Colonial Americ Salem Witch Trials

From the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 to World War II and McCarthyism in the 1950s, many negative effects were brewed by hatred and discrimination against the innocent population.

After community members came to their senses, the trials came to an end after the realization of what was taking place occurred. “New Englanders believed in witchcraft both before and after 1692, yet in no other year was there such a severe persecution of witches” (Matossian 355-357.). After the trials were over, some of the people on the court admitted to mistakes being made about those that had been executed (Hoffer n.pag.). Because of this, evidence is a key part when accusing someone of something so that mistakes will not be made. “The result is an impoverished, … distorted, view of a germinal phase in our people’s history: Salem appears as a brief and dark chapter... “ (Demos 3.).

Black magic. The Dark Arts. Voodoo. Sorcery. Conjuring. Witchcraft. No matter what they chose to call it, witchcraft was an evil association with the devil and the use of magic or the alleged use of magic, in the eyes of the Puritans of Salem, Massachusetts. And it was the “alleged” part that caused the Salem Witchcraft Trials tragedy of 1692.

In the 16th century, the New England christian protestant Puritans were a group that wanted the Church of England to be purified. Their desire being to change the church’s structure, beliefs, and to also defy the English king of being the spiritual leader. In their point of view, the English were being similar to the catholic church and that’s something they did not want. The Puritans had a series of beliefs they wanted their church to believe in, but the king told them to leave England, and so Salem later got created along with the witch trials which later ended.

Far too often in history, a person’s negative or evile views have influenced others to commit terrible atrocities. In the 1930s, Adolph Hitler hated the Jews and blamed them for the declining economy, high unemployment rate, and other ills in the world. Because he was a master orator , he easily convinced the German citizens to agree with his views, including the belief that the Jewish people should be punished, causung their mass execution during World War II. In recent years, leaders of various terrorist cells have used similar tactics of vengeance, brotherhood, and patriotism, recruiting impressionable young adults, promising eternal salvation as a reward for torture, murder, and even suicide. Closer to home , in Massachusetts during the 17th century, a few people negatively influenced normally snae, religious, and honorable Puritans into believing witchcraft had taken a hold over the community. What evidence convinced such religious people it ironically and hypocritically offer torture and mass hangings as a

Over 20 died and over 200 people between 20 and 80 years of age were imprisoned for two years. For over a decade people believed those living in a small Massachusetts town had a peaceful farming life; however, in the month of February of 1691 things took a dramatic turn. The Salem Witch Trials only happened for two years but is one of the most known stories about the puritans and how they fought against an evil force.

The people of Salem were mostly all Puritans, and they took their faith very seriously. They were very strict with what they could and couldn’t do, and anything they did wrong was considered a sin. “The Puritans also believed strongly in the wrath of God and did everything they could to prevent themselves from receiving it. This is why the witch scare was taken so seriously and the accused were punished harshly.” (Shah)

The Puritans were very devout in their religion which lead to a strict social environment. They were extreme Protestants who wanted to remove themselves from the traditional confinements and formalities of Catholicism which had been slowly building throughout the seventeenth century. In the spring of 1692, a group of young girls were parading through the town of Salem claiming to be possessed by the devil and accusing several local women of witchcraft. Their accusations caused a wave of mass hysteria in town sparking what was known as the Salem witch trials. A special court convened to hear the cases. There

It was evident that the Puritan beliefs were strictly inflexible. They thought that their rules were too severe, and it motivated them to accuse others and use them as scapegoats. As a result, it formed a community conflict. Modern historians have noticed a repetitive pattern throughout New England in the early 1600s: community stress had a direct relationship to accusations of witchcraft (Saari, 23). Therefore, they were in great fear of being accused. The Puritans began to wonder who among them might be with the devil in disguise (Saari, 24). They thought deeply if a “local person was in a pact with the devil then that person was ultimately responsible for the community’s problems” (Saari, 24). Blaming others was becoming a constant and endless situation. “They were focused on cooperating simply to survive (Saari, 24). Innocent people often pleaded guilty to being witches to avoid torture and potential death. These accusations became madness because of the Puritans’ overly pious views on lifestyle.

Brought to the New England colonies by the Puritans was not only a strict theology, but an understanding and fear of the supernatural world they believed was so tightly intertwined with their earthly world. Therefore, it was only natural for the pious colonists to be wary of things they did not understand and suspect denizens that did not act accordingly to the standards of what it meant to be a Puritan. However, even though there were many suspicions of certain individuals associating with the Devil and performing witchcraft, there was usually not enough substantial evidence to indict said individuals. Then, after several Native American raids, a change in government to an Anglican leader, and the arrival of Separatists, Puritans became even more wary and anxious of those around them. This turn of events set off the biggest witch hunt in colonial America, known as the Salem Witch Trials. Due to her personal misfortunes and venomous tongue, Sarah Good was one of the first three women to be accused of witchcraft and was later hung on July 19, 1692.

During the late 1600s, Salem, Massachusetts faced a period of witch trials due to panic stirring among the Puritans in the area. Because of these

According to Stanford Humanities, “The Salem witch trials of 1692, are taught in American schools to educate students about religious extremism and the judicial process” ("Historian Investigates the History of Witchcraft Prosecution"). For the reason that the Puritans were very religious during that time, they were already concerned that the devil will lead them in the wrong path, but they were taking them own selves on the wrong path. The puritans’ minds had been already weak because they didn’t think anything through, they just believed 12-year-old girls who barely knew anything. Since that, the Salem Witch Trials were a bunch of injustices done and it only got worse as time passed

Introduction - The Salem Witch trials was a time of hysteria and confusion. People were being accused and giving false confessions of witchcraft being performed on the people of Salem, Massachusetts.

Life in the New England colonies during the 1600’s proved to be harsh with the constant fear of Native American attacks, scarce food, freezing winters, and conflicting opinions about religion. From this perpetual state of distress, the Salem Witch Trials were birthed, causing a wave of hysteria in Salem Village and Salem Town. Though the exact day and month is uncertain, historians can claim that the trials emerged in early 1692 and came to a close in 1693. The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 with more than one hundred fifty people being accused of practicing witchcraft, and the trials finally ended with the courts declaring there was no evidence in the cases being tried, and the Governor stopped the trials because his wife was accused.

The Salem witch trials were a difficult time for the citizens of the Massachusetts Colony in the late seventeenth century. They were accused of practicing the Devil’s magic, which many believed to be real; so real that people were being imprisoned and executed for it. Between the years 1692 and 1693 there were over two hundred accusations and about 20 people and two dogs were killed altogether.