The Puritan Religion And Witches Of The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials were a time of confusion, where half a dozen girl accusers threw the town of Salem on its head. The end result was 19 hung and one crushed to death for failure to admit or deny witchcraft and 150 more were imprisoned throughout the course of the trial (Hall p38). The Puritans came to the “New World” for their religious freedom to fallow their ideals for a new way of life, the “perfect way of life.” They were issued charter--to live on the land--. The King Phillip’s war labeled as “[t]he bloodiest war in America’s history …which…took place in New England in 1675” (Tougias par.1) had a dramatic effect on the Puritan society. Their charter was revoked and

The Puritan Society was primarily responsible for the Salem Witch Trials. Their radical ideals and religious zealotry led to mass hysteria in Salem town. In the end, their ultra strict way of life and intolerant behavior caused what has become a major embarrassment in history.

Puritans had many beliefs that affected the Salem Witch Trials, these were based on how the attendance or lack of attendance of the church, how people should behave, social class, and the way the government should be handled. Puritans were English Protestants that came to America in 1630. They sought to reform the Church of England. When they first came to America they settled at Salem, Massachusetts. The main reason the Puritan’s came to Salem was for freedom of religion which they did not have in England. The Puritans also came because they believed that the Church of England was not religious or enforcing religion enough. Puritans were just like the Pilgrims. Years later the Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 and ended

The Salem Witch Trials is an infamous event due to its bizarre and seemingly hysteric circumstances. Eric Foner contributes this incident to Europe’s growing population as well as the replication of English hierarchical social structure in the colonies. I believe that the established social class influenced the Salem Witch Trials to some extent, but the series of trials and executions were caused more by general social and economic tension in the colonies during the 17th century. Those who lived in Salem during 1692 faced numerous hardships. Work was incessant and exhausting- duties including making clothes, raising livestock, and farming in harsh climates and rough terrain. Most families had to be self-sufficient and upkeep strict Puritan values. A recent smallpox epidemic, growing small-town rivalry, and an influx of political conflict in a colony teetering between governments. The constant threat from nearby Native American tribes also magnified the Puritans’ irrational fear.

The Salem witch trials had a drastic affect on the Puritan religion. The trials helped shape and point the direction for the New England Colonies and the Puritan religion. The Salem witch trials outbreak began in 1692. In the past, there had only been about five convictions of people being accused of witchcraft; none of this resulted in any deaths(Wilborn 16). Usually just a fine was given, but by the end of 1692 there was already 150 arrests (17). Whether you were rich or poor, it didn’t seem to matter, anyone and everyone was being accused. No one felt safe at this time (Trask ix).

What Caused the Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692? In Exodus 22:18 it states, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” In Salem, Massachusetts 1692, a very vile event happened in American History. This vile event involved 19 people hanged and 1 person pressed to death.

In Salem Massachusetts, 1692, twenty people were put to death as penalty of witchcraft. Why did this witch hysteria seize Salem? The Salem witch hysteria was promoted by the Puritan’s strict religious basis, inequality between social classes, and the boredom of young girls. The importance of religion in Puritan culture amplified the effects of the witch hysteria. In the Exodus 22:18, it says, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Doc. 1).

In Salem Massachusetts 1692, many innocent people were accused of practicing witchcraft, or being possessed by the devil. The puritans believed everything in the bible and that people had been inhabited by the devil either by force or on purpose and needed to be killed. What caused the chaos in Salem, 1692? The witch trial hysteria was caused by the fear of being accused and hanged, or for being possessed when they weren’t. In that time, you would die either way, unless you confessed in which case you would be sent to church to fix yourself. Also, back then people were very proper and not allowed to sit improperly, otherwise they would get in trouble.

The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft—the Devil’s magic—and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted. Since then, the story of the trials has become synonymous with paranoia and injustice, and it continues to beguile the popular imagination more than 300 years later” (Blumberg). The period in which the Salem Witch Trials took place was a dark period in American history. America was a vast wilderness, unexplored, corrupted by an overzealous society. This group of people is known as the puritans. Their christian based faith was strict but their punishments were even stricter. Their actions and crimes they commited impacted generations after generations to come. A good example of this can be seen through Nathaniel Hawthorne's writings especially his best selling novel “The Scarlet Letter”. His novel is the tale of a young puritan girl, named Hester Prynne ,who is too harshly judged for her actions. Some might observe that these three things are connected. These observers are right. These three topics are all connected by the idea of women oppression and how the early puritans and the Salem Witch Trials were cancerous to american society. The Puritans beliefs and their involvement in the Salem Witch Trials, as proven by the writings of American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, is seen in the long run

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

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.

In the year 1692, the village of Salem, Massachusetts was gripped with fear of the unknown world of the devil.

I had known about the Salem Witch Trials and some of the puritan believes before this section because of past studies, but my eyes were opened by the things that I learned. Quakers believe in many things, some of which are simplicity, equality, integrity, peace, and community. Puritans believed that they should abide by everything that was written in the scripture and in return God would give them endeavors. The Quakers believed that everyone was good and would go to heaven, whereas the Puritans thought that only they were good and believed only their group would go to heaven. The beliefs that both of these groups had are where the Salem Witch Trials come into play.

The American weakness in times of trouble is the instinctive act of finding a scapegoat. Stemming from the Calvinistic religious beliefs of the Puritans who immigrated to America, anything that strays from the predestined lives of these puritanical people is the result of sin. The ideas of "original sin" and "predestination" are at the heart of Calvinism. Thus, the Calvinist Puritans have their lives planned out for them by God before birth and anything that disrupts that plan must be eradicated. It was on the basis of this stringent religious way of life that the witch-hunts on 1692 came about. The accusation of people, beginning in Salem, Massachusetts and quickly spreading throughout the Puritan community began because the Puritans

In the 16th century, the English monarchy separated from the Catholic Church and formed the Church of England. The new church was essentially the same as the Catholic Church, but it was not under the authority of the pope. Some members of the new Church of England believed that it was still too similar to Catholicism and wanted to further purify its practices. This group, known as Puritans, faced religious persecution in England and traveled to America. On the voyage to America, John Winthrop delivered his famous “City Upon A Hill” speech upon the ship the Arabella. He told the Puritans that they must work together and follow God’s commandments to form a successful and perfect colony. The Puritans of New England became so obsessed with the idea of creating a perfect colony that their persecution of women who challenged the patriarchy and people with mental illness led to the self-incrimination of many during the period known as the Salem Witch Trials.