At least 57,400 people who were accused of being a witch were persecuted and killed (Landen). Many of these people were falsely accused and persecuted, and all in terms of fear. First, The church persecuted witches due to the fear that many people had and that the church could manipulate. Additionally, all suspects of witchcraft often endured various tests to identify them as a witch or commoner, guilty or innocent. Lastly, after the common belief in true witch persecutions faded, the church used this as a window to persecute those they do not truly care for.
There are obviously theories about Salem such as, actually having the Devil take over bodies, having the rye in the wheat and bread which every family ate. The fact that Salem had its coldest winter in years and that they were still suffering from Indian attacks, played a role in some people as being the most reasonable theory out there. Religion was very important to them, hence why they were told to recite the Lord’s Prayer, and if they couldn’t they weren’t strong in their religion which in turn makes people say that the Devil is upon them, punishing them. No one but the people who lived through this time period would know what happened, but us, we will never know exactly why what happened in Salem
In the Salem Witch Trials, society believed that doing certain things were wrong or against what they believed in due to their religion. And there were consequences for doing things that were against the majority rule, such as death. Therefore, if people saw or knew about someone practicing witchcraft they would turn them in, because they knew it was against the law. They were doing what they knew to be the right and acceptable thing to do, similar to what Millie had done, because she knew turning him in would be the right thing to do by society’s
However in the end, 20 innocent people died because of people’s vengeance, hatred, and greed. By carefully analyzing Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, it becomes clear that selfishness, honesty, and the corruption of the court in Salem enabled to the witchcraft hysteria to spiral out of control. With people being accused of witchcraft to gain more power, the people of Salem clearly are selfish. Citizens of Salem are looked as pure and kind however deep inside, they are greedy people who want money and
Although she was pardoned until the birth of her child, that same child perished in prison before her execution (Jobe). This case is one of the hundreds to occur during the time of the Witch Trials. Numerous accounts of torture and death are recorded in American history, with these heinous crimes being committed on the exact soil we walk on every day. Based on the evidence used against the supposed witches,
Samuel Parris, the examiner of Bishop, seems to shed a negative light on Bishop. Eventually, as stated in Document A, Bridget Bishop was the first witch to be hanged in the Salem Witch Trials on June 10, 1692. However, Parris happens to be the father of an “afflicted” girl that was enticed by a witch named Tituba. The one thing can be inferred from this document though is that Parris’s experience with witches most likely altered his opinion to be negative towards these people. Despite his bias, Document C supports the conclusion of family ties being the cause of the Salem Witch Trials.
It was believed that they danced a black magic dance in nearby woods, and some girls would fall on the floor and hysterically scream. Shortly after that, these actions started to allot all over Salem. Ministers came to Salem trying to find who is responsible for this crisis. The Puritans believed that to become bewitched, a witch must draw a person under a spell. The young girls of Salem could not have brought this situation onto themselves, so they were questioned and forced to name their torturers.
During the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, they used to tie accused witches to chairs and throw them in a lake, if they sank they were innocent. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were crazy, irrational and disturbing times. Young girls accused their neighbors and strangers of practicing witchcraft. The town decided to hold trials to see whether or not the accused really were witches. While they awaited their trials, they were held in a filthy jail.
The Salem witch trials in 1692 were caused by three things marital status, lying girls, and economic differences. Marital status was one because the women who were accused were more married then single. Doc.B. The young girls who were accusing the older women were jealous of the older women, because they wanted rich husbands. Doc.A.
The Crucible takes place in early 1690s Massachusetts, where Puritanism is expected to be both the law and livelihood of everyone living in Salem. The community that the story revolves around believes in following their doctrine to the point of perfection, creating a society in