Imagine giving up your home, life, and job to move across seas. Going to a land of the unknown; a land that promises to bring peace-far away from the unyielding eyes of the Catholics, and their pestering ideologies. A land in which one will practice the beliefs of a dedicated Puritan; which involves a strict moral upbringing, an unwavering pursuit of justice, and using the belief in their bible as the foundation and guide for how they live their lives. If that is so then how did twenty innocent people die? How did the hunting of witches come about? Within the years 1692-1693; the Puritans beliefs allotted the immoral and unjust deaths of twenty men and women during the Salem Witch Trials.
In Salem Massachusetts, during the years 1692-1693 …show more content…
31). To determine if a person was a witch the men in higher power at the time would take it upon themselves to examine him or her in several different ways. One of the many tasks and examinations an accused person had to face was to recite the Lord’s Prayer. It was a belief of the Puritans that a witch would be unable to make it through this prayer without having a fit or spell of some sort (ushistory, 2014). Physical evidence such as warts, moles, and birthmarks were thought to be spots in which the devil could enter (ushistory, 2014). Any type of witness testimony or confessions to any suspicious activity would be determined to be acts of witchery. Spectral evidence was a huge part in convicting the men and women accused (ushistory, 2014). Puritans believed that in order for Satan to enter a person they had to be a willing victim, therefore resulting in them being a witch (ushistory, 2014). A way in which some may be forced to confess would be being tied down with rocks, and thrown in the lake (Jason C, The Salem Times). If they somehow lived they were deemed a witch, and hung. If they didn’t live they died because of a thoughtless accusation. These outlandish examinations and tests were what led to the deaths of twenty people. The Puritans morality was put on the backburner because of their elevated belief in the devil and the superstitions that surround …show more content…
One judge in particular resigned from the court after the hearing of Bridget Bishop (Rice, 1997, p.76). This judge was one of the first to see the injustice being served within the community and decided he could not go any further. The Puritans such strong beliefs also played a huge bias in how these trials were conducted. Not only was there lack of evidence for these men and women, the judges themselves were ministers and magistrates (Rice, 1997, p.78). The mere fact that people deciding one’s fate are ministers in a case surrounding the devil; is very worrisome for any accused. These ministers, no matter what one may say, would hold an obvious bias against anyone accused of witch
In Salem Massachusetts, during the years 1692-1693 …show more content…
31). To determine if a person was a witch the men in higher power at the time would take it upon themselves to examine him or her in several different ways. One of the many tasks and examinations an accused person had to face was to recite the Lord’s Prayer. It was a belief of the Puritans that a witch would be unable to make it through this prayer without having a fit or spell of some sort (ushistory, 2014). Physical evidence such as warts, moles, and birthmarks were thought to be spots in which the devil could enter (ushistory, 2014). Any type of witness testimony or confessions to any suspicious activity would be determined to be acts of witchery. Spectral evidence was a huge part in convicting the men and women accused (ushistory, 2014). Puritans believed that in order for Satan to enter a person they had to be a willing victim, therefore resulting in them being a witch (ushistory, 2014). A way in which some may be forced to confess would be being tied down with rocks, and thrown in the lake (Jason C, The Salem Times). If they somehow lived they were deemed a witch, and hung. If they didn’t live they died because of a thoughtless accusation. These outlandish examinations and tests were what led to the deaths of twenty people. The Puritans morality was put on the backburner because of their elevated belief in the devil and the superstitions that surround …show more content…
One judge in particular resigned from the court after the hearing of Bridget Bishop (Rice, 1997, p.76). This judge was one of the first to see the injustice being served within the community and decided he could not go any further. The Puritans such strong beliefs also played a huge bias in how these trials were conducted. Not only was there lack of evidence for these men and women, the judges themselves were ministers and magistrates (Rice, 1997, p.78). The mere fact that people deciding one’s fate are ministers in a case surrounding the devil; is very worrisome for any accused. These ministers, no matter what one may say, would hold an obvious bias against anyone accused of witch