The Salem Witch Trials For The Puritan Community - 1398 Words

Texas Tech University A Town Submerged in Hysteria Cornelius Asmerom History To 1877 Professor Corye Beene October 23, 2014 The Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials were a devastating time period in 1692 for the Puritan community which resulted in 20 innocent people executed. Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts 9 years before the Puritans landed in Massachusetts Bay. Puritans wanted to purify the Church of England and ultimately strive to build a utopian society. John Winthrope who was the first governor of the Massachusetts bay colony described this society as a city upon a hill. This â€Å"city upon a hill† was not going to achieve itself on its own once the Puritans got to Massachusetts Bay. The type of government enforced within their community was a theocracy, meaning that God is the true leader of society, and he expressed his action and will through men and women. This required the community to attend church daily, and if you did not show up people would come and look for you. This outdated form of government enforced and allowed the sexist practices of women because of the strong belief that women wer e susceptible to the Devils charm. Women had no legal or property rights, marrying as a teenager and having many kids was the their life. This community did not tolerate nonconformity, everyone did the same thing and acted the same way. Anne Hutchinson was a victim of the strict beliefs of the Puritans. Anne Hutchinson was arrested for heresyShow MoreRelatedThe Hysteria Of The Salem Witch Trials1463 Words   |  6 Pagesdissention within the Puritan society: a group of English reformed protestants who pursued the Purification of the Church of England. Among these issues, is the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials that prosecuted women to be found worshippers of the devil. The Puritans found the necessity to exercise this crusade in order to stay by their moral codes of conformity which included witchcraft to be the greatest crime, punishable by death. However, the true reasons of the trials was not to simply followRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Essay1674 Words   |  7 PagesAlth ough many people have their assumptions as to what specifically caused the Salem Witch Trials, no one has a definite account. One must use logic and prior knowledge to come to the conclusion and realize that multiple factors play a key role in causing the trials. The Salem Witch Trials were caused by religion, politics, teenage boredom, family feuds, economic conditions, and fears of the people. The overall effect of the trials was a major part in American history, not only was it a learning experienceRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Of 16921270 Words   |  6 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials The year 1692 is remembered as one of the most scandalous times in American History. Throughout the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, over a hundred people were accused of practicing witchcraft (the majority of them being women). 14 women were hung, and 5 men were accused leading to a total of 19 people dying due to these trials. One man was even pressed to death by substantial weights for declining to enter a plea (Linder 1). No less than eight individuals passed on in jail, includingRead MoreNegative Effects Of Puritan Culture On American Society1232 Words   |  5 Pageswitchcraft. They are living during the corrupt time of the Salem witch trials. Thomas Satterwhite Noble’s oil painting â€Å"The Witch Hill,† which typifies the mood described above, depicts a young woman being escorted to her execution because she has been accused of witchcraft. Looking at this work, it becomes clear that this alleged witch is a regular woman with a regular life. Her soft eyes suggest th at she is innocent. During the Salem Witch Trials, various people , such as the woman in this painting,Read 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 this compromise stopped the witchcraft practicing, the government realized those menRead MoreThe Cause Of The Salem Witch Trials Essay987 Words   |  4 PagesThe Causes of the Salem Witch Trials In 1692 in the quaint Puritan village of Salem Massachusetts, twenty lives were claimed to execution on charges of witchcraft, nineteen by hanging and one man was pressed to death. The causes of these deaths and the Salem Witch Trails can be easier understood when the culture of Puritan Colonial life is examined. The Salem community was rooted in the Puritan religion. Puritans believed like all Christians, that humanity was guilty of the original sin committedRead MoreCotton Mather : Provoker Of Catastrophe1009 Words   |  5 PagesCatastrophe For its witnesses, the Salem Witch Trials confirmed the reality of the invisible world of spirits. The catalyst was described as a man who had an interest in the actions of Satan. That man is Cotton Mather. Mather was born into a family of ministers, including Reverend John Cotton. Mather preached his first sermon as a teenager and was ordained in his early twenties. Cotton Mather is known for his unnecessary involvement with the Salem Witch Trials. With the assistance of Cotton Mather’sRead MoreReasons Behind The Salem Witch Trials1568 Words   |  7 Pages30, 1017 Reasons behind the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 The Salem Witch Trials were a series of trials in the 1690s which accused society members of practicing witchcraft, they took place in Salem, Massachusets. What caused this mass hysteria to occur? Some contributing factors could include some socio-economic reasons, an overbearing Puritan society and the influential sense that witchcraft was taking place all over the world. Massachusetts was settled by English puritans, faithful Anglican peopleRead MoreThe Importance Of Sin And Evil In Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown1171 Words   |  5 PagesIn the short story, Young Goodman Brown written by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses some of the puritan activities towards Goodmans dream, such as secrecy of sin and evil. The story introduces, a young and innocent man, Goodman Brown bid farewell to his wife but his wife did not want him to leave, so he left just for the day. He begins his walk into a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest (Hawthorne 1300) and was approached by a man also known as the devil. Throughout the tripRead MoreThe Crucible By The Salem Witch Trials1539 Words   |  7 Pagespeople faced in the seventeenth century and in the 1950s when mobocracy enveloped America. The Second Red Scare and the Salem Witch Trials were both tragic events that took place during these time periods; during this time, people were in a constant stat e of paranoia and fear. Many respected people lost their lives because they were accused of sinister deeds. For the Salem Witch Trial this meant being associated with witchcraft or conspiring with Satan; in the same fashion, during the Second Red Scare