The Salem Witch Trials Of Colonial Massachusetts - 1473 Words

The infamous Salem witch trials of colonial Massachusetts took place between 1692 and 1693. They involved the execution of fourteen women and five men within the brief time period. What is now the New England region had been established by a homogenous Puritan population, which emigrated from England. Abiding by a strict set of beliefs, the Puritans did not accept people of other backgrounds,therefore it might follow that the Salem Witch Trials of New England were a result of the strict Puritan society, which was actually primarily untrue. The Salem Witch Trials were not enacted as a result of Puritanism, but rather as a result of circumstance surrounding Rye. At the surface, the Salem Witch Trials appear to have resulted from the conformist nature of the predominantly Puritan New England society. The Puritans emigrated over to what is now New England, mainly during the â€Å"Great Migration† of the 1630’s. Their society prospered largely due to their homogenous nature. For instance, the Puritans believed that a strong work ethic was crucial to keeping in touch with God, which made the New England colony suitable for sustainable population growth. Since their societies were predominantly Puritan, the society was self-policing, punishing anyone who stepped out of line. There was abundant behavior that to the Puritans was considered â€Å"sinful†, such as not attending church, or amassing wealth. The Puritans also held the belief that the everyone had an inner conflict between good andShow MoreRelatedThe Causes of the Salem Witch Trials (DBQ)1337 Words   |  4 Pagesseem preposterous. Any behavior regarded as strange b y fellow citizens was sufficient to hold a trial with a sentence of death. Though such scenarios seem unfathomable in our modern culture, it was a reality for hundreds of New England settlers. The causes of the famous outbreak of witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts are rooted in social, economic, and political aspects of the late 17th century Salem community. Early New Englanders were unable to accept the increase in diversity and the break inRead MoreEssay on Salem Witch Trials Of 16921061 Words   |  5 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials of 1692 In colonial Massachusetts between February of 1692 and May of 1963 over one hundred and fifty people were arrested and imprisoned for the capital felony of witchcraft. Trials were held in Salem Village, Ipswich, Andover and Salem Town of Essex County of Massachusetts, but accusations of witchcraft occurred in surrounding counties as well. Nineteen of the accused, fourteen women and five men, were hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem Village. Hysteria had swept throughRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of The Salem Witchcraft Trials1552 Words   |  7 Pages  Ã‚   The Massachusetts Salem witch craft trials, this was a complicated time in history.   With the conflict of the hangings, Salem didn’t have the best compromise. At a time in history when the government didn’t give Puritans religious rights, the Salem Massachusetts witch craft trials began. This conflict led to trails where the government convicted men and woman of practicing witch craft, thus being hanged. Though th is compromise stopped the witchcraft practicing, the government realized those menRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Essay1349 Words   |  6 Pagespeople strongly believed that Satan was present and active on earth. Men and women in Salem Village believed that all the misfortunes that befell them were the work of the devil. For example, when things like infant death, crop failures or friction among the congregation occurred, people were quick to blame the supernatural. This concept first emerged in Europe around the fifteenth century and then spread to Colonial America. Formerly, peasants heavily relied on particular charms for farming and agricultureRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Of 16921281 Words   |  6 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials were a sequence of hearings, prosecutions, and hangings of people who were thought to be involved in witchcraft in Massachusetts. These trials occurred between February 1692 and May 1693(The Salem Witch Trials, 1692. ). The Trials resulted in the e xecution of twenty people, in fact, most of them were women. The first of the trials began in several towns in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, such as Salem Village (currently known as Danvers), Salem Town, Ipswich, and Andover(SalemRead MoreAbdeali Dalal. Dr. Jenkins. History 1301. February 13,1541 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Escaping Salem; The Other Witch Hunt of 1692† â€Å"Escaping Salem; The Other Witch hunt of 1692† was penned and published by Richard Godbeer in 2005. Godbeer expressed his views on what he called basic witch trials in Salem and more importantly, in Stamford, Connecticut Massachusetts. The same year that Salem witch hunt and trials began in 1692, another witch hunt took place in Stamford, the Western Connecticut to when a woman (Elizabeth Clawson) from there was also accused of Witchcraft. These witch huntRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials : Crisis1601 Words   |  7 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials: Crisis in Salem Village Many people know of the Salem witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1692 spilling over into the year 1693. But for those who do not know, the Salem witch trials were a series of trials against men, women, and children accused of being a witch and or practicing witchcraft. In â€Å"The Devils Snare: The Salem Witch Trials of 1692† by Mary Beth Norton, the author recollects the stories of real life accounts of those accusers andRead MoreThe Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol Karlsen Essay examples641 Words   |  3 Pagesin the New England Society. The books thesis is based on why a person was accused of being a witch and the relative circumstances thereof. Marital status, sex, community standing, wealth, and relationships with others all play an important part of a person chances of being accused of being a witch. Karlsen’s words make for a richly detailed portrait of the women who were prosecuted as witches. The witch hunting hysteria seized New England in the late seventeenth century. Why were those and otherRead MoreThe Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials1748 Words   |  7 PagesThe Salem witch trials were a series of different court trials. They occurred after a group of young girls were claimed to be possessed by the devil. These individuals experienced hallucinations. Some of the suspects explained the attacks as if bugs were crawling under their skin. When the outbreak began to spread, the government proceeded to accuse multiple people in the colony of witchcraft. This is how the Salem witch trials came to be. The trials took place in colonial Massachusetts. AccordingRead MoreSalem Witch Trials And Religious Superstition1411 Words   |  6 Pagesseventeenth century in colonial Salem, Massachusetts, two girls began acting in an uncanny manner. These girls then accused two woman and a slave for being witches; which caused the town of Salem to emerge into a period of witch cleansing. Mostly, the people of Salem were Puritans who found many different reasons to accuse one of being a witch. The start of the witch trials began in 1692 and ended in 1693 by Governor Phips; whose wife was prosecuted as a witch. These Salem Witch Trials began by religious