Salem Witch Trials Research Paper
US History
October 3 2013
The Salem Witch Trials In January 1692, A hysteria developed in a Salem Village located in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The beginning of the Salem Witch Trials started when two girls, Betty Parris, 9 years old and Abigail Williams, 11 years old began acting strangely. They began by having “fits” that could not be explained by the local doctor. The doctor who had no explanation for the fits or convulsion like symptoms deemed it witchcraft. This was the beginning of the hysteria that developed in the village and the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials.
The people of Salem Village, who were Puritans, settled there to escape religious persecution for their beliefs. They wanted to purify their religion by getting …show more content…
They believed that witches existed around them and that these witches were in cooperation with the Devil. It was thought that their practices represented the Devil, their way of life and that the Devil could do physical harm to them through the witches. The people that believed in witches were constantly looking for them and accusing others of witchcraft. Many people were accused of being witches because of this way of thinking. Devotion and discipline was the teaching of the Lord and if anyone acted outside of the realm then they were questioned about their conduct. People that were accused or did not follow discipline and devotion in the ways of the Lord were punished and humiliated in front of all to …show more content…
Tituba was a slave, Sarah Osborne did not attend church regularly and Sarah Good was poor and she sometimes begged for food. All three were arrested on February 29th , 1962. A Judge by the name of John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin questioned them. Tituba confessed and Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne claimed they were innocent. All three were imprisoned. The law stated that if you confessed your life would be spared and if you denied the charges and you were convicted that you would be hanged. No one would stand up for the accused because they were afraid that they too would be accused.
Both Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good continued to deny they were witches. Sarah Osborne died while in prison on May 10th, 1962. Tituba was imprisoned but later released. Sarah Good was tried on June 29th, and hanged with four other women on July 19th. The witch trail led to the deaths of twenty people and of that twenty, nineteen were hanged. Four others died in prison while waiting for
October 3 2013
The Salem Witch Trials In January 1692, A hysteria developed in a Salem Village located in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The beginning of the Salem Witch Trials started when two girls, Betty Parris, 9 years old and Abigail Williams, 11 years old began acting strangely. They began by having “fits” that could not be explained by the local doctor. The doctor who had no explanation for the fits or convulsion like symptoms deemed it witchcraft. This was the beginning of the hysteria that developed in the village and the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials.
The people of Salem Village, who were Puritans, settled there to escape religious persecution for their beliefs. They wanted to purify their religion by getting …show more content…
They believed that witches existed around them and that these witches were in cooperation with the Devil. It was thought that their practices represented the Devil, their way of life and that the Devil could do physical harm to them through the witches. The people that believed in witches were constantly looking for them and accusing others of witchcraft. Many people were accused of being witches because of this way of thinking. Devotion and discipline was the teaching of the Lord and if anyone acted outside of the realm then they were questioned about their conduct. People that were accused or did not follow discipline and devotion in the ways of the Lord were punished and humiliated in front of all to …show more content…
Tituba was a slave, Sarah Osborne did not attend church regularly and Sarah Good was poor and she sometimes begged for food. All three were arrested on February 29th , 1962. A Judge by the name of John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin questioned them. Tituba confessed and Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne claimed they were innocent. All three were imprisoned. The law stated that if you confessed your life would be spared and if you denied the charges and you were convicted that you would be hanged. No one would stand up for the accused because they were afraid that they too would be accused.
Both Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good continued to deny they were witches. Sarah Osborne died while in prison on May 10th, 1962. Tituba was imprisoned but later released. Sarah Good was tried on June 29th, and hanged with four other women on July 19th. The witch trail led to the deaths of twenty people and of that twenty, nineteen were hanged. Four others died in prison while waiting for