with new economic expansion. “The Puritan inhabitants were always alert to the “signs” that
From the beginning of time there has been conflict between the views of different people and their different groups. Conflict has brought prejudice and fear into communities around the world. As conflict is an inescapable part of any society, it can be expected to extend to the greatest impact possible. The Salem Witch Trials are one such conflict. This conflict caused many to be accused, arrested, and killed. Because of social, economic, religious, and physical problems within the community, Salem Village was present with prejudice and panic causing the Salem Witch Trials.
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” was the Puritan leaders’ standpoint, as they fervently trusted the Bible and this perspective comes straight out of the Bible (The DBQ Project Document 1). So by this standpoint, they thought it was better that if there was a chance that someone was a horrid witch, then they should be killed. This encouraged the leaders to abolish all possible witches, which eventually took the lives of dozens. Also, “...the minister George Burroughs as their scapegoat because they disapproved of his unusual religious views” clearly shows that the people accused could have a strong part in personal disagreement or controversy(Shanzer 114). Finally, “ if the Putnam family, Reverend Parris, and Lewis were out for revenge, they were about to get it” reveals that the accusers were clearly out for revenge on Nurse’s mother, and took it out on Nurse herself over a family controversy (Shanzer 51). Clearly, the reasons of why people were accused should be considered when discussing the fairness of these
Puritans believed in the devil and his role as strong as they believed in God and his role. For many centuries, Puritans had the idea that the weakest individuals in society often committed diabolical acts and sins. Furthermore, Satan selected the most vulnerable individuals to do his bidding, among these individuals, women were often held responsible for many sins, including witchcraft. (Godbeer 12). According to Richard Godbeer, in his book, The Salem Witch Hunt, “it was Eve who first gave away to Satan and seduced Adam.” (Godbeer 12). In 1692, witchcraft became a panic among Puritan society. Even though both men and women were accused of witchcraft, women were seventy-six percent more likely to be accused in Salem than men. (Godbeer 12). Puritan society was a male dominate society and men looked down upon women. There were two particular reasons to why women were often accused of being witches. The first reason, was in due to the Puritan belief that women were the source of evil. The second reason was because of certain events that associated with accusations. These events were being of relatively low social status and income, being rich or financially independent and being a midwife or nurse.
The Puritans believed in the idea of predestination. Predestination is the concept that God elects those who will go to Heaven and Hell by the time they are born into this world. So with this idea that was founded by the Puritans themselves, I think they would shun those who appeared unnatural or different to them. In their eyes, to be elected by God and stay away from the snare of the devil, they would constantly stay at work. Only resting for went they went to bed. So naturally, the Puritans came up with the concept that the Devil overcame the body of someone with weak will and transformed them into a witch. One fact of concern that I found to be interesting was that there was an abundance of more killings in puritan colonies associated to witchcraft as opposed to England. Why were there more killings of civilians in colonies in America as opposed to civilians who lived in England during the witch trials? Was this because of religious differences? Or was this resulting from a need to be accepted ...
To understand how the Puritans viewed religion, one needs to look at how they understood their Christian God. The Puritans knew God though the bible and what their ministers preached. They did not believe that God would speak directly to mortals. The Puritan Minister Robert Cushman once stated, “Whereas God of the old [Testament] did call and summon our fathers by predictions, dreams, visions, and certain illuminations…. Now there is no such calling to be expected for any matter whatsoever.” In the Puritan’s time, if God was to speak directly with a mortal, it was thought to be the devil in disguise. One Puritan woman, Anne Hutchinson, was believed to have predictions from God. This infuriated the Puritans because they did not believe in the idea of God giving her visions and thoughts. They believed that Satan was the one giving her these visions and thoughts. Consequently, the Puritans then banished her into the wilderness outside of Massachusetts Bay. This shows that the Puritans treated anyone who did not totally agree with them as an outcast to their society.
The Salem Witch Trials is a well-known topic taught in history classes and in English classes. It was a time in which numerous, innocent people (mostly women) were killed because they were believed to be partaking in witchcraft. There are many possible causes as to why the Salem Witch Trials occurred. These known causes stemmed from the belief that Satan is acting in the world whether it be through giving a disease or recruiting new witches to work for him, kids that were bored and brought it upon themselves to lie that they were witches to have fun, and confessions leading town officials to believe that their belief that witchcraft may exist is true since people are coming forward and confessing.
The Salem witch craft trials are the most learned about and notable of Europe's and North America's witch hunts. Its notoriety and fame comes from the horrendous amount of people that were not only involved, but killed in the witch hunt and that it took place in the late 1700's being one of the last of all witch hunts. The witch craft crises blew out of control for several reasons. Firstly, Salem town was facing hard economic times along with disease and famine making it plausible that the only explanation of the town's despoilment was because of witches and the devil. As well, with the stimulation of the idea of witch's from specific constituents of the town and adolescent boredom the idea of causing entertainment among the town was an ever intriguing way of passing time.
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