Witch Persecution Research Paper

The persecution of witches started in the fourteen hundreds and carried on into the seventeen hundreds. This persecution happened only in the Catholic and Protestant Countries. They were not just endorsed by the churches, but the entire craze was caused by the churches; which gave its full support behind the cause. While the persecution of witches effected every type of person the most effected people where older women, poor, and usually considered outsiders by their society.

Salem Witch Trials, one of the worst times in history, many people were killed by hanging, and pressing. There was only one person to be killed by getting crushed, it was 81 year old Giles Cory, they put a board on top of him, and people interrogated him, trying to make him testify against his wife Martha, whenever he refused to testify against her they put a pile of rocks on top of the board, eventually getting to the point where he couldn’t take the pressure of all the rocks and died, 3 days later his wife was accused and hung.

Einstein once said, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who do nothing” (Gurteen). The Salem witch trials began in the Spring of 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts. A group of young girls, who claimed to be possessed by the devil, began accusing a few women of witchcraft, which caused hysteria among the people in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Approximately 150 people were convicted of practicing witchcraft, 19 were hanged at Gallows Hill, and others died in captivity (“Salem Witch Trials”). These tragic events lead to the convictions of many innocent people in Salem Village and later in Salem Town, Ipswich, Gloucester, and other towns (Brooks). The Salem witch trials are a

Far later on, once his perceived immediate threat was handled, it was time to handle the long-term. When King James had The Bible translated from Hebrew to the “Old English Bible (His own variation of the Bible) he created a few “new” passages of his own making, one of those, being “Thou Shalt not suffer a witch to live.” (Exodus: 22:18 – King James Bible)

The Salem Witch Trials was quite something that was not just or done properly. Throughout the video I have examined some things not right and sometimes humorous because of how they judge and condemn a living soul. The judges acted like God and judge right there at that moment to decide that person's fate to live or to die. How they judge according to the video was they have the so called possessed young girls and then the girls seem to decide the person fate.

For years, people have wondered whether supernatural abilities are real, or if they are simply the slide of hand. Now we have the ability to see the truth without mass hysteria. Sadly before the technological advances that we have today if something “supernatural” were to happen the people would not know what to do. This is where towns would get into trouble.

Witch hunts are infamous throughout in history. A barrage of witch hunts happened around the time of the colonization of the New World. Most particularly, the Salem Witch Trials which showed how much people were influenced. The majorities of the accused were women because of being unmarried, childless, widowed, and had reputations in their communities for assertiveness and independence. The Salem witch trials brought forth the idea of the “social strain theory”: which is defined as “The Salem witchcraft scare may have reflected social tension that found their outlet through an attack on people perceived as outsiders” (Faragher 51). It was mass hysteria that made this Witch Hunt in their community. Surprisingly, witch hunts still happen today.

In the book Witches! The Absolutely True Tale Of Disaster In Salem, Rosalyn Schanzer explains how the feud in Salem,Massachusetts all came about. It all started when the Puritans wanted a perfect world, a heaven on Earth. So when Betty and Abigail, two sick girls informed the people in there town that they were bewitched, the whole town went into a frenzy.They started accusing and blaming people of being witches all over the little town of Salem. The reasons behind the accusations are all because they had hatred,sought revenge,and craved attention.

When I think of witchcraft the first thing that comes to mind, is the Salem Witch Trials, and the fact that so many innocent people were accused, convicted and executed for being a witch, and more times than not this was done over such ridiculousness. Scott sheds light onto how ridiculous some of the accusations as proof of witchcraft really were. For instance in this “story” he explains how it was assumed that Margaret Simons was a witch because a boy became ill have he had an “altercation” with her dog, and she reprimanded him a few days prior to him becoming ill. And because of rumors, and because the father thought he was so “perfect,” there was no way that God would make a child sick, especially his, it had to be witchcraft, and Margret

In modern times, whenever someone refers to an individual who has a specific target in mind, and that individual will not listen to explanation or alter their course for any reason, it is said that they are “on a witch hunt”. This saying was derived from the witch hunts throughout Europe and North America ranging from the Middle Ages into the 1800s, when witches were actively targeted, searched, and hunted for by the Christian church, ultimately resulting in the deaths of numerous people, many of whom were innocent of the charges that they were accused of. Based on “Witchcraft Documents [15th Century])", it was impossible for an individual to receive a fair trial whenever accused of witchcraft, for a variety of reasons. A few of these reasons include the fact that the hunting of witches was completely supported by the Pope, Christians generally believed that their tactics were well founded, and the barbaric tactics used by the Inquisitors.

In the 17th century, many people believed that witches had the ability to hurt or even kill. Anyone could be accused, but individuals who differed from their neighbors were watched carefully. Suspicious signs included extreme age, physical disability, mental impairment, bad temper and irritable personality. Fear grew so strongly from this superstition that communities in Europe and the American colonies staged witch hunts, and many alleged witches were arrested, tried and executed. Historians have many explanations for this persecution, including mass hysteria, individual grudges and the desire to blame someone for social or personal problems. To counter the power of any witches who were unidentified, some wary people filled jugs with items like nail clippings, hair, pins and nails. For full protection, the bottles had to be buried near the front or back door or hidden in the chimney.

In this video it states that Switzerland conducted witch hunts. They persecuted presumed withes longer than any other country in Europe. It also executed the most people for the crime of witch craft. Additionally, between the 15th and 17th century, an estimated 3 ½ thousand people mainly women was put to death. Presumed witches was locked up and tortured in a castle before they were executed, mostly burn at the stake. People believed that witches made deals with the devil to gain their special powers. Many believed that they didn’t act alone, the served the devil in covens. People had wild imaginations of what happened a witch sabot. Many believed that children were eaten, unnatural sexual acts were

Witchcraft was as a capital crime in seventeenth-century New England. A hysteria over it was caused by a group of girls. (Kent 95). Witchcraft was considered a terrible crime throughout Europe; its punishment was death by hanging or burning. (Dolan 8). Everyone in the village of Salem believed in witchcraft, and only a few have tried to use it. (Kent 18). In 1692, Salem Village hysteria was a major event in United States history, which will never be forgotten. The people of Salem were caught up in a hysteria of accusing many innocent woman of witchcraft, even though it started as just a couple young girls who had acted strangely.

The issue of witch-hunts was more visible in countries such France, who had a total of 10,000+ people accused and executed, but less in more stable countries such as Italy. Critics such as Levack and Thurston have a general belief that religious change may have exacerbated the witch-hunt but not are a direct cause.

It was finally summer break and Lila Jefferson was glad that she gets a break from the harsh homework of Magicae Academy. Although the name sounds pretty cheesy, magicae (pronounced like magic-eye) being the Latin word for magic, it was a great school. The teachers were some of the most talented in the United States and taught spells according to the Elemental or Mental spell they excel at.