Theocracy Consequences

During the 1600’s in the United States there was much economic and religious dissention within the Puritan society: a group of English reformed protestants who pursued the Purification of the Church of England. Among these issues, is the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials that prosecuted women to be found worshippers of the devil. The Puritans found the necessity to exercise this crusade in order to stay by their moral codes of conformity which included witchcraft to be the greatest crime, punishable by death. However, the true reasons of the trials was not to simply follow their religious constitutions. It is mainly in part from corruption of religion and how some had used the trials as a form of personal gain, the influences of the attitudes from the strict Puritan lifestyle, the need for unification between the Salem factions, and the society’s fear of evil.

In the Puritan religion, there was a strict code to follow. Children couldn’t even have an imagination, and no one could sing or dance either. This was because everybody was all scared of the devil. If one person went off track of the religion by just a little bit, they were thought of as helpers of satan, or as they were called witches. Once the whole hysteria started, people grew even more scared of the devil and even the smallest bit of suspicion that one person was disobeying the religion, they would be accused. Once you were accused, you it was hard to be let off the hook. Most people would just confess to being a witch so they would just go to jail. On the other hand, if you denied it, you would most likely be hanged. I the end, religion was a huge factor to the start of the Salem witch trials.

In the 1630's and the 1640's, the Puritans traveled to the colonies to detach from their opinion of a convoluted Church of England. They set up towns and started new lives that were all based on their idea of a pure religion. The Puritan's definition of a pure religion did not include many of the ideas of the Church of England. They built the colonies and made a system based upon the idea that God was the most important aspect of life. Puritan ideas and values influenced the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660’s by spreading their beliefs into every facet of daily life. Politically their ideas regarding what was considered sinful behavior and how power was separated among the

Everyone knows about the blood bath that was the Salem Witch Trials, but what not many know is what caused it and how it affected Americans throughout History. In the summer of 1692, it all started. A couple of Puritans thought that their daughters were being influenced by the Devil, but what they did not know is what the doctor said would affect the whole town, and eve their ancestors. Thesis: Many peaceful years after the Puritans’ journey to the new world, trouble arose through the Salem Witch Trials by what happened, what caused it, and the effects.

During 1692, Puritan society in Massachusetts was filled with pressures: pressures to be a loyal and dedicated Christian and also pressures to remain in a uniform manner so each individual would not be criticized. Tensions in Puritan society escalated during the Salem witch trials, Puritans, mostly middle-aged wealthy women were kept under close observation and if something seemed unusual about an individual they would be persecuted by the town and told they are a witch, often this lead to their banishment from the colony or ultimately their death. The ideology of predestination created extreme conflicts throughout the Puritan society. People were constantly in fear if they committed a sin, they would go to hell. This fear sparked a distress that witchcraft was among the colonies and Satan was leading it by controlling the ones accused of witchcraft. Puritan society was dominated by fear that caused victimization throughout the colonies.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play that shows how the Salem witch trials unfold. As a Puritan society, Salem functions as a theocracy. Unlike today 's United States government in which Church and State are entirely separate entities, a theocracy is essentially the Church acting as the government. Because of the theocratic nature of Salem 's governing body, religion plays a principal role in the lives of every character and has a major effect on the progression of the plot. In The Crucible, theology is used as a tool to accomplish ulterior motives of greed and vengeance, allowing the witch trials to gain momentum. The theocratic governing body in Salem is ultimately responsible for the witch trials due to laws based on religion rather than reason that are enforced by a corrupt criminal justice system.

The Puritan society is religious and tightly bound. They initially came to America to practice their religion in peace, and the community has worked together in order to survive. Their rules and morals are based on their religion, with no form of government. This strong faith was evident in the residents of Salem, Massachusetts. Puritans believed that the English Protestant Church was becoming corrupted, and solidly stuck to their theory that they were the chosen ones by God, and thus every rule they set in place was regimented by God himself. Ideology is a set of beliefs or ideas that are the basis of social theories (Fischer, Claude). Many of the church leaders in Salem followed a very strict view on what the description of witches were. They refused to look beyond the reputation and good morals that the character possessed. Many of these court officials believed that whatever happened in the court would be the truth and nothing but the truth. They felt that if they didn't lie in the courtroom then a lawyer did not need to be present. Judge Danforth states, “As for the witches, none will

The Puritans were a religious group that came to North America in search of religious freedom, and, in the process, greatly impacted the North American church, government, education, social mores, and economy. Many of the things that they implemented in the first colonies are still seen today in the social and governmental structures of the United States. Their beliefs and traditions are still practiced today and many social mores are still being adhered to, even now.

The tragic events of the Salem witch trials tested the morality of several individuals, who abided to a government based on religious intolerance and limitation. Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” highlights the detrimental effects of the religious court, and the impact Puritan societal norms had on its citizens. Reverend Hale, a protagonist in the play serves as a balance between morality versus and the religious conformity that took place within society. His transformation throughout the play demonstrates his true intention in doing what is right and abiding by the correct ideals, instead of following the damaging priorities enrooted in the theocratic system. Throughout “The Crucible,” Reverend Hale transfers from adhering to a theocracy to prioritizing the true value of life, revealing his maintenance of a strong moral code.

When a civil war broke out in England, Puritans were able to grasp on to a little bit of power, however they were not unified and it caused them to lose power. Soon Oliver Cromwell came to power and gave Puritans a few freedoms. Puritans had limited say and freedoms until the Toleration Act of 1689 when it was decided that even though there was a main religion of the country there could be side groups. This was still not enough freedom for the Puritans to have what they truly

With this set of rules, they sought to strike fear in the hearts of the religion’s followers in order to keep them in line. In the book, this is on display as all characters are quick to jump to the conclusion of witchcraft being the reason for Reverend Parris’ daughter’s illness. You can infer they have this reaction since the church continually told its followers that anybody associated with Satan is to be outcast and or executed no matter how trivial the offense by today’s standards. In historical context, religion is properly portrayed as a fear mechanism. The entirety of the Salem Witch Trials can basically be described as plagued with religious persecution, false accusations, close mindedness, and fear. The theme of religion being used as a tool of fear and means for cruel punishment definitely transcends the book into a universally accepted one. After the September Eleventh attacks, most Americans feared anybody from the Middle East. The actions of a group of people from an extremist sect of an otherwise peaceful and righteous monotheistic religion caused billions of people to fear and generalize an entire region of the world. Due to their generalizations and irrational fears of people of another religion as them,

The Puritans were a group of "congregationalists" that didn't support the Anglican church because the church was too "catholic".They also believed reformation was needed and an egalitarian environment was necessary.

The first theme that helped create The Crucible’s universal state was intolerance. Intolerance began, within history, years before the Salem Witch Trials and years before the creation of the New England Colonies. Puritan beliefs were outcasted by the King and its government, causing their migration to the new territory of what would become the United States. This created the Puritan colonies and the city of Salem. With their migration based on the want of religious freedom, a theocratic society was created. Every member of the society was expected to worship and believe in God and those that opposed the court, the men that decided God’s will, also opposed God himself. During Act Three, Proctor is accused of trying to overthrow the court, thus having his intentions to overthrow God. Danforth states that “these trials...[are] the voice[s] of

Their legitimacy did not come from the people that they ruled over, but from God, and Rulers were “appointed by God” to serve “his will”. This divine sovereignty gave them to create and enforce the laws and standards that they liked in the name of God, when often they were truly acting with self-interest. Popular sovereignty on the other hand is considered rule by the people. Through participation, people create and sustain the government. The Puritans did not believe in rule by the people because people are inherently flawed and erroneous. In reality, it was the Puritans using the claim of divine sovereignty to push their own religious and authoritarian agenda.

The Puritans believed that God instituted society and expected to see Christian principles prevail within (173). The goal of the Puritans was not to be legalistic but to please the God who sent His Son to save them from their sins. As a result, they sought to establish laws that aligned with Christian principles. One Puritan, Thomas Cartwright, even said that “the commonwealth must be made to agree with the church [that is Christian principles].” Laws were not instituted to force action of the citizens but sought to ensure that the citizens of the colony followed the commands of God laid out in the Bible. While this motivation to obey the Word of God in all portions does substantiate the claim towards legalism, a deeper study of the term legalism shows that the Puritans were not legalistic.