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Essay On The Salem Witch Trial

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One of the more infamous events of the seventeenth century, the Salem witch trials marked a low point in Massachusetts Bay Colony history. According to Deodat Lawson, as many as 70 villagers of Salem were accused of witchcraft in June of 1692. The vast majority of these were women (approximately 78 percent, according to Elizabeth Reis), but the most telling information lies not in the accusations themselves. Rather, the identities of the accused shows that the witchcraft craze originated from preconceived notions about women, including their predisposition to sin, as well as how they should behave in society. A common belief brought over from Old England was that women were more susceptible to sin than men. This was supposedly due to them …show more content…

Tituba, known as one of the first to be accused, was believed to be the Indian slave of Reverend Samuel Parris, and was perhaps the most well known among the accused. Even then, very little information is available about her. All that is known for certain is that Tituba was a servant, probably of Barbadian origin, that, upon confession, accused several other villagers. This, of course, resulted in a positive feedback loop of the accused persons naming even more witches, who would probably then accuse even more, should they choose to confess. The large number of confessions was due in part to the attitudes women had towards sin; they were generally “more convinced that their sinful natures had bonded with the devil.” Once they confessed, the accused were pressured to name others who had signed a pact with the devil, as “everyone wanted to believe that witches flourished in Salem.” An interesting event in the history of America, the witchcraft craze of Salem questioned the Puritan values of society, as well as women’s roles. It’s possible that, due to their widespread impact, the Salem witch trials formed a basis on which complete religious freedom would eventually be

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