The word Salem once meant peace in Hebrew, and meant complete peace in Biblical times. Now it is associated with the horrifying events of killing hundreds of innocent people. The Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts were a mockery of justice. as innocent men and women were condemned to death.
In the 1630s, the Puritans from Europe sailed to the New World, what is now the United States of America. The Puritans believed that it was their task to create a utopian theocracy. As time progressed their knowledge of the devil, God’s enemy, grew. They encouraged intense scrutiny of one’s entire life, so trying to keep a secret was a very difficult task, especially since they believed in witches and that black magic was the work of the devil. …show more content…
Ministers and magistrates would visit the jails to further interrogate the women and men by urging them to confess; once they saw that the victims would resist, they would inflict physical abuse. The way that they would torture the people whom they interrogated was savage and brutal, they would “tie them neck and heels till the blood was ready to come out of their noses,” (Marvel 108). Other prisoners contributed to the pressure by stating that if the accused not confess, they would be hanged. Many did not need to be coerced to admit to being a witch because they could not stand the horrific conditions in jail and sometimes the inmates would die of disease in starvation before being brought to trial. The families and friends would try and pressure them to confess because they believed that it was the only way for them to be saved. Believing in the families’ words, many of the witches confessed, and at first they were kept alive. They remained alive long enough to provide testimonies against other witches; however, once finished testifying, they were killed in
In the 1630s, the Puritans from Europe sailed to the New World, what is now the United States of America. The Puritans believed that it was their task to create a utopian theocracy. As time progressed their knowledge of the devil, God’s enemy, grew. They encouraged intense scrutiny of one’s entire life, so trying to keep a secret was a very difficult task, especially since they believed in witches and that black magic was the work of the devil. …show more content…
Ministers and magistrates would visit the jails to further interrogate the women and men by urging them to confess; once they saw that the victims would resist, they would inflict physical abuse. The way that they would torture the people whom they interrogated was savage and brutal, they would “tie them neck and heels till the blood was ready to come out of their noses,” (Marvel 108). Other prisoners contributed to the pressure by stating that if the accused not confess, they would be hanged. Many did not need to be coerced to admit to being a witch because they could not stand the horrific conditions in jail and sometimes the inmates would die of disease in starvation before being brought to trial. The families and friends would try and pressure them to confess because they believed that it was the only way for them to be saved. Believing in the families’ words, many of the witches confessed, and at first they were kept alive. They remained alive long enough to provide testimonies against other witches; however, once finished testifying, they were killed in