Salem Witch Trial Essay

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This court document is about six servants and a slave who left their master, were caught, and what their punishments were. At this time, growing tobacco required a lot of labor from indentured servants and slaves. The occasion for why this document was written is that several indentured servants and a slave escaped. There was just a judge, no juries or lawyers, which is similar to what happened in the Salem Witch Trials. The audience of this document are judges in other colonies. Branding, whipping, shackles, and work were used as punishments in other cases, such as the Salem Witch Trials and Boston Massacre. The purpose of this document is to set a precedent, or standard, for the crime of escaping servitude or slavery. The document states

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