The Salem Witch Trials Witchcraft And Magic Were Two Ideas

The Salem Witch Trials transpired from 1692 to 1693 resulting with many imprisonments; yet, only twenty deaths. The witch frenzy materialized from the allegations of a group of young girls claiming to be possessed by supernatural forces. Yet, the people accused of being witches in Salem, Massachusetts did not practice witchcraft. The Puritans were falsely accused of sorcery which can be proven through many theories and the false credibility of legal evidence. The lifestyle of the Puritans may have influenced the witch craze. According to the Discovery School Web Site, the Puritans had restricted lives; they were expected to repress inner emotions and opinions and if they weren’t they’d be punished. The small Puritan colony of Massachusetts was theocratic because the church and the Bible were important aspects of life. Prior to the infamous witch trials, witchcraft and magic were two ideas already present and feared in both Europe and colonial America. The fear of witches from the old world led to the increased hysteria of the unknown and supernatural in New England. The idea of witches and Satan were not relatively new in the Puritan society and had existed before the craze in 1692. So, even prior to the Salem Witch Trials, many were accused of witchcraft. This points out that the witch hysteria occurred throughout Puritan colonization. Women were usually considered weak and more susceptible to commit evil acts for Satan since they were thought to be fragileShow MoreRelatedThe 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 execution of twenty people, in fact, most of them were women. 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Witchcraft is believing in and the use of practical magic, such as casting spells, calling on spirits, or predicting the future. Witchcraft is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word, â€Å"wicce,† meaning wise. Therefore, it translates into â€Å"craft of the wise.† Wise people were those who were familiar with natures’ forces and were educated when itRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Essay1636 Words   |  7 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials Donnell Campbell Throughout history millions of people have been scorned, accused, arrested, tortured, put to trial and, persecuted as witches. One would think that by the time the United States was colonized, these injustices on humanity would have come to an end, but that was not so. In 1692 a major tragedy occurred in America, the Salem witch trials. It all began when a group of girls accused others, generally older women, of consorting with theRead More Salem Witch Trials Essay1622 Words   |  7 PagesSalem Witch Trials Throughout history millions of people have been scorned, accused, arrested, tortured, put to trial and, persecuted as witches. One would think that by the time the United States was colonized, these injustices on humanity would have come to an end, but that was not so. In 1692 a major tragedy occurred in America, the Salem witch trials. It all began when a group of girls accused others, generally older women, of consorting with the devil. The witchcraft hysteria in SalemRead 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 superstitionRead MoreThe Causes Of Witchcraft Hysteria In The Salem Witch Trials1110 Words   |  5 PagesIn 1692, the British colony of Massachusetts endured abnormal accusations of witchcraft against more than 150 people (Prentice Hall Literature, p. 1087). Many factors caused the witchcraft hysteria to come alive during the 1600’s. Two important factors were: Daemonologie, written by England’s King James I, and the bewildering behavior of the accusing teenage girls. While Arthur Miller explains that the accusations could have been made over the lust for land, there are also reasons not explained:Read MoreThe Salem Witch Trials1274 Words   |  6 Pagesseventeenth century Salem, Massachusetts is a seaport town populated mostly by Puritan colonists who came over from England in the seventeenth century. Beliefs of witchcraft came over with the settlers who, if caught practicing, was punishable by death. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of court cases in 1692 revolving around witchcraft where over hundred people were accused, nineteen were hanged, and one was pressed to death. England had accused people of witchcraft dating back as farRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials And The Early Civilizations1725 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough the Salem Witch trials are commonly referred to as the start of the witchcraft persecution, witchcraft can be found the early civilizations. Evidence of this is easily found in the societies that had Shamans or Healers of the village, where healing or blessings were done through spiritual connections. Back then, people were more accepting of it in their daily lives because they depended on it, but things were different in Europe during the Middle AGes. With the added influence of ChristianRead More Salem Witch Trials Essay876 Words   |  4 PagesSalem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials was probably considered the darkest time for the New England Colony. This was a mass murder of women and a few men that were supposed witches. All of this started from two little girls and a bacteria in the bread that affected the brain. This all started on January 20,1692 when nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris and eleven-year-old Abigail Williams started to exhibit strange behavior. Blasphemous screaming, Seizures, Trance-like states and Mysterious