Sarah's Consequences Of The Salem Witch Trials
analytical Essay
1296 words
For centuries the Salem witch trials have astonished historians, and people in general. People were executed based on accusations of being a witch. People were afraid of being accused. Chaos continued to ensue as neighbors, friends, and family turned against one another. The very people who lived under the same roof turned around accused their own flesh and blood of witchcraft. The events that occurred during the Witchcraft crisis would claim the lives of nearly 20 men and women via execution. Witchcraft was considered a capital crime and anyone accused was tried and potentially executed. The only escape from execution was to confess. Several girls, women, and even men stood at the center of a pivotal event in history. There is no real answer …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the salem witch trials have astonished historians, and people in general. the only escape from execution was to confess.
- Explains that sarah's accusation of george jacobs would cause a domino effect, and that his granddaughter margaret also accused him of witchcraft.
- Explains that margaret jacobs and her grandfather george were accused by sarah churchill. margaret was only 17 when she was accused of practicing witchcraft.
- Explains that the indian wars devastated the inhabitants of northern maine. the wabanaki indians attacked saco, a small town in 1680.
Sarah was quite a bit older than the core accusers and afflicted. However, her relation to Mary Walcot connects her to Ann Putnam Jr., one of the most relentless in her accusations. Shortly after Abigail Williams and Betty became afflicted, Ann Putnam Jr. would join them. Ann’s involvement as an accused links Sarah to the group of accusers. Whether it be guilt or fear, Sarah’s affliction appeared to subside. Due to the decline of her afflictions, the other girls quickly turned on her. She was now being accused of, “Signing the Devil’s book.” Sarah now stood accused of the crime she once accused her employer of. In order to save herself, Sarah confessed that her master George Jacobs and his 17 year old granddaughter Margaret Jacobs forced her to. Sarah accused George Jacobs of leading a, “wicked life.” Her accusations do not stop there. Sarah also goes on to include that George Jacobs and his granddaughter Margaret forced her to, “Sign the Devil’s …show more content…
Other afflicted girls came out to accuse George Jacobs. As if the accusation by his own maidservant was not enough, George Jacobs stood accused by his own granddaughter Margaret Jacobs. George Jacobs was an old man who needed canes to get around. It was rumored that he frequently abused his servants when they did not work to his liking. Unfortunately for George Jacobs he had markings on his body that corresponded with what was referred to as a, “witches teats.” These were markings that were said to have been found on the body of witches and wizards as a symbol for their deals with the Devil. The list of people who accused George Jacobs of witchcraft became quite large. Of one of the accusers was John DeRich. John DeRich’s accusations against George Jacobs was interesting in that he claimed spirits had appeared to him. The spirits then requested that DeRich inform John Hathorne that George Jacobs was their killer. If he did not do as they told, he would ripped to pieces as threatened by the spirits of the two deceased people. There was overwhelming evidence that supported George Jacobs as a wizard, but despite the overpowering evidence George Jacobs refused to confess to save himself. He continued to proclaim his innocence and worship of God. George Jacobs Sr. is found guilty for the crime of witchcraft and sentenced to death. The events that preceded George Jacobs Sr. being taken into custody included his
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- The Trials Of The Salem Witch Trialsanalytical essayThe Salem Witch Trials took place in the summer and into the fall of the year 1692, and during this dark time of American history, over 200 people had been accused of witchcraft and put in jail. Twenty of these accused were executed; nineteen of them were found guilty and were put to death by hanging. One refused to plead guilty, so the villagers tortured him by pressing him with large stones until he died. The Salem Witch Trials was an infamous, scary time period in American history that exhibited the amount of fear people had of the devil and the supernatural; the people of this time period accused, arrested, and executed many innocent people because of this fear, and there are several theories as to why the trials happened (Brooks).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials was an infamous, scary time period in american history that exhibited the amount of fear people had of the devil.
- Narrates how samuel parris, a successful merchant and planter, was invited to preach in salem village in 1688. his daughter, betty, became bizarrely ill and the villagers began talking about witchcraft.
- Explains that suspicions of witchcraft came to salem when betty parris' behavior was reflective of the woman in the book. samuel called a doctor to analyze the girls for illnesses, but the doctor couldn't find anything wrong with them. tituba, sara good, and sarah osborn were arrested.
- Explains that tituba, sarah good, and sara osborn were the first three to be accused of witchcraft. the putnams brought their complaint against the three women to county magistrates jonathan corwin and john hathorne.
- Explains that the examinations were arranged in the meeting house (linder) (brooks). the afflicted young girls gave descriptions of being attacked and tormented by the apparitions of tituba, good, and osborn.
- Analyzes how the magistrates, in the common practice of the time, asked the same questions of each suspect over and over. the style and form indicates that they thought the women guilty.
- Analyzes how tituba, after refuting being guilty of witchcraft, broke and claimed she was approached by a man from boston, who she stated to be satan, and was asked to do his work.
- Explains that the governor decided that there needed to be a method of convicting witches, so he made the court to evaluate the cases of witchcraft.
- Explains that the judges allowed the so-called "touch-test" and examinations of the accused's bodies for evidence of "witches' marks"
- Explains that even gossip, anecdotes, unfounded claims, and inferences were acceptable to be presented in court and used as evidence against the accused.
- Explains that bridget bishop was brought to trial for witchcraft by several people in her community, including the afflicted girls, who said that bishop physically harmed them and tried convincing them to sign an agreement with the devil.
1060 wordsRead More - The History of the Salem Witchcraft Trialsexplanatory essayDuring the time of the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692, more than twenty people died an innocent death. All of those innocent people were accused of one thing, witchcraft. During 1692, in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts many terrible events happened. A group of Puritans lived in Salem during this time. They had come from England, where they were prosecuted because of their religious beliefs. They chose to come live in America and choose their own way to live. They were very strict people, who did not like to act different from others. They were also very simple people who devoted most of their lives to God. Men hunted for food and were ministers. Women worked at home doing chores like sewing, cooking, cleaning, and making clothes. The Puritans were also very superstitious. They believed that the devil would cause people to do bad things on earth by using the people who worshiped him. Witches sent out their specters and harmed others. Puritans believed by putting heavy chains on a witch, that it would hold down their specter. Puritans also believed that by hanging a witch, all the people the witch cast a spell on would be healed. Hysteria took over the town and caused them to believe that their neighbors were practicing witchcraft. If there was a wind storm and a fence was knocked down, people believed that their neighbors used witchcraft to do it. Everyone from ordinary people to the governor’s wife was accused of witchcraft. Even a pregnant woman and the most perfect puritan woman were accused. No one in the small town was safe. As one can see, the chaotic Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were caused by superstition, the strict puritan lifestyle, religious beliefs, and hysteria.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witchcraft trials of 1692 were caused by superstition, the strict puritan lifestyle, religious beliefs, and hysteria.
- Explains that puritan lifestyle was one reason that might have caused the witchcraft hysteria in salem.
- Explains that witchcraft began a long terrible time in the history of salem massachusetts.
- Explains that the salem witchcraft trials of massachusetts could have been caused by the superstition of puritans. they believed that witches could send out their specters.
- Explains that the court of oyer and terminer was set up because massachusetts's charter had left and they were waiting for a new one.
- Explains that the salem witchcraft trials were caused by superstition, the strict puritan lifestyle, religious beliefs, and hysteria.
- Explains that hysteria was a cause of the salem witchcraft trials.
- Narrates how giles corey's tongue rolled out of his mouth and he died. the afflicted girls of salem went crazy accusing people of witchcraft.
- Explains that the salem witchcraft trials were a terrible time in history. in 1962, governor phips ordered that no one else could be arrested because of witchcraft.
2587 wordsRead More - The Salem Witch Trialsanalytical essayThe Salem Witch trials were a series of arrests and, in extreme cases, executions of many people in the late 17th Century. It was caused by symptoms with unknown causes and extreme suspicion that led to numerous accusations and relentless panic in the small colonial town of Salem. Entire families were imprisoned, nineteen people were hanged, and many others died in prison. The Salem Witch Trails were a period of chaos that was the effect of judgments based on social differences and prejudices.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how the girls in salem began to act strangely in the winter of 1692. they would run around their houses, hide under furniture, and contort their bodies.
- Analyzes how bridget bishop's actions were used against her when she was accused and executed for witchcraft.
- Describes the salem witch trials as a period of chaos that was the effect of judgments based on social differences and prejudices.
- Analyzes how the actions of young girls resulted in the arrests of many salem citizens. the first three people accused of witchcraft were easy targets for blame.
- Opines that the salem witch trials show how far judgments and suspicion can go and the extreme consequences they cause.
1074 wordsRead More - Essay On The Salem Witch Trialsanalytical essayThe year 1692 and early 1693 saw the prosecution and execution of nineteen witches, an old man stoned to death, several accused witchcrafts dying in jail and close to 28 being cast out of the infamous Salem Village (present day Danvers, Massachusetts) on the belief they possessed power to sway people into doing what they wanted (Goodbeer, 2011, p. 2). Early 1692, the daughter; Elizabeth and niece; Abigail Williams of first Salem Village ordained minister; Reverend Parris experienced and had frightening episodes of screaming, uttering voices and throwing things around. Another girl Ann Putnam also experienced the same and under magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hawthorne influence, the girls blamed their conditions on three women: Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne for performing witchcraft on them (Goodbeer, The Salem Witch Hunt , 2011, p. 14).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the salem witch trials, which saw nineteen witches executed, an old man stoned to death, several accused witchcrafts dying in jail, and close to 28 being cast out of the village.
- Analyzes how richard godbeer's 'the salem witch hunt' puts into account the proceedings of several accused cases with most of the accused being women and the mccarthyism paranoia.
- Analyzes how the salem witch trials faced questioning and backlash from the colony elite after the governor’s wife was accused of being a witch.
- Explains that women's independence was clamped down by the community at large, such as bridget bishop, who ran a bar in salem town, and the puritans who believed in women being vulnerable to satanic temptations.
- Analyzes how the young age of accusers shows that somehow their accounts of hysteria could have been manipulated by an older person being their decisions were influenced by those they stayed with not their independent thoughts (puppets).
- Analyzes how tituba, an outsider of african origin, is the main source of all the evil happening at salem and the primary source for the affliction of the young girls.
- Explains that the puritan community has a male-dominated hierarchical structure designed to ensure that women only work in society is to become submissive to the man, be their companion and bear children.
- Analyzes how george burroughs, a former minister of salem, was accused of being witch. his wife stood by him and confessed against the testimony of john and rebecca putman.
- Opines that the salem trial process was based on the testimony of young girls who were easily gullible and their testimonies could be easily altered.
- Concludes that the salem witch trials bring to light the perception of women in society during the 17th century and most religious and political leaders were men.
985 wordsRead More - salem witchcraft trials cause and effectanalytical essayIn 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).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that salem became vulnerable to conflict in 1692. hurricanes damaged land and crops, the king phillips war affected new england society, and colonists were forced off the frontiers by native peoples.
- Narrates how people became paranoid and began accusing each other of witchcraft in salem between 1691 and 1692.
- Explains that witch trials were not uncommon in puritanical new england, but none had reached epidemic proportions as salem.
- Explains that by 1692 the young girls had continued to make false accusations of townspeople, many of whom were more prominent than others.
- Analyzes how the hysteria between people and families crumbled as children accused parents and friends pointed out friends. the fact that these people did not have freedom of speech and were proven guilty without any tangible evidence caused even more
- Analyzes the salem witch trials as an excessive representation of the social and economic changes taking place in new england at this time.
- Opines that the salem witch trials of the 1690's had an immense impact on american history.
- Describes the works of boyer, paul, clark, clifford e., et. al. in the enduring vision: ahistory of the american people.
586 wordsRead More - In the book Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem, Rosalyn Schanzer describes what happens all because two girls fell ill. When Betty and Abigail started having fits, a doctor diagnosed them as bewitched. Almost immediately they accused the first witch, their slave Tituba. From there all the accusations started pouring out, Ann Putnam Jr., a friend of Betty and Abigail, became “afflicted” as well as multiple others, and soon the jails were overflowing. The first “witch” was hanged on June 10, and the last “witches/wizards” were hanged on September 22. The most likely reasons for the accusations were a thirst for revenge, boredom, and peer/parental pressure.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how rosalyn schanzer's book, witches! the absolutely true tale of disaster in salem, describes how betty and abigail were bewitched and accused tituba. ann putnam jr. became "afflicted" and the jails were overflowing.
- Analyzes how revenge is a motivation for aggression, psychological distress, and the philosophical discussion of punishment and justice in schanzer's witches!
- Explains that boredom was the second reason for these horrid accusations.
- Analyzes how parents influenced their children's decisions based on their own embitterment.
- Explains that the causes of the accusations in the infamous salem witch trials were revenge, boredom, and peer/parental influence.
761 wordsRead More - The Salem Witch Trials: The Beginning of the Hysteriaanalytical essayThe Salem Witch Trails in Massachusetts could be considered a horrendous, dramatic event. The European settlers from England passed the tales of fairies, vampires, and of course, witches, to the newer generations. Later, frightened neighbors accused one another of The Devil's Magic (Blumberg). It was children cursing each other, and adults accusing one another.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trails in massachusetts could be considered a horrendous, dramatic event. european settlers from england passed the tales of fairies, vampires, and witches to the newer generations.
- Explains that there has been a belief of witches for thousands of years. europeans were superstitious between the 1300s and 1700s.
- Describes how betty parris and her cousin, abigail williams, began having nightmares, acting like animals, complaining of strange pricks in their skin, wailing like "a banshee from the afterlife," and everyone's fear came alive when the girls mentioned witches.
- Describes how tituba, sarah osborne, and sarah good were accused of the devil's magic by the group of girls. the town was horrified, not knowing if it was a hoax.
- Explains that the "witch's teat test" wasn't the only form of interrogation or torture. the dunking was when a witch was strapped on to the plank, and lowered into the fathoms.
- Analyzes how the girls accused witches of witchcraft during the early 1690's. if the witch was guilty, the town would waste no time before the execution.
- Explains that the executions took place at gallows hill, a hilly section of land near the town with enormous trees and shallow, unmarked witch graves.
- Analyzes how 19 people died, five men and fourteen women were hanged, giles corey was crushed to death with boulders, two infants died in prison, and over 200 people were on trial.
- Describes the works of marc aronson and jess bloomberg. the salem witchcraft trials of 1692.
618 wordsRead More - The Main Causes Of The Salem Witch Trialsanalytical essayThe 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.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials was a well-known topic taught in history and in english classes.
- Explains that the people of salem believed that satan was the cause for all of the misfortunes the town was having. they believed it was he who caused the war with the indians, congregational strife, and brought disease.
- Explains that the salem witch trials were caused by neighbors and spouses with their past arguments. many used witchcraft as a way to get back at others.
- Explains that children in this time period did not have much to entertain themselves with like children do now. teens and children would come up with something entertaining to do and what would be more fun than taking part in witchcraft.
- Explains that before the salem witch trials began, there were still accusations of witchcraft, but no one had confessed before, giving the town officials/judges nothing to prove. tituba's confession caused mass hysteria and the massive witch hunt.
- Analyzes how tituba confessed to witchcraft, making it harder for anyone to prove that they were innocent. anne hutchinson was taken to court when the clergy took her acts of religious meetings as an attack against the church.
- Explains that the fear of satan in salem and his acting in the world was a major contributor to the salem witch trials.
1246 wordsRead More - The Devil's Diseaseexplanatory essayThe Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a time of hysteria, stress, and destruction. These dreadful trials took place in Massachusetts (“A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials”). During these trials, more than two hundred people were accused of being witches; 24 of them were executed (“A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials”). All of these innocent people were falsely accused. However, it is not possible to fully blame the girls who initiated it, because they most likely had Ergot of Rye which occurs as a plant disease, affects the girls, and caused this incident.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials of 1692 were a time of hysteria, stress, and destruction.
- Explains that reverend parris's daughter, betty, and his orphaned niece, abigail williams, were believed to have ergot, a plant disease caused by the fungus claviceps.
- Explains that ergot of rye originated from massachusetts, where rye was grown. the people of ancient times called the disease "holy fire" or "st. anthony's fire."
- Explains that a common symptom of ergot of rye is convulsive ergotism, which is when the afflicted twist and contort their bodies’ in pain.
- Explains that the girls probably had ergot of rye because of hallucination, which can lead to situations which could cause trouble, in this case, major trouble (the witches curse).
- Explains that delusionals blur the line between reality and hallucination, and the girls would not stop accusing the innocent people of salem village.
- Concludes that ergot of rye was most likely the source of the salem witch trials of 1692 and 1693. the symptoms align with the afflicted manifestation.
- Cites bloomberg, jess, "history, travel, arts, science, people, places | smithsonian." ergotism: the satan loosed in salem?
- Explains that krystek, lee, and ray, benjamin, "salem witch trials." 17th century documents & books. university of virginia, 2002.
566 wordsRead More - About three hundred years ago, the witch trials of Salem were a hot topic. Two young girls deceitfully accused a slave, Tituba of witchery. Soon, callous accusations flew and the joke became a sad, sad reality. Fearing punishment, the two girls kept the charade going. The Puritan religion had no way to publicly admit their sins, and things they regret. Because of this, the trials played a role as an outlet for the society's misgivings. They had a way to express their feelings without being chastised. This anti-witch hysteria caused innocent people to die at the cry of others. In terror of being victimized themselves, people accused others of compacting with the devil. Hoping to possibly move the focus of the investigations elsewhere, many followed this unfortunate path. Hatred, denial, dread, perhaps even shock, were all driving factors behind the actions of the townspeople. In the end, almost two dozen innocent men and women were hanged, and hundreds charged or jailed.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how human emotion plays a major role in prejudice and the politics that surround it in today's society.
- Analyzes how the witch trials of salem were a hot topic in the puritan religion. they were an outlet for society's misgivings, and caused innocent people to die at the cry of others.
- Analyzes how the "red scare" of the '50s is a modern example of how sophisticated people can be brought to such lows.
- Explains that humanistic emotions are quite powerful. in salem, people didn't voice their opinions. they feared speaking out, and became part of the puritan inquisition.
- Explains that greed, misinterpretation, and ignorance are all elements influencing the disease of persecution. reasoning, open minds and common sense can help prevent events like the salem witch trials, the holocaust, women's rights and mccarthyism.
732 wordsRead More