The Salem Witch Trials and the Crucible
Research Project: The Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts rocked the town to its core. Hysteria, paranoia, and confusion among the citizens of Salem. Accusing people of casting spells and consorting with the devil. How were the politics and citizenship of this period handled and was it handled correctly? Witchcraft was something very new in the colonies. In France, Italy, Germany, and England, this has been going on for about 300 years. The bible even says, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” In 1484, Pope Innocent the 8th declared witchcraft a heiracy and the punishment was death. With little being done by the authorities, forty to fifty thousand people were executed in 14th through 16th century alone. Usually with a public hanging, these were called witch hunts. In 1684, a charter granting independence from the crown and the right to own land was revoked. The charter was restored 5 years later, but the political instability and the further anxiety from the rigid ways of their puritan religious beliefs took its toll on Salem’s residents. The first trial in Salem to catch the attention of the people was in 1688. There were four Boston children “possessed” by the mother of their family’s servant. Her last name was Glover. The investigator, Cotton Mather, described symptoms of the children and the accused witch in a published book which had a huge effect on the citizens of Salem. The four children were eventually cured through fasting and prayer. Glover was hanged. On the outskirts of Salem was a small village of 500 people called Salem Village. Hanging on by their fingernails to Salem, they weren’t as politically strong as Salem. There was a witch hunt in 1692. There are about 500 surviving documents pertaining to what happened with the witch trials this year. 160 of these documents contain accusations of witchcraft. Warrants and death warrants were issued. This is how it all started. Six young girls were showing signs
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