Essay on Americans In The Colonial Times

New England in the seventeenth century was a difficult place to live. The raging winds of winter, the ravaging Indian tribes and the many diseases that killed both livestock and family members often had inhabitants believing that they were being punished by God for their sins, or that their afflictions were caused by something much more sinister. Anyone who threatened traditional gender and societal roles was seen as a potential threat to both themselves and the rest of the community. The outbreaks of witch accusations that occurred throughout New England during this time reflected how unsettled the settlers really felt about their lives. This is reflected in both the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials and the Stamford, Connecticut witch trials even if these trials had different results.

During 1692 it was a very confusing time for the new Americans, known as The Salem Witch Trials. The witch trials was finger pointing and blame about who was a witch and who was not. People were afraid of the unknown and turned to religion and blamed witch craft on everything. This outbreak caused extreme confusion and disorder among an abundance of colonists in a community. The events that occurred describes a shameful time for colonists.

Puritans in Salem were colonists that had left England to seek religious tolerance. The life of a Puritan was extremely restrained and strict. Reverend Samuel Parris, was appointed minister to the village’s only church in 1689, to later have strong objections lodged against him in 1691. Parris’ response was that the Devil was set on destroying their, to which his job was to bring God back to Salem village. The first to be afflicted was his daughter, Betty, and niece, Abigail. After trying to cure both girls, it was concluded that witchcraft was the cause of their inability to control their own bodies. The majority of villagers who were accused of witchcraft did not belong to the covenant, implying that those who didn’t live the same life as a Puritan were easily the ones behind the witchcraft. During these accusations, mostly women were accused of witchcraft. As mentioned in ___________ , it said that “As Richard Latner has recently shown, there was ‘an environment of divisive religious contention’ in

== = The Salem Witchcraft trials started in 1692 resulting in 19 executions and 150 accusations of witchcraft. This was the biggest outbreak of witchcraft hysteria in colonial New England. The trials began because three young girls, Betty Parris, Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam began having hysterical fits, convulsions and terrifying visions after being caught engaging in forbidden fortune telling[1].

The Salem Witch Trials were a series of accusations, trials, and executions based on the supposed outbreak of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. The trials began during the spring of 1692, and the last of them ended in 1693. It all started when two young girls, Abigail and Betty Parris, began experiencing violent convulsions and outbursts, which were thought to be brought about by witchcraft. Whether they were faking these symptoms, were afflicted with an actual sickness, or were experiencing them because of some sort of psychological reason is widely debated, though it is known that the sisters accused their maid, Tituba, of forcing them to participate in witchcraft with her. Some who theorize about the causes of the trials dismiss the Parris girls involvement in the beginning and instead attribute the outbreak of accusations to judgement upon the members of society who break social or religious rules, or who struck the upright members of society as ‘strange’ and ‘suspicious’, such as the homeless, the poor, and old or widowed women. The cause of the hysteria that went on in Salem after this is what is speculated by so many. There are probably hundreds of theories out there, but a few in particular are more widely known, accepted, and supported than others.

The Salem Witch Trials were a prime part of American history during the early 17th century. During this time, religion was the prime focus and way of life within colonies. This was especially true for the Puritan way of life. Puritans first came to America in hopes of practicing Christianity their own way, to the purest form. The Puritans were fundamentalists who believed every word transcribed in the Bible by God was to be followed exactly for what it was. The idea of the devil controlling a woman and forming her into a Witch was originated from people’s lack of awareness on illness, disease or simple hysteria. The Colonists lack of expertise on the methodical approach through sciences, left them concluding to a spiritual phenomenon.

During the summer of 1692, 19 women and men were hung in Salem for being accused of having practiced witchcraft. These people were the Puritans, immigrants from England who had come to the United States in search of a land that wasn’t influenced by Protestant Christianity. Being fundamentalists, the Puritans believed that every word of the bible to be the truth, hence, they believed in witchcraft, evil spirits, and the devil. This interpretation of the Bible, though, allowed them to persecute innocent people for being witches that caused havoc in their society. Although there were many, the three main causes of the hysteria in the Salem Witch Trials were the Puritans’ everlasting belief in the Bible, the power of suggestion, as well as the

The Salem Witch trials were a horrible time in American history filled with distrust, betrayal, and paranoia. These trials caused many innocent people to be imprisoned or even put to death. The Salem Witch trials took place in colonial Massachusetts from 1692-1693. These trials were unfair paranoia fueled cases in which the whole town of Salem would gang up on certain people accused of being a witch or warlock. The accused would be questioned and then taken to a special court made just for the witch trials. After the trial they would get a verdict of guilty or not guilty and the guilty ones would be imprisoned in harsh conditions or even put to death. This wasn’t the first time these “witch hunts” had occurred. According to Jess Blumberg in her article A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials, “Several centuries ago, many practicing Christians, and those of other religions, had a strong belief that the Devil could give certain people known as witches the power to harm others in return for their loyalty. A “witchcraft craze” rippled through Europe from the 1300 stop the end of the 1600s.” This event took place right before the Salem witch trials began, setting a tone of fear and distrust throughout colonial America. At this time in the colonies, strict religion was a big part of everyday life which only made things worse for the accused. This is because the colonists were very set in their ways and did not have open minds when it came to other reasons as to why these strange

Puritan laws were extremely strict and the community needed to follow this laws, so everyone who went against the laws or did something that was against the law was viewed as a sin and that they deserved to be punished, this is why the community took the trials seriously and accused harshly the “witches”. There was hysteria because of the “witches” was among the streets of colonial Massachusetts, so the government and the judicial court, that were heavily influenced by puritanism, started a special court in Salem to hear the

The Salem Witch Trials were a horrendous event in American History that occurred in the epitome of enlightenment of the New World. In 1692 a group of teenage girls accused over 150 men and women of conspiring with the Devil to become witches. The accused faced consequences ranging from public humiliation to death by hanging. The Salem Witch Trials did not take place in a civilization of wicked simpletons, the Puritans in question were a highly educated and moral people, model leaders in terms of education and religion. However within the Trials, members of the court replace logic and reason with fear and paranoia. The court also ignores the warnings of a respected minister, resulting in the court favoring spectral evidence such as visions

Many innocent people died in the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts. If you were accused of being a witch or one with the devil, you would be sentenced to death or put in prison. The only one to blame for the deaths of the individuals is the Puritan Society. Without their absent minds, none of the deaths would have happened. The Puritan Society is very religious, therefore they believed strongly in going to church and most importantly in God. When someone in the town noticed someone practicing different religions, not going to church, or just acting differently than others, they were accused of being a witch.

The governor of Salem, William Phips, was fed up when rumours that his wife was a witch started to float up. “Determined at last to quell the madness, he suspended the special Court of Oyer and Terminer he had earlier established to hear witchcraft cases. He replaced it with a new Superior Court of Judicature—which disallowed spectral evidence. That court condemned only 3 of 56 defendants. Phips pardoned them along with five others awaiting execution.” (Winker, “Interactive: Salem Witch Trials”). Also, before and after the trials, there was a lot of tension between people in Salem. But, their beliefs held them to be nice to each other and to lead a godly life. “The time to heal fell under the gentle hand of the Reverend Joseph Green, who in 1697 succeeded Samuel Parris as minister in Salem Village. Green reshuffled his congregation’s traditional seating plan, placing foes beside one another.” (Winker, “Interactive: Salem Witch Trials”). People of the Puritan community were finally starting to realize the wrongness of their ways. The Puritans were too judgemental and strict. This caused people to break off from

It may have been possible to avoid the trials if the citizens of Salem Village had not made such hasty judgments and had possessed more skepticism when everyone suspected witches. Nevertheless, the history of New England is incomplete without the Salem witch trials. “Salem endures not only as a metaphor but as a vaccine and a taunt” (Schiff 413). Encouraged by fear of the devil and losing salvation, the Puritans’ witch paranoia and political disputes helped fuel the trials and the many resulting deaths. Though it started only because of the girls’ ailments, the Salem witch trials exemplify one of the biggest cases of mass hysteria in American

Over four short months in 1692, several people in the colony of Massachusetts, discovered an easy solution to gain attention, impress local clergy and magistrate, get into the good graces of God, and get rid of people that they found disagreeable—by accusing them of witchcraft. This period, which became known as The Salem Witch Trials, enforced the belief that Puritan ministers spoke for God himself, and also that their opinions were infallible. At least twenty people were killed because of false accusations, and hundreds had their names and reputations torn apart over accusations that they practiced witchcraft (Norton, 2002). Strict Puritan values, a fear of witchcraft, and the counsel of local pastors created the mass hysteria that made the Salem Witch Trials an indelible part of American history.

“The Salem witchcraft trials,” a phrase not too often heard these days in everyday conversation. Witches burning at the stake, or drowning in a tub of water, and perhaps the most humane way of their execution, hanging. This piece of American history is a prudent example of how everyday people can, and were, be lead astray from what would normally be considered ridiculous and preposterous ideas, into something that warrants these horrible means of human demise. What or more importantly who was responsible for this catastrophic loss of life? The Quaker society of colonial America was where these events took place. The term Quaker refers to a member of a religious sect called The Society of Friends,