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political aspects of the witch trials
salem witch trials and historical analysis
puritan influence on america
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The Salem witch trials occurred between 1962 and 1963 in Salem Massachusetts. The number of people executed ranges from somewhere between eighteen and twenty . There are a lot of factors and events that helped influence and create the trials. Some of the main factors were religion, politics, and the hyped up fears of people. Salem was the last place in America to hunt witches. Church was a major aspect for residents of New England. Most people in Massachusetts were puritans, people who left England seeking religious tolerance. Puritans were very strict and almost everything was dictated by the church. Puritans believed that all sins should be punished. This included anything from sleeping in church to stealing food. They also believed that everything was divine intervention from god, so if a neighbor got sick or had unhealthy crops no helping hand was extended. According to Puritans Satan picked the weakest people to do his biddings. People who followed Satan were considered witches, witchcraft was considered one of the worse crimes. People convicted of witchcraft were put to death. Politics also played a major role of the trials. Before the trials began there was a major rivalry going on between the two “sides” of Salem. The farming people in Salem Village, mainly people in the Putnam family, wanted to separate from Salem Town because they felt that they were being to “individualistic”. Around this time is when William and Mary, English rulers, started a war with France in the colonies. This war sent many refugees to Salem Village creating a strain on their resources. Last but not least of the drama many villagers argued over reverend Samuel Parris, the first ordained minister in Salem Village. The villagers thought th... ... middle of paper ... ...haeology/brief-salem.html?c=y&page=1 (accessed November 1, 2013) Chronology of Events Relating to the Salem Witchcraft Trials, http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASAL_CH.HTM (Accessed November 2, 2013) Tim Sutter, Salem Witchcraft: The Events and Causes of the Salem Witch Trials, http://www.salemwitchtrials.com/salemwitchcraft.html (accessed November 2, 2013) Tim Sutter, Salem Witchcraft: The Events and Causes of the Salem Witch Trials, http://www.salemwitchtrials.com/salemwitchcraft.html (accessed November 2, 2013) Jess Bumberg, A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/brief-salem.html?c=y&page=1 (accessed November 2, 2013) Jess Bumberg, A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/brief-salem.html?c=y&page=1 (accessed November 2, 2013)
The 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.
Le Beau, Bryan F. The Story of the Salem Witch Trials. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998.
The inhabitants of Salem village were Puritans who left Great Britain to pursue their religious freedom. However, their search for the sacred land was merely a dream; as they set foot on the new land, they faced numerous challenges. In the article, Boyer and Nissenbaum point out, “problems which [confront] Salem Village … :the pressure of commercial capitalism and the social style that [accompany] it; the breaking away of outlying areas from parent towns … the shifting locus of authority within individual communities and society as a whole” (Text 194). These social and economic problems created a conflict between Salem village and Salem town - in other words, the gap between the poor and the wealthy, “a community … that its inhabitants experienced two different economic systems, two different ways of life, at unavoidably close range; and so structured politically that it was next to impossible to locate” (Text 195). These differences were directly responsible for socioeconomic tensions. However, socioeconomic problems weren’t the only reasons of the tension as the authors believe factionalism play a role as well. According to the authors, “[t]he charges against Daniel Andrew and Phillip English, for example, followed closely upon their election as Salem Town selectment” (Text 195), therefore, these charges were merely a reason to eliminate political opponents. Yet that wasn’t the worse part, the population of the village was divided into two factions: pro-Parris and anti-Parris. After analyzing many different cases, the authors conclude, “supporters of the trails generally belonged to the pro-Parris faction, and opponents of the
Brooks, Rebecca . "The Salem Witch Trials." History of Massachusetts. N.p., 18 Aug. 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. .
"A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials." Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2014. .
Weir, Robert, Historical Journal of Massachusetts, The Specter of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth-Century America, 2012. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.trident.edu:2048/docview/1027932439
“Possible causes of the Salem witch hunts” February 15 2001. Online Internet 1998 Available: http://ok.essortment.com/salemwitchhunt_rulb.htm
Residents of Salem Town relied on farmers for food and collected tax from their village. Salem Village desperately tried to gain independence from Salem Town for many years yet there was no separation between the dyad. Farmers of Salem Village believed the Salem Townspeople quality of character endangered their Puritan values. Tension grew worse once Salem Village chose Reverend Samuel Parris as their new minister. Parris was a flinty Puritan that discredited Salem Town’s prosperity as the work of the Devil. It's probable that jealousy played a major role in the witch trials, most accused lived near Salem Town, and Reverend Parris was a zealous supporter of the witch trials with a deep hatred for residents of...
In 1692, the occurrence of “witchcraft” began after the Massachusetts Bay Charter revolution and the outbreak of small pox. The rebellion caused hysteria and a sad injustice. Friends were pinned against friends; upstanding citizens were forced to flee for their lives and men and women were put to death (Jurist Legal News and Research Services 2008).The fear of the devil influenced the cruelty that took place. Most of the settlers that established their homes in the colony were puritans, a member of a group of English Protestants who revolted against the Church of England. The belief that God punished sinful behavior with misfortune did not help circumstances. The puritans targeted outcasts, people who never really fit it in; they wanted to rid the towns of these suspected sinners.
The events of the salem witch trial took place in a massachusetts puritan village, They were a highly religious group which meant they believed strongly in the devil and witchcraft. The puritans were very intolerant, it was mandatory to attend church and individuality was frowned upon. They had a very strict moral code that punished all sins. knowing how the puritans lived and what they perceived as
While most people are familiar with the notorious Salem Witch Trials in 1692, many people are unaware that similar events were taking place in other parts of New England in the very same year. The book, Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692, takes readers through an intriguing narrative of a young girl with claims of being bewitched. Although I was concerned at first about the book being in a narrative style, the author was very concise and used actual evidence from the trial to tell an accurate and interesting story.
Blumberg, Jess. “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials.” Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, 24 Oct. 2007. Web. 08 Feb. 2012.
The Salem Witch Trial isn’t your average historical event. You don’t just learn why it happened, unlike other events in the history of our nation. The Salem Witch Trials are different. There are many different reasons to blame for the execution of 20 people and the death of 4 prisoners, a total of 24 innocent people. (Salem Court Records) The role that had the biggest effect on the witch trials was the Puritan religion and the women who’d had enough of their lives. The Salem Info Page talks about Betty Paris and Abigail Williams. These two girls who were the ones who started it all. Both would sneak away from their chores to listen to a lady named Tituba. Tituba would tell them about things like fortune telling. Skip a few weeks later, and Abigail and Betty started acting weird, suddenly yelling at random moments and going into trance-like states of mind. Samuel could no longer keep it a secret and took Betty to a doctor, who then said she was being the victim of
The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts during 1692 and early 1693. More than 200 people died at the gallows, 150 of them jailed, and 20 executed. Among the executed, 19 were hanged and one was pressed to death. Various others died in prison. To understand the occurrences in Salem, one must understand the history of the witch trials throughout Europe from the 1300s to the 1600s, and also what the setting was in Salem and its surrounding areas at the
To begin with, I am going to explain about background of the Salem witch trials in detail.