The Salem Witch Trials In The 1600's

Improved Essays
Salem is famous for the Witch Trials in the 1600’s. The Puritans had very strict beliefs concerning witchcraft. The punishment for witchcraft was a capital offense, punishable by death. Many residents of Salem were hanged because they had no substantial evidence to prove their innocence. All who were accused of witchcraft had a chance to confess guilt and ultimately escape death. Although confession seemed to be a viable option, for many it was not. After admission of guilt, the people who confessed were no longer considered to be Puritans. The aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials left the town’s residents with regret and heartbreak for the injustice that occurred. The Puritanical beliefs in Salem were to blame for the killing of innocent people because witchcraft could not be proven if someone was accused it was true by default. In Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, the town’s people had strict morals and laws that they followed. Witchcraft was a major concern for the Puritans in Salem because they saw themselves as God’s chosen people. According to the article “Witchcraft in Salem,” “the Puritans believed that there were five types of evidence confirming or denying witchcraft in accused people. This evidence included passing biblical tests, physical evidence, and testimonial evidence against people, spectral evidence, and lastly confession.” Along with the strong Puritanical beliefs, the evidence in the trials brought upon an inevitable fate for those who were accused. There were many reasons to suspect someone of witchcraft. According to the article “Witchcraft in Salem,” “if a person did not attend church, had a birthmark, warts, moles, or other blemishes, also if a person claimed to have seen another person as a ghost.” These things signified many things related to possession by the devil and if a person had any of the characteristics or did not attend church regularly they were claimed to be a witch. Some of the many accused people which consisted mostly of women, children, and a few dogs could not pass such simple tasks required for different reasons and did not want to confess because of the consequences. The tasks at hand to be proven innocent were out of reach for certain people. If the people could not speak or did not attend church then the only other way out of death was confession. Confession was a very hard choice to make because it would save the life of the innocent but change their life dramatically forever. After confession the person who confessed was no longer considered a Puritan and could no longer attend church. The people who confessed were basically thrown out of the Puritan community, no longer considered to be one of God’s chosen people. According to the article “Life in Salem 1692,” “Puritans were expected to live by a rigid moral code.” Their beliefs limited them to doing everything a certain way and punishment was justifiable for any discrepancy in following the laws. …show more content…
Witchcraft was one of the greatest crimes to commit during this time period. The puritans believed that, “Satan was as real as God and he would select the weakest individuals --women, children, and the insane-- to carry out his will” (Life in Salem 1692). Satan was believed to choose weak people to sign a contract with him and those who did were considered witches. Women were considered inferior to men in Puritanical society which made them very easy to accuse. The accusations used against most of the accused were crazy and made no logical sense, but since women were inferior and most of the people the devil used were inferior they were the perfect targets. The Puritans also believed that, “God would punish individuals for sinful behavior, those who would experience misfortune were believed to deserve it” (Life in Salem 1692). When a Puritan’s neighbor would suffer the neighbor who was not suffering did not help in any way because the punishment was seen to be Gods will. Tim Sutter acknowledges that, “witchcraft was a sin because it denied the superiority of God.” To the Puritans God was everything, so witchcraft was seen as such a considerable sin in the aspect that Satan had more power than God.

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In 1692, Puritans in colonial Massachusetts faced an interesting event called the Salem Witch Trials. The first sign of witchcraft was discovered when two girls, Elizabeth and Williams were having “fits.” The local doctor blamed their unusual movements on the supernatural. Satan worried the Puritan community because they believed that they always had to behave to go to heaven. Whether puritans were in or out of their home, they believed the devil was always watching them which is why they were always cautious towards their actions.…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692 and consisted of prosecutions of women and some men who were thought to have been practicing witchcraft. These women were taken to trial, and if they were convicted of practicing witchcraft, they were violently put to death. With the rising tensions in the colony, The Salem Witch trials of 1692 were caused by curiosity in religious beliefs, young women claiming they were possessed by the devil, and troubles arising among the community. By this point the people of Salem would consider themselves Puritans. They had many standards they had to abide by to keep good Christian standings, and as the people of Salem were learning more about the Christian religion, they learned about the devil and his possession.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Salem witch trials was a group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts who were accused of messing with witch craft and had been claimed to be possessed by the devil in the years of 1692-1693. Twenty people had during those years, within those twenty only nineteen were hanged and one by the name of Giles Corey was pressed to death by stones. In the 1600s the Puritan religion was very strict especially in the Salem Valley. Puritans feared the devil, they feared witch craft because one who practice unholy words and books had their soul sold to the devil. The Religion believed that anyone who was caught, accused, or believed to be a witch should be punished by death.…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Salem Witch Trial In 1629, Salem was settled as a Massachusetts Bay Colony (Dunn 4). Little did anybody know that in about 50 years, this land would turn into one of the most remembered and haunted places in the world. In Salem, in the years between 1692 and 1693, over 150 people were accused of witchcraft, and 20 people were executed because of this accusation (“First Salem Witch Hanging”). This report will explain exactly how these executions happened and some of the dark conspiracies that tag along with it.…

    • 1680 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692 was caused by many factors that were of issue at the time. These factors included fear, attention seeking, and extreme religious beliefs. One summer in Salem Village, 20 people were killed and more died in the witch trial due to the hysteria that surrounded the village. The first and most obvious cause for the hysteria was the extreme religious beliefs held by the Puritans.…

    • 1329 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While the puritans had many flaws in their society, our culture can learn from it in order to not repeat mistakes. There were many causes to the mania of the Salem witch trials, though most stemmed from the bible and their strict culture. Not only were the people repressed in admitting their sin, but they also gained from accusing others and the entire culture was paranoid and believed everything. The culture of Salem showed how bad a situation can get if humans are not allowed much if any freedom. Societies today can learn valuable lessons from that time in allowing freedom with some rules but not an overabundance of…

    • 1463 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    After a total of four months nineteen adults and two dogs were hung for witchcraft. The town of Salem was made up of mainly Puritans. The Puritans have a very strict religion and the members are required to attend church on Sundays and to be able to interpret the bible or they would be frowned upon (“The Puritans”). They believed in a real sense of a divine God, with the fear of sin and divinity. When the court suspected a witch they immediately sent out a warrant for their arrest.…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Women were considered weaker than men so they were most likely to surrender to the Devil’s desire which explains why majority of the accusers were women. They believed that women were inferior to men which they used the story of Adam and Eve to explain this since Eve was created from Adam’s ribs. Infertile and menopausal women were also most likely to be accused of witchcraft since according to the Puritan values, they didn’t serve a purpose in society since they couldn’t give birth. Sarah Good was named one of the supposedly accusers. There were some evidence even from her own husband, William…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of the most famous cases of witchcraft took place within the British colonies in 1692. They were located in Salem, Massachusetts and were appropriately named: The Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials were a unique part of American history, that brought fear, dishonesty, and death over a small, religion-based community for over a year. When examined deeply, several instances of underlying conflict reveal the reasons for why such an event happened. The end result of these trials took the lives of over twenty, and over one hundred and fifty victims were accused (Latner 138).…

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    America’s Encounter with the Salem Witch Trials: Outburst of Hysteria and the Effect on Social Structure, Government, and Religion in the 1690s and the World Today The infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts forever marked the history of the United States. Much more than pointing fingers at so-called witches, these trials were the result of underlying tensions in the Salem community as well as a product of fear and anxiety produced by the Puritan religion. The trials did not simply die as soon as the last gavel was struck— they left behind a legacy that altered life forever. An intense period of hysteria and paranoia, the Salem Witch Trials had a significant impact on social structure, government and religion in the 1690s…

    • 1440 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Exodus 22:18, the bible proclaims, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” In 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts, the Puritans believed that witches existed, The Bible states, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” and because of this belief twenty innocent people were sent to their death. What caused the Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692? Age, gender, marital status, notoriety, and a divided town.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If someone had been accused of witchcraft, there would be an inquiry of these suspicions, leading to convictions and sometimes execution. Soon after the frenzy in Massachusetts, a special court met in the town of Salem to discuss and hear the cases. Bridget Bishop, the first witch to be sentenced, was then later hung in June. There were over 200 people who were accused of “the Devil’s Magic”,3 and 20 were executed.4 Families of the victims were devastated. Soon after these brutal killings, the colony realized it as just paranoia rising, and apologized to the families of the convicted.51 https://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education2 http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials3 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/4 http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-salem-witch-trials/5…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Since the priest had ultimate interpretation of religious interactions with the community, the priest could determine and explanation and punishment of the sinner. The Puritans believed that the devil was as real as God. They thought those who failed to uphold the Puritan values would be more likely to submit themselves to the devil. Therefore, they felt these women who had failed to uphold the values of the community, were the devils advocates.…

    • 1843 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    An event in history i want to visit is the salem witch trials. The reason behind this is because i want to be able to see what happened “behind the scenes” or what really happened. What was going through their heads and their lives that pushed them to start to attack there fellow neighbors of something so vile like being possessed and witchcraft. The salem witch trials occurred during the spring of 1692, in massachusetts. It all began after a group of young girls started to accuse several women of participating in witchcraft, or even worse that they were possessed by the devil.…

    • 223 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays