Salem Witch Trials Research Paper
explanatory Essay
1043 words
The 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 1692, Elizabeth Paris and Abagail Williams became ill. Elizabeth …show more content…
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.
Both Sarah Good and Osborne claimed their innocence, but Tituba confessed. The women were thrown into jail and for months after, several accusations were made. Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse were both known as an upstanding member of the church and community, until they were accused of witchery. Even Sarah Good’s four-year-old daughter, Dorothy, was questioned and suspected of being a witch. Her answers were given as evidence to the magistracy. By May of 1692, the number of cases grew by the dozens. Governor William Phipps setup a special court and trial system to determine whether the accused were innocent or guilty. The first person to go trial was Bridget Bishop. The girls accused her of hurting them physically and trying to make them sign a pact with the devil. During her trial, she repeatedly told the judge as defense to herself that she was innocent. Bishop said, “I know nothing of it, I have done no witchcraft…I am as innocent as the child unborn”. By the end of her trail, she was found guilty and convicted of witchery. Bridget Bishop was hung on June 10, 1692 at Gallows Hill. She is known as the first official victim of the Salem Witch …show more content…
She was arrested. Following her arrest, many members of the community signed a petition for her to be released. She was looked upon as a well-respected member of the community. The petition failed and on July 19th Rebecca Nurse was found guilty and then executed. After her execution, the people of the community began to question the actual truth behind the trials. A total of five more people were hung in July. John Proctor’s third wife, Elizabeth, was also accused of witchcraft. When John began to defend his beloved wife, the community and authorities began to point fingers. John’s former server, Mary Warran, told the magistrates that Proctor had beaten her for putting up a prayer bill. She then accused him of making her touch the devil’s book. The Proctor’s were sent to trial on August 5, 1962. They were found guilty and sentenced to death. John Proctor was hung on August 19, 1962. Elizabeth was pregnant at the time. She was granted reprieve until after she gave birth to her baby. Another person who was accused of witchcraft was John Alder Jr. The accusations were made by a child. John Alder Jr. was passing through Salem while on his way to his hometown of Boston. The child spotted John Alder Jr. accused him of witchery. John was arrested and put in jail for 15 weeks. A few of his close friends bailed him out and he escaped to New York where he was later found innocent. By the end of August, five
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- The Importance Of The Salem Witch Trialsexplanatory essayTheir first case was Bridget Bishop and on June 10, she was found guilty and hanged on Gallows Hill (Blumberg). Another trial was Martha Corey. On Friday, March 11, 1692, was the day that Salem fasted and prayed. On that day, Rev. Parris asked the girls to reveal another witch. They found their next victim, and her name was Martha Corey. She was a new member of the congregation. She was sarcastic responding. The accusers acted with agony and acted to be forced by an unseen power to mimic the movement of the witch. “On Monday, the 21st of March, they decide her examination of Corey.” She ended up denying the charges and that they could not prove it so they sent her to jail (The Salem Witch Trials, 1692). After all of this, the aftermath of the accused, Governor Phipps after his own wife being questioned for witchcraft, prohibited further arrests, released many accused witches and dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer on October 29. By May 1693, he pardoned all who were in prison on witchcraft charges. But the damage had been done; 19 were handed on Gallows Hill, a 71- year old man was pressed to death, and the rest of them died in jail waiting to be
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials happened in colonial massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. the court admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted.
- Explains that salem had a colorful history before the witch trials. many of the residents believed that the economy made it too individualistic.
- Explains that the puritans were discontented in the church of england. they believed the bible was god's true law and provided a plan for living.
- Explains that witch hysteria was an important factor in the deaths of many innocent people. it began with two girls, betty parris and abigail williams, reading books about witchcraft and fortune telling.
- Opines that the executions were terrible and should never have occurred. the judge, william stoughton 1631-1701, insisted on admitting spectral evidence.
- Explains that hysteria, ergot, and the localization of the rye crop were factors that led to mary warren becoming ill.
- Explains that john hawthorne was one of the many judges in the salem witch trials. he was a prospector rather than an impartial judge.
- Describes how governor william phipps ordered the special court of oyer and pardoned all who were in prison on witchcraft charges.
- Opines that salem's witches disappeared, but witch hunting in america did not. each generation must learn the lessons of history or risk repeating its mistakes.
- Explains that english rulers william and mary started a war with france in the american colonies. they sent refugees into the country of essex and salem in massachusetts bay colony present day denver’s, massachusetts.
- Explains that ergot grows on cereal grains like rye in a slightly curved, fusiform shape with sclerotic replacing individual grains on the host plant. it appears that females were more liable to the disease than males.
- Explains that mccarthyism was a modern witch hunt. the paranoid hunt for infiltrators was difficult on writers and entertainers. arthur miller's the crucible ran broadway at the martia beck.
- Opines that learning a lesson from these events so hopefully this tragedy never occurs in any way ever again is important. trials should always be equal and fair to anyone, no matter the situation.
2143 wordsRead More - History Of The Salem Witch Trialsanalytical essayThe New England Colonies of seventeenth century America were quite different from the other colonies in North America at this time. The climate was colder and the rules of religion much stricter, thus having an impact on the colonists living in this colony. The physical and cultural environments of these colonies were without question a factor that played a major part in the Salem Witch Trials.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the new england colonies of seventeenth century america were quite different from the other colonies in north america at this time. the physical and cultural environments of these colonies played a major role in the salem witch trials.
- Analyzes john m. murrin's essay coming to terms with the salem witch trials, which details the events of these trials and explains why they might have occurred.
- Explains that the trials were not representative of the overall puritan experiment, but rather marked a significant deviation from the group's standard legal practices.
- Analyzes how the process of accusing someone of witchcraft changed significantly in salem. murrin explains that this led to judicial irregularities and hysteria in the town.
- Explains that the witch trials in salem were a special case. there were no executions in plymouth, rhode island, new hampshire or maine.
- Explains that the salem witch trials were one of the last major crises that occurred in the english atlantic world.
- Explains that the colonists turned to witchcraft as the reason for the unexplained. in most early new england trials, adult men brought accusations against post-menopausal women.
- Analyzes how witchcraft was overwhelmingly afemale in new england and western europe. women were the primary suspects in the 1692 salem witch hysteria.
- Explains that new england accused people of witchcraft more than any other region of colonial america. of the first twelve to stand trial, eight were sentenced to death.
- Analyzes how the magistrates of salem town used witchcraft to blame others instead of taking responsibility into their own hands.
- Opines that puritan culture in new england and massachusetts was stricter than in the other colonies. the salem witch trials were a difficult time in history.
1155 wordsRead More - Witchcraft In Salem Research Paperanalytical essayThe book Witches! The Absolutely True Tale Of Disaster In Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer is about the Salem Witch Trials. In January 1692, three women were accused of being witches by two girls who claimed to be “tortured” by them. More and more women and men were accused for about a year until the trials stopped. Overall, more than 200 people were accused, but why? There had to be a reason for these people to be accused. Some of the top reasons for people to be accused of witchcraft were poorness, feuds or revenge, and different opinions/beliefs.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that rosalyn schanzer's book, witches!, is about the salem witch trials.
- Analyzes how the people of salem could have disliked sarah good because she was an ungrateful, pipe-smoking beggar.
- Analyzes how the putnam family had a feud with george burroughs over money that he owed, and the witch accusations gave them the chance to accuse him of being wizard.
- Analyzes how mary warren, a former accuser herself, recanted, but no one liked her because they believed that witches were real.
- Explains that there were many reasons why a person could be accused of witchcraft, like poorness, feuds or revenge, or different beliefs or opinions. the common thread in all these accusations is that they were unfair and unjust.
742 wordsRead More - The Accused: The Salem Witch Trialsopinion essayMany of the implicated were social outcasts and easy targets for the allegations of witchcraft. It was not difficult for the people of Salem to get behind these accusations of peoples involvement with witchcraft based on many of their unwanted presence in the community. “Many historians believe the girl’s parents were egging them on and encouraging them to accuse specific people in the community that they didn’t like in an act of revenge” (Brooks). There were a couple distinctive ways that evidence was admitted into the trials; all of which were obviously not fail proof. The first was a type of test where the accused were asked to simply recite a prayer. This was of course a hugely corrupt way because many the accusers were known to scream
In this essay, the author
- Explains that many of the implicated were social outcasts and easy targets for the allegations of witchcraft. there were a couple distinctive ways that evidence was admitted into the trials.
- Opines that the aftereffect of the trials on its victims and victims' families is the most sustainable and heartbreaking part of history.
407 wordsRead More - Similarities Between Salem Witch Trials And Mccarthyismanalytical essayIn 1692 Salem’s town reverend caught a number of the town's girls ,including his daughter and niece,dancing in the woods. The girls began to accuse people of witchcraft. There were over 200 People accused before Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth was called to Salem. Tituba , Rev. Parris’s slave who was also caught with the girls dancing black magic , quickly confessed to the crime to spare her life . There was no real evidence, so anybody could be convicted . People lived in fear of being
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the salem witch trials and mccarthyism both began with differences in someone's religious and political views.
- Describes how salem's town reverend caught the girls dancing in the woods and began accusing people of witchcraft. the town convicted and killed two dogs as witches.
- Explains how senator mccarthy hunted out communist party loyalists in america. the army began questioning mccarthy's method and credibility. president truman issued background checks for every civilian working for the u.s. government.
259 wordsRead More - Witch Craftexplanatory essayIn 1688, a wayward daughter of John Goodwin of Boston, about thirteen years of age, accused a servant girl of stealing some of the family linen. The servant's mother, a "wild Irish woman" and a Roman Catholic, impassioned disapproval the accuser as a false witness. The young girl, in revenge, pretended to be bewitched by the Irish woman. Some others of her family followed her example. They would alternately become deaf, dumb and blind, bark like dogs and purr like cats, but none of them lost their appetites or sleep. The Rev. Cotton Mather, a simple and conceited minister rushed to Goodwin's house to ease the witchery by prayer. Wonderful were the supposed effects of his desire. The devil was controlled by them for the time. Then four other ministers of Boston and one of Salem, as superstitious as himself, joined Mather they spent a whole day in the house of the "afflicted" in fasting and prayer, the result of which was the delivery of one of the family from the power of the witch. This was enough proof for the minds of the ministers that there must be a witch in the case, and these ignorant minister prosecuted the ignorant Irish woman as such. She was confused before the court, and spoke sometimes in her native Irish language, which nobody could understand, and which her accusers and judges explain into involuntary confession.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the belief in witches and witchcraft was almost everywhere around the seventeenth century. the puritans brought it with them to america.
- Narrates how a wayward daughter of john goodwin of boston, about thirteen years of age, accused the servant girl of stealing some of the family linen. the young girl pretended to be bewitched by the irish woman.
- Analyzes how misunderstanding poeple ridiculed mather, who defended his cause by the claim of so-called facts. he called the afflicted daughter of goodwin to his study, when the artful girl thoroughly deceived him.
- Describes how a niece and daughter of the parish minister at danvers were first sick. their strange and undependable actions frightened other young women, who soon exposed the same symptoms, such as epilepsy and irregular swellings in the throat.
- Explains how the afflicted and the accused became so numerous that no person was safe from suspicion and its consequences.
- Narrates how a citizen of andover, who was accused of untruth of character, immediately caused the arrest of his accuser and laid his damages at five thousand dollars.
- Describes how the devil's majesty was made the scapegoat for the sins and foolishness of justice, churchly, and people.
- Explains that the delusion had control in greatest excitement over six months, and it was not calm for more than a year.
2335 wordsRead More - Justice and Injustice in The Crucible by Arthur Milleranalytical essayOne of the first people to be charged, was Rebecca Nurse, wife of Francis Nurse, a well-respected man of the community. This disturbance caused great anxiety amongst the people in Salem, as they would have least suspected Rebecca Nurse to be one to deal with the Devil. "If Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing's left to stop the whole green world from burning." Goody Putnam was the one to accuse her of witchcraft, for the death of her seven babies, but even with no just proof, Rebecca Nurse is hanged for "sending her spirit out on them."
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how justice and injustice in arthur miller's "the crucible" are portrayed through the characters of john proctor, elizabeth and abigail williams, mary warren and mercy lewis, and danforth.
- Narrates how innocent people were taken away and forced to admit that they were witches to free themselves from a public hanging.
- Explains that rebecca nurse was charged with witchcraft for the death of her seven babies, but she was hanged for sending her spirit out on them.
- Explains that walcott accused martha corey of witchcraft, to settle a score that had happened four or five years ago.
- Explains that martha corey's husband, giles, refused to give the name of a man who heard putnam say he was "killing his neighbours for their land."
- Explains that abigail williams had an ulterior motive to destroy elizabeth proctor. she believed if she removed elizabeth, she would have john to herself.
- Analyzes how elizabeth is charged with murder because of abigail's twisted plot of sticking a needle in herself to signify her "familiar spirit" pushing it in.
- Analyzes how proctor no longer tried to protect himself and admits to having an affair with abigail. elizabeth is called in to secure these claims, but does not admit to john being an adulterer.
- Analyzes how mary warren, a follower of abigail williams and john proctor's servant, wanted to confess to the court, the falseness and injustice of the whole incident, and the girls' imagination running wild.
- Analyzes danforth's claim that witchcraft is ipso facto, on its face and by its nature, an invisible crime. he prefers to believe the word of abigail and the girls, over any other members of the community.
- Analyzes how mary warren and john proctor challenge the court proceedings by mary admitting that the information that abigail and the girls are giving are false. mary turns her back and accuses john of witchcraft.
- Analyzes how proctor "confesses" to dealing with witchcraft, to save his life, after being told that it would be a public notice, rips up the confession, as he knows his reputation will be destroyed.
- Analyzes how the crucible mocks the way society deals with justice. salem is torn apart due to abigail's imagination and power.
924 wordsRead More - Essay On The Salem Witch Trialexplanatory essayThe Salem Witch trials was a series of hearings and prosecutions of people that were being accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts during 1692-1693. During the prosecution's 20 people were killed by being hang’d and most of them were women. Women and some times children were the most targeted people for being accused for witchcraft.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people that were being accused of witchcraft in massachusetts during 1692-1693.
- Explains how a group of women claimed that the devil had possessed them and started to take over them. the first woman to tell her story was bridget bishop, who was hanged later that june.
- Explains that abigail and betty were the first two accusers of the salem witch trials. they were spotted running around, waving their arms all over the place, and trying to hide underneath chairs.
- Explains that bridget bishop was accused of being a witch because she played shuffleboard, dressed in provocative clothing, was outspoken, and owned more than one tavern.
- Explains that being accused of being a witch was common during 1692. many lives were taken for no reason because of false accusation. no one really knows if someone was actually bewitched.
585 wordsRead More - History Of The Salem Witch Trialsexplanatory essaySydney Smyth Mrs. Julie Voth English 9B May 8, 2014 Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials of 1692-1693. The witch trials created great fear to Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. This was a dark and harsh time in American history. The story of the trials has become synonymous with paranoia and injustice.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials created great fear to massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. the story of the trials is synonymous with paranoia and injustice.
- Explains that witches were defined as people who signed the devil's book, thus giving him permission to use their body to harm others. evidence was used to prove they were being controlled by satan.
- Explains that the first girls to experience symptoms were betty parris, abigail williams and many other girls in salem village experienced mysterious symptoms.
- Explains how the general court ordered fasting and soul-searching for the tragedy of salem. the colony passed a bill restoring the rights and names of those accused and granted them money for restitution.
- Opines that the salem witch trial was a dark time in american history. over 200 were accused, 19 were hanged, people were infected with fungus, which was misinterpreted as being controlled by the devil.
- Cites burmberg, jess, and a+e networks staff on the salem witch trials.
590 wordsRead More - Salem Witch Trial Analysisanalytical essayThe women of the witch trials during Salem 1692, are being prosecuted at an astounding rate. These came from several matters with the court. They believe in the evidence to convict someone on charges of witchcraft is to produce unmistakable evidence of guilt (Godbeer 24). Upon entering the courtroom, the women are already guilty in the eyes of the jury. Based purely on the evidence from the afflicted girls, the only way to survive this trial is to confess your faith. The witch trials are anything but fair for the women of the town.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the women of the witch trials during salem 1692 are being prosecuted at an astounding rate. they believe in the evidence to convict someone on charges of witchcraft is to produce unmistakable evidence of guilt.
- Analyzes how the court in salem hysterically convicts women who claim to have seen apparitions of a witch. the only way to save one's life is to confess on the stand.
- Opines that the legal proceeding of the court in salem 1692, is a travesty to the women. the panic and fear these women felt consequently pressure them into false confessions.
587 wordsRead More