The Salem Witch Trials wrongly convicted over one hundred fifty people through unfair court cases in 1692, due to the bias of the people, the unpassable tests used, and the illegal way they were run. The convictions were all done in the Court of Oyer and Terminer, which was created by the current Governor Sir William Phips, and led by Chief Judge William Stoughton, along with 6 other judges (EB 1) (Boraas 24). This court was closed within the year, and a new court was opened, the Superior Court of Judicature, which was less unfair, and made no convictions during the time it was open. This court was then also closed after a few months (EB 1). During the trials, every sort of person was accused, from rich to poor.
REVIEW OF LITRATURE A.) SUMMARY SOURCE A Although the whole book had information on the Salem witch trials. The introduction, chapter 1 and 2 and the conclusion had information regarding the research needed • Introduction: states what the Salem witch trials where and who they accused.
If the American court system only allowed the victims of the crime to testify in court, while neglecting all other evidence and hardly paying attention to the accused, how different would it be compared to trials today? For Salem, Massachusetts, this method of prosecution organization led to one of the most infamous events in pre-Colonial times: The Salem Witch Trials. This incident began in February 1692, and by the time it ended in May 1693, twenty citizens were sent to the gallows, and over one hundred others sat in prison, waiting to be tried for months at a time. What made these trials distinguishable was the judges’ decision to allow spectral evidence. Spectral evidence, by definition, is the testimony of a witness who claimed that the
Due to religion, lying, and health problems, it caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692 to occur. Religion was important to the Puritans in their daily life. They would take every word from God and turn them into action. Without religion in their life, then the Puritans would not have come to New England. Religion was an extensive impact on the repercussion of the Salem Witch Trial.
Accused, trial, guilty, executed, devil, jury - the news spreading around Salem, Massachusetts was deathly. Starting with women, and then expanding to men, there were accusations of witchcraft encompassing the whole town. The arraigned did not stand a chance against the court. The accused witches went through one of the most arduous times of all people in Salem; however, after a well-abounding amount of trials, the cases were closed and the issue was solved. “It was the darkest and most desponding period in the civil history of New England.”
What Caused the Salem Witch Trials Hysteria of 1692? In Exodus 22:18, it proclaims, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!” In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, the Puritans believed every word that the Bible said, causing the death of twenty people because they were accused of witchcraft. What caused the panic and alarm that lead to the death of twenty people in Salem?
"There are such strange people in the world, when a fly walks over their body, it must be witchcraft. " Anna Roleffes said this quote during her trial after she was accused of witchcraft. It verifies that people were accused of being witches and wizards with very little and inconsistent evidence. However, more than 150 people were indicted, and 20 were executed. The chilling havoc spread during the winter of 1692 in Salem Village when a doctor "diagnosed" three ladies with peculiar visions and fits, with bewitchment.
Over 300 years ago, more than 100 citizens of the colony of Massachusetts were accused of the crime of witchcraft, and many executed. Although this era in history, known as the Salem Witch Trials, lasted only mere months, its impact on the American criminal justice system has lasted until present day. Although both the trials in Salem and modern America are based on a similar justice system, there are vast differences, specifically in the rights of the defense, most notable in the separation of Church and State, the standards of evidence, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The modern American criminal justice system, in comparison to that of the time of the Salem Witch Trials, has changed drastically. No longer is the rule of law based on
In the Summer months of 1692, twenty-four innocent alleged witches and wizards had been hung, pressed to death, or died in jail in Salem, Massachusetts. However, what caused the mass hysteria known as the Salem Witch Trials? Puritans based their life strictly on religion and the Bible in which they had no free time, education, and felt pressured just to be alive; the citizens were fearful of their future, causing their religion to overpower scientific and mathematical reasoning. In June 1692, two young Salem girls, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, accused slave woman Tituba and two other white women of practicing witchcraft after Betty and Abigail began to exhibit strange behavior. Tituba confessed to practicing witchcraft and exclaimed that
In the seventeenth-century, many people believed in things such as magic, astrology, and witchcraft. Witches were believed to have made a pact with the devil to obtain supernatural powers. So when bad things, such as crops failing or if a child was born stillborn, started to occur, many people started to blame witches. Beginning in late 1691, many girls were being accused of being a witch during the Salem Witch Trials. The accusers believed that their lives were in danger and that these so-called “witches” were causing all this evil to occur.
Every place has its dark time; that moment in history that everyone would rather just forget about. The Salem Witch Trials are no different. Filled with confrontation, accusation, and misery, these trials proved to be a feat for anyone accused of being a witch to overcome. The debate of why these trials happened has been going on for many years. There are many reasons that historians have come up with to try and explain and justify these trials, some are merely speculation, while others have proof to back them up.
According to an article on MTSU.edu titled the “Salem Witch Trials,” during the unfair trials, “Most defendants lacked benefit of counsel and were assumed guilty. . . 19 individuals who had refused to admit guilt were hanged and another was pressed to death.” In the Salem Witch Trials, many innocent people were accused of practicing witchcraft but were forced to admit that they were guilty if they wanted to survive. The trials were completely unfair, since they were only based on personal accusations instead of real evidence. Since many remained neutral and did not bother to stand up or protest, more and more victims lost their lives due to false accusations, proving Wiesel right.
I have lived in Salem my whole life. I have seen it survive with very little, when the people went against each other during King William’s War. I have been around many years, just as you. I have lost friends and family ties with disputes over depending on agriculture or not. Oh!
In Salem, Massachusetts a series of hearings and prosecutions started, commonly known as the Salem Witchcraft Trials. The witchcraft trials in Salem became a big concern after two-hundred innocent people were accused and twenty people were executed. Many people of Salem believed the court was just in accusing all these victims. A seldom amount of people went against the court in saying that the court was a fraud and that the decisions were biased being made. Abigail Williams held all the power in the court and determined who was “guilty” or not.
Despite the fact that the chase began in Salem, it spread to the neighboring towns, and the quantity of individuals charged and captured was drastically expanding. Since the correctional facilites progressed toward becoming packed, the blamed witches were kept in different prisons in Salem, Boston and Ipswich. The witches were believed to be extremely hazardous, so they were binded to the dividers in the cell. The trials were held in the Salem courthouse which was arranged in the focal point of the Washington Street. The principal individual conveyed to the trial was Bridget Bishop.
