The Salem witch trials occurred in a period of severe unrest in the early United States, which in turn feed into the hysteria and paranoia of the time, that resulted in unnecessary and avoidable deaths of women. They 're deaths were brought on by the rampant focus on religion and superstition, which at the time was used to oppose reason and logic. The multiple events that occurred that made up the Salem Witch Trials all stem from the notion of isolationism, that America was going through, wherein the people wanted to be rid of people not similar to themselves. There is much to learn still about the people of back then but from what is known they are a product of their time, no more malicious or pious than others. The witch trials are the perfect tool to demonstrate why superstition needs to be eradicated, and reason needs to be focused on. If logic and reasoning had been the focus of the time instead of personally held beliefs in a higher power then hundreds of years of suffering would have been avoided, because a people had the idea that not only were they superior but divinely so. In February of 1692 and continuing until May 1693 the United States were gripped with the idea that certain women were practicing witch craft also known as the Devil 's magic. These trails were held with the belief that the accused women of which there were nearly two hundred were calling upon the devil to cast their misdeeds. The trials were held to determine if they were indeed witches and
The Salem witch trials were a result of mass hysteria. It was caused by false accusations. On May 1693, fourteen women, five men, and two dogs were executed for supposed supernatural crimes. The Salem trials have a unique place in our collective history today. (" Saxon, V,Procedure Used in...").
What was the Salem Witch Trials? During 1692 and 1693, colonial Massachusetts accused more than 200 people and executed twenty women for practicing witchcraft. Witchcraft at the time was known as the Devil’s magic. Several centuries ago, many religions had a strong belief in the Devil. Among these religions was Christianity. The religions believed that the Devil would give the witches the power to harm others. The witches, in return, would offer the Devil their loyalty. Between the 1300s and the end of the 1600s, more than ten thousand women were executed due to be involved with witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials occurred when Reverend Samuel Parris’s daughter and niece started to behave strangely. Samuel Parris was Salem’s first ordained minister
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
The Salem Witch Trials were controversial events in history. Many people are to blame for the confusion caused by this horrific event. For puritan colonists, such as the magistrates of the time, if something could not be explained scientifically then it was immediately blamed on the supernatural. While there were many symptoms that could be logically explained there was a number of unexplained circumstances of the afflicted such as babbling in an unidentifiable language and crawling under furniture. A multitude of individuals have varying ideas toward The Salem Witch Trials that are brought to life from a number of myths; some people believed that all the victims were female, some people thought that all the panic and chaos took place in Salem, and it has been said that superstition was the driving force.
The Salem witch trials were a dark time in our history, filled with paranoia, betrayal, the innocence of children, and vengeance.The incident would be so severe that it would leave bitter scars that have continued to this day.
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 Salem Witch Trials of 1692 was first brought about as a game by young adolescent girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts. The young girls had falsely claimed they were possessed by devilish beings which were innocent men and women of Salem Village causing an uproar of witchcraft in their village. I believe the great hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials was solely out of boredom, meaning it was a break from the norm and caused excitement quite easily. Those who were accused went to “trial” but given the behavior of the young girls who had claimed to be possessed made it impossible to walk free. Those who went to trial were hanged at the hanging tree for the practice of witchcraft whether there was proof or not.
The witch trials of Salem are often thought to be a hysteria that can be categorized as fake and sometimes “crazy”. The trials started by the belief of the supernatural and the practice of the devil’s ability to grant people the ability to hurt others. Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams are the two young ladies that began the stereotypical beliefs in witchery. Williams and Parris started having hysterical fits and “uncontrollable” tantrums filled with screaming and crazy-like seizures. The result of all the insane opinions and conclusions to society were nineteen hangings, and one pressing. The Salem witch trials were a result of hasty decisions and the fear of God’s anger on the people of society. Today, the trials would be seen as crazy or fictional.
The Salem Witch Trials was a dark time in history for the American colonies in 1692. People were wrongly accused and killed because other colonists thought they were witches. The trials impacted the beliefs of people’s thoughts on witches and other mystical beings. It has also impacted both Salem and America equally. The Salem Witch Trials is a dark chapter in American history that helped define societal beliefs.
The Salem witch trials of 1692 and 1693 was a key turning point in Western civilization as it permanently altered the way society perceives the supernatural. It was thought by Americans that the citizens of Salem were very foolish for believing witches were plaguing their village, which consequently further developed the desire to look for more logical and scientific explanations for things such as disease and famine. These trials enforced western society as a whole to step away from blind faith and instead search for a greater comprehension of the incomprehensible.
The Salem Witch Trials were a time when the Puritans believed that they were with God although they also thought that witches are the devil. And that was pushing against their values. In the puritans view, they believed that witches were upon them and this ideally lead to the start of the Salem Witch Trials. Since everyone believed that there were witches because Abby was saying there was the whole town was shook. By the end of the witch trials made people themselves believe that there was actually witch things happening when there was really no evidence that there really was.
The 1690s were a terrible time, full of accusations, lies and death, a scary time for all those in New England, especially in Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Witch Trials were a result of a Puritan theocracy, in which the Puritans destroyed the lives of innocent women all the while believing they were doing the right thing. A Puritan theocracy meant that all aspects of the ruled area were controlled by the church. The Puritans were extremely strict about creating a perfect Puritan society, the oppression of women was prominent during this time and there was intense pressure to be a model citizen, making no mistakes. Religion ruled the life of a Puritan, it controlled every aspect of their lives.
The Salem Witch Trials was an event that took place in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. During this time, more than 200 residents were accused of practicing and participating in the Devils magic better known as witchcraft. Out of these 200 people, 20 were put to death. After these horrible events had been carried out, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and helped salvage the families that had been effected by the events. So why did these trials take place? It had everything to do with the events that were happening within the Puritan community beginning in the 1300s. During this time in history Puritan beliefs and religious practices were held so high to their community
Although many events contributed to the infamous Salem witch trials, irrefutable evidence supports that the Indian War is one event that caused the trials. Their time in Indian captivity affected many of the accusers and the accused psychologically. Another contributing factor of the Salem Witch Trials is the superstitions among the Puritans. With so much time and so very few answers concerning their eternal destinies, the people of Massachusetts Bay Colony conjured up various methods of distraction, and perhaps entertainment, through the practice of folk magic. The Salem Witch Trials are a cause of built up factors that involve the Puritans belief system and the effects of the Indian War.