The Trial And Free Salem

In the court system today, an individual fallen suspect to a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Despite what a person’s familiarity with court proceedings may be, this idea is common knowledge, and essentially logic; if guilt of a crime cannot be proven with factual evidence, one cannot be prosecuted. However, in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, this was not the case. Paralleling today, Salem court proceedings were held to determine an individual’s innocence or guilt, but that is the extent of the similarity. Salem’s crooked, corrupted courthouses sat on a foundation of spectral evidence. Through the duration of the witch trials, innocent people died clinging to the truth, while the noose they hanged from symbolized the “he said, she said” notion that deemed them guilty. The Salem courts were ever-changing and built upon contradiction, corruption, and hypocrisy—this corruption essentially killed each innocent life.

In January 1692, when a group of juvenile girls began to display bizarre behavior, the tight-knit Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts couldn’t explain the unusual afflictions and came to a conclusion. Witches had invaded Salem. This was the beginning of a period of mass hysteria known as The Salem Witch Trials. Hundreds of people were falsely accused of witchcraft and many paid the ultimate price of death. Nineteen people were hung, one was pressed to death, and as many as thirteen more died in prison. One of the accused Elizabeth Bassett Proctor, a faithful wife and mother, endured her fictitious accusation with honor and integrity.

The law in Salem was guilty until proven innocent, which was very unjust because in the constitution it clearly states that a person is innocent until proven guilty; and the court condemned people without providing the proper evidence to prove their innocence or guilt. "And why not, if they must hang for denyin' it? There are them that will swear to anything before they'll hang; have you never thought of that?"(258-296). Reverend Hale

The Salem Witch Trials was a very dark period in our history that occurred in the colony of Salem, Massachusetts. These trials began in February 1692 and ended in May of 1693. There were over two hundred individuals who were accused of practicing witchcraft. Of those two hundred accused, nearly twenty innocent souls were lost. This was one of the most severe cases of mass hysteria in recorded history. There was a great effort exhorted by the Massachusetts General Court to declare a guilty verdict, that the framers of the United States Constitution went to great lengths to never let this type of tragedy occur again; commonly known as the eighth amendment. Remarkably so, some may argue that there were similarities in Salem and the

His reply is accompanied with a vindictive nature towards anyone who opposes the actions of the court or by extension, him. Therefore, his arrogance and pride restrains him from listening to others point of view. Lastly, despite hearing about the mass opposition and rebellion at the Andover witchcraft trials, Judge Danforth refuses to postpone the hangings and orders Reverend Parris that “Now hear me, and beguile yourselves no more… Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part.” (Miller 129). Danforth arrogantly waves off the request of postponement made by Hale and Parris. He thinks that the act of postponement of the hangings will raise the issue of his credibility as a judge. Danforth’s pride of his status as a judge denies him from giving it a thought that his actions can lead to the death of innocent lives. When pride and arrogance interferes with ones wisdom the repercussions are often destructive. Judge Danforth proves this through the medium of his actions which lead to the destruction of trustworthiness in the community and brought tragedy to Salem.

The author focuses on the roles of the ministers in the town, highlighting the corruption in them by utilizing research that proves the ministers that participated in the Salem Witch Trail to be completely driven by money. The author, Ernest King, informs the audience that the reason behind the witch trials is because the ministers used witchcraft as an explanation to get money and land from fellow colonists. King also discusses how the witch-hunt prompted the New England area to transition from a traditional, religion-based society into a community with a more neutral rule system and a higher spirit of unity. Therefore, changing the focus from religious duty of the people to the church to the duties of each person as a citizen. The audience that this article is intended for is people who desire to deepened their knowledge and understanding of the Salem Witch Trials, however people with educational purposes and entertainment can read it. The tone conveyed to the audience is professional, as through the author is lecturing a room full of doctors. The author feels as though the Salem Witch Trials are a serious matter that changed America

By reading the two primary sources we are given a clear account of the Salem Witch Trials. John Hale describes the officials involved in the trial and those being prosecuted. Hale states, “I observed in the prosecution of these affairs, that there was in the Justices, Judges and others concerned, a conscientious endeavor to do the thing that was right.” he then later states “But what chiefly carried on this matter to such an height, was the increasing of confessors til they amounted to near about fifty.” While Governor phips goes into more detail in reference to the actual court proceedings, “When the Court came to sit at Salem in the County of Essex they convicted more than twenty persons of being guilty of witchcraft, some of the convicted were such as confessed their Guilt, the Court as I understand began their proceedings with the accusations of the afflicted and then went upon other humane evidences to strengthen that.” Only together the sources are able to give the reader the information needed, showing a disadvantage to using primary sources to evaluate history. These accounts illustrate comprehensively the picture of a court concerned with doing the right thing for their people and trying the accused in the way they see fit. They explain the use of accusations to testify against the convicted and

     Judge Danforth’s conduct during the course of these tragic trials have lead me to be soured of the judicial community’s lack of impartiality. Judge Danforth is not alone in his quest for “justice”. Many other judges have used “divine right” as an excuse for the murder of innocent people. The witch trials are a mockery,that have no proof, evidence, or any other grounds for a trial. The only evidence they have, if we can even call it evidence, “spectral” evidence and hearsay. They be hanging people because a party of 16 year old lying heathens have claimed manifested spirits of the convicted have attacked them. How can these children blind the court, enough to get people murdered, under the guise of being bewitched. God save Salem

The Salem Witch Trials began during the spring of 1692 after a group of young girls in Salem Village, MA, said they were being possessed by the devil and accused local women of witchcraft. With chaos running around the village, the special court began taking on cases. Bridget Bishop, the first convicted witch, was hung that June month. Many people of the Salem community had major consequences including death and harrassment. Belief that the devil could give certain humans, or witches, power to harm others in return for their loyalty emerged throughout europe as early as the 14th century. All of this chaos and phenomenon led to a pointing fingers game of who is guilty. Chaos also brought up the question of why it happened, malice, spite, or

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.

The hysteria, craze, trials, and deaths, still rest an unsolved case. The theories of politics, rivalries, religion and the “circle girls” seem the most believable, in my eyes. However, as the happenings in Salem village still continue to mislead and amaze not only historians, but many others, the witch trials lie a great turning point for Salem, and the lives of many; let alone

There are many historical accounts about the Salem Witch Trials but there was no hard evidence to indict all those people of witchcraft. There were multiple testimonies and supposed evidence from dreams of witnesses or victims ending with no solid proof. The release of Abigail Faulkner came after the letter she wrote stating her innocence. George Jacobs never admitted guilt in either of his examinations. Innocence was nearly impossible to prove when there were multiple people testifying against them, so guilty or not they had little chance of being found not guilty. Eventually the trials ended and some were set free, though only after Massachusetts officials stepped in and ended the trials.

After all, in the conviction of witchcraft, Hathorne and I are unable to assess the intent of the accused, malicious or innocent; I must do what is right, to arbitrate the people of Salem under god’s word, by adhering to claims made by the

In Act IV, Reverend Parris wants to postpone the hangings, since he had realized that they were wrong about the witches in Salem (127). However, Danforth refused to postpone the hangings, because he knew if they were postponed it would jeopardize his reputation as sheriff (128). He thought people would come to view him as unreliable and would not see him fit to maintain

People are faithful to their religion. The people's religion in Salem is puritan and this is a very pure religion. These people do not do anything that could even be close to a sin. Dancing is even frowned upon. The people that are accused are not allowed to lie or else they will be sent to hell for eternity. Others know this and accuse others in order to save themselves and they know that the person they accuse will be hung for something everyone knows is not true. This element drives the entire play in this way because the accusation goes on from person to person for no reason except for revenge. People annoy or bother each other and eventually they all die because the courts are broken. This leads us into the next point of the trials and courts. The courts in Salem are supposed to be run under the guidance of God or the people's godlike figure. The Salem courts are anything but that. The court officials are blind to the fact that people are accusing other purely to the fact that they want to get revenge. This angers people and when the people get angry all hell breaks loose and does nothing to help the cause. The court officials are corrupt in the way that they follow whatever the crowed and population wants. This is horrible for a government because people can lie right through their teeth and if the population believes it, then they will be considered guilty no questions asked. That is how a corrupt court