Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

Massachusetts at first had not yet established a form of government because the state had just gained their independence from Great Britain (Hoffer n. pag.). However, with multiple colonists being accused of practicing witchcraft, the state quickly formed a court system. Jones wrote that after being appointed the governor, William Phips brought together the Court of Oyer and Terminer to try the witches. William Stoughton was chosen to oversee all of the trials (Jones n. pag.). Samuel Sewall, Nathaniel Saltonstall, John Hathorne, and Jonathan Corwin were other important names in the newly established court (Hoffer n. pag.). These were the men who ended up ordering multiple executions. Because there was no established system yet, colonist somewhat helped shape the way the Court of Oyer and Terminer was run. According to Hoffer, colonists believed that the devil only worked with evil men and women. The colonists claimed the devil was responsible and made it possible for witches to leave their body to assault victims in spectral form. Jurors decided to use the colonist’s beliefs as a form of evidence against those being tried in court (Hoffer n. pag.). During the colonial period, no one realized how unjust Massachusetts’ court system

The Salem Witch Trials were cases shown before the local judges or magistrates regarding witchcraft.(Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice) Witchcraft was better known as the devils magic in Salem back then.(A Brief History) A group of girls called the afflicted girls decided to play a fortune telling game that caused a hysteria when it was over. The “afflicted girls” were said to have all started to get sick and act strange shortly after the game was over. The symptoms would come and go randomly. The girls could be found hiding in odd spots doubled over in pain with

In January 1692 a group of young girls in Salem Village in Massachusetts became consumed by disturbing fits, seizures, violent actions and really loud screams. A doctor in the village diagnosed the girls as being victims of black magic. A few months later the infamous salem witch trials began in February of 1692 and ended May of 1693 in Massachusetts. More than 200 people were wrongly accused of witchcraft and 20 of them were executed. 19 of the executed where hung and one of them was crushed to death. Some of the judges during the witch trials where Samuel sewall, william stoughton and Jonathan corwin. The most notorious of them was Jonathan corwin he was a very

Since Salem Village was facing a wide variety of governmental and economical problems including the resistance of farmers, complications of ministers and their congregations and the shifting of authority, all of which contributed to the outbreak of accusations. It was during the early three months of the witch trials that Salem was welcoming and waiting for a new governor, Sir William Phips, to arrive. Since there was no governor, authorities lacked official resources and had no solution to the accusations aside from placing the accused in jail. Without resources, it was illegal to proceed with formal prosecutions which lead to an overwhelming overflow population in jails. When Sir William Phips arrived in late 1692, he appointed six members of his advisory counsel as a special Court of Oyer and Terminer to hear and determine witch cases. Also going on during this time was the mass population of farmers resisting the pressure of “commercial capitalism and the social style that accompanied it” (180). Many of the farmers and members of the community wanted to branch outwards of town and become independent farmers. The community was falling apart without a clear understanding of congregations and authority. ***Details**

In January 1693, the Superior Court of Judicature, the new supreme court of Massachusetts Bay, would make its first task to deal with the backlog of witchcraft cases. With this came the pardon of those who had been condemned but not executed during the trials. All defendants had their charges dismissed or were acquitted except for three who confessed and received pardons from Governor Phips. In one of the last cases taken up by the court, on May 9, 1693 a grand jury refused to indict Tituba. Reverend Parris refused to pay her jail fees, so the Boston jailer sold her back into slavery (Roach, 2002). When the Salem witch trials had finally ended twenty-five would perish in the crisis. This composed of the nineteen people executed and Giles Cory’s pressing, and at least five people died while in prison. At least 156 people were formally accused, and another sixteen are named in contemporary accounts, meaning at least 172 were accused or informally cried out upon (Burns and Rosenthal, 2008).

The freshly delegated governor of Massachusetts William Phips on May 27,1692 ordered for the establishment of a special court of Oyer to hear the courts and Terminer to help decide in the courts under Chief Justice William Stoughton for the areas of Suffolk, Essex and Middlesex counties. The trial of Bridget Bishop was the first presiding by judges Hathorne, Samuel Sewall and William Stoughton. In her defence she stated “I am as innocent as a child unborn” With the conviction of practicing witchcraft Bridget Bishop was the first to be hanged on what is known as Gallows Hill in the town of Salem on June second of 1692. Five people were executed that July these people were Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, and Sarah Wildes. In August five more people were executed these people were George Burroughs, George Jacobs Sr. Martha Carrier, John Proctor, and John Willard. Eight people were executed in September of 1692 of whom were Martha Corey, Mary Eastey, Mary Parker, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Wilmott Redd, Margaret Scott, and Samuel Wardwell Sr. as well as Giles Corey who was the husband of Martha

The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, but most of them women.

The trials took place between February 1692 - may 1693. On January 20, 1692, in Salem Village, which is now known as Danvers Massachusetts. the Reverend Samuel Parris daughter, Elizabeth, and his niece, Abigail Williams, began showing odd behavior,

The trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts Bay with the cases being brought to the local magistrates of the town. The trials were a result of several young girls who had fallen ill and began to experience “fits” (Source K). Controversy stirred in the town after a local doctor of the town said that they were something from something of the supernatural (Source K). Before one can look at the individual cases of the black witches who were persecuted for witchcraft, one must gain an understanding of the nature of these

By the early autumn of 1692, the cries of witchcraft began to ebb and doubts began to develop concerning the validity of the charges. The educated elite of the colony

The Salem Witch Trials, also know as the Salem Witchcraft Trials were legal proceedings which took place of course in the Salem Village of Massachusetts. These trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in the village, claimed to be possessed by the devil accusing several local women of practicing the craft. Victims were prosecuted and executed for reputedly practicing witchcraft, when little to no evidence of the act itself existed. This historical period resulted in twenty people, mostly women, being hung for black magic conspiracies. Neighbors accused neighbors; even church members accused other church members of witchcraft. Others were accused, but fled the area before they could be arrested. During this time

Before and during the Salem Witch Trials, the community suffered under poor leadership and disunity, while led to abuses of power from its courts. The trials began at a time in Massachusetts history known as the “inter-charter” period, as the colony did not have a working royal charter and lacked a strong government. The years before the trials were marred with political conflict due to unpopular leadership, and by the 1690s, a new governing body known as the Council was created to “restore the institution of government and impose political order” (Ray, 50). Coincidentally, right before the Salem Witch Trials, the magistrates of the Salem court were appointed to the Council. In examining the motivations of the magistrates, it is evident that the court, as a new political body in Salem. acted to protect its authority over the people. When faced with the witch hysteria, the courts moved quickly to shut down the conflict, presumably to restore order within the community. However, the methods they employed, such as forcing confessions, created more harm than good, exaggerating the panic the people of Salem were facing. Examples of these improper court procedures are referenced in Miller's book when, in a conversation between herself and the Proctors, Mary Warren states, “He sentenced her. He must. But not Sarah Good. For Sarah Good confessed, y'see” (Miller, 53). Those that confessed to engaging in witchcraft, regardless of the truthfulness of their statements, were spared from death. While this was likely done to speed up court proceedings to alleviate some of the tensions within the community, it did the exact opposite, bringing to light false confessions that both emboldened the courts in their sentencing and instilled fear in the people of Salem. In addition, because the court was seen as a political structure, the magistrates refused to accept criticisms, as doing so would challenge their authority within the community and lead to disunity in a time when conditions were already highly unfavorable. This is reflected in Danforth’s portrayal in The Crucible. Miller depicts the judges, particularly Danforth, as authoritative and unwavering, refusing to accept evidence that challenges their ruling; instead they

Life in the New England colonies during the 1600’s proved to be harsh with the constant fear of Native American attacks, scarce food, freezing winters, and conflicting opinions about religion. From this perpetual state of distress, the Salem Witch Trials were birthed, causing a wave of hysteria in Salem Village and Salem Town. Though the exact day and month is uncertain, historians can claim that the trials emerged in early 1692 and came to a close in 1693. The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 with more than one hundred fifty people being accused of practicing witchcraft, and the trials finally ended with the courts declaring there was no evidence in the cases being tried, and the Governor stopped the trials because his wife was accused.

Many people know of the Salem witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1692 spilling over into the year 1693. But for those who do not know, the Salem witch trials were a series of trials against men, women, and children accused of being a witch and or practicing witchcraft. In “The Devils Snare: The Salem Witch Trials of 1692” by Mary Beth Norton, the author recollects the stories of real life accounts of those accusers and the accused in Salem during that time. Mary Beth Norton explains the Salem witch trials differently than other books and articles by giving wide-ranging background on incidents leading toward the trials and how events in history were related to the trials.

humanity would have come to an end, but that was not so. In 1692 a