Puritans: The Salem Witch Trials Of 1692

During the seventeenth century, many Puritans became fed up with the Church of England and its devilish ways. They wanted to break free from it, and make changes elsewhere. They got permission to set up a colony in Massachusetts Bay, and soon after that, over twenty-thousand Puritans fled from England to America. They decided to base their colony on the word of God, and believed God would protect them if they followed his commandments. This meant that if anyone were to sin, “they didn’t want God to protect them because they already worshiped the devil,” and “anyone who worshipped the devil was a witch who used witchcraft to possess others.” Because of this theory, many people were accused of being witches and using witchcraft. The most notorious series of hearings and prosecutions for those accused of witchcraft took place in Salem Village, Massachusetts, known as the Salem Witch Trials.

To begin with, Puritans were colonists who wanted to seek religious strength. It was a sin and against the law to not attend a church mass. It was also against the law to pursue any type of witchcraft because the was known to correlate

The Puritans were a group that believed in predestination, and that the bible was full of God’s actual words. To them it had been important to teach people about the beliefs of God. To do that they taught people about their religion, so that people would understand how to read the bible. They also believed that God was the source of all good, and the problem in the world was humanity not being centered around God. This played a role in the Salem Witch Trials as witchcraft had been seen as a religious crime. “In a Puritan society that saw all things as possible signs of God’s pleasure or

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a dark and very crucial time in American history. The late sixteen hundreds consisted of relying on young girls for the truth; but to what extent did the puritan’s religion and culture have in the proceedings of the Salem Witch Trials? A focus on the religion that the puritans believed in and their culture will be discussed. Also, how their faith turned them against those who were accused of witchcraft. It is also needed to discuss how they faith of the puritan’s even came about.

In Marion L. Starkey’s book, The Devil in Massachusetts, she tells the story of the accusations and hysteria that stirred up Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Many people were charged with being a witch or being involved with the devil. What seemed to have just started off as a “game” to a group of girls soon turned into the execution of twenty people. The major causes of the Salem witch trials involve boredom from strict Puritan beliefs, and the fear of being accused for witchcraft.

The Salem Witch Trials throughout 1692 had caused many divisions especially when figures such as the judges and girls, like Abigail Williams got involved. The powerful figures in The Crucible are trying to take the old out and bring in the new. The community is trying to become more modernized, and they are going to do that by exchanging the old rules for new ones. The dominant people in the village have more respect meaning they are less likely to be accused of witchcraft. During 1692 the Salem Witch Trials is the main focus of the Puritan Society in Salem; social divisions such as the powerful are trying to overturn the traditional ways of Puritan society.

The colonial period is in the time about in 1600 to the end of the American Revolution (1783). The most important thing that happened in this time was the Pilgrims coming over to North America and meeting the Indians. This meeting started our celebration called Thanksgiving. The Puritans lived in colonial America, and they followed their strict rules. These Puritans created a government that was dominated by church leadership.

This investigation will focus on the question: What role did Tituba 's confession to be a witch start the mass hunt for the witches in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692? This investigation will include details on the events that occurred after Tituba’s confession in Salem during 1962 and 1963. It will also include a brief description of society at the time and what societal pressures may have led to this horrific time.

In January of 1692, two girls became ill, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris. When their state did not improve the doctor, William Griggs, was called in to help. In June of 1692, the special court of Oyer and Terminer sat in Salem to hear the cases of witchcraft. Presided over by Chief Justice William Stoughton, the court was made up of magistrates and jurors.

The Salem Witch Trials took place in the colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. One of the things that was going on in that time were the Puritans. According to History.com; “Puritanism was a religious reform movement that arose within the Church of England in the late sixteenth

The Puritans were settled in Salem, Massachusetts. They left England to seek freedom, and the ability to believe in a separate religion. Once they had left England, they decided that they wanted their civilization to have a common belief. As they developed their culture, there rules became stricter. In churches, many ministers wrote about male supremacy, in sermons and writings. Women and children were considered very low in society. Women were portrayed as “instruments of Satan”, and children were viewed as the property of their parents. They thought, that the only job a women could do, was be a good wife. This mentality, in the Puritan social-system was one of the base causes of the Salem Witch Trials.

There was a huge hysteria during the 1600s, a lot was happening during that time; during this time religion and politics was very important but unexplained experiences made it hard. The occurrences happened in Salem, Massachusetts, also known as the Salem Witch Trials.

Well hello my pretties! Witches in history, aren’t the kind that first come to people’s minds. They are often portrayed with pointed hats, big noses, and riding around on broomsticks. The common era has twisted witchery into a light subject, but fails to address the serious role it has played on the United States in its developing stages and the world overall. “The witch hunting craze that swept through northern Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries was the result… of genuine superstition and religious fervor combined with political motivations and paranoia. Peasants and nobles alike looked to supernatural causes for storms and diseases, but they also saw the trials as ways to gain office or wealth by eliminating their rivals.” This paranoia spread across the world and one of the most notorious cases landed right here in our country, the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The Trials shed light on the way court systems were run, cruel and unusual punishment, and psychotropics, or mind-altering substances.

Good morning/afternoon, my name is Piper Lenske, and I am the prosecutor in this case and it is my pleasure to represent the defendants. In the 1600’s, the defendants in this case were falsely accused of witchcraft by members of the Salem society who wanted to maintain their positions of power within the society. At the conclusion of the case we will ask for a verdict of guilty for these power seekers.

The Salem Witch Trials took place during a time when families were turned against each other, for fear that they would be held in association with the accused and be outed as” devil worshipers”. Many used this “Witch Hunt” as a reason to settle rivalries. The Salem witch trials in American history was a series of investigations and prosecutions that caused 19 convicted “ witches” to be hung, and many other suspects to be imprisoned in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Although teenage boredom and books played a part in the Salem witch trials, a combination of economics and personal rivalries were real reasons for these trials , so strong accusations developed among the community.