Salem Witch Trials Summary

Words: 748
Pages: 3
Open Document
The notorious Salem Witch Trials were a dark period in America’s history that began in 1692. It all began after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and had accused several local women of witchcraft. The Trials were a classic portrayal of scapegoating. At the time, fear of the Devil, and witches who did his bidding, was very real in Salem. People feared that the Devil was constantly trying to find ways to break down and destroy Christians and their religious communities.
Cotton Mather was a socially and politically influential Puritan minister, innovative author, and pamphleteer. Born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, he came from a long line of prominent Puritan ministers. Mather …show more content…
The book includes detailed notes about the supposed afflictions of several children in the Goodwin family in Boston. His work with the Goodwin family, and his previous book spread like wildfire and some historians even believe that that text and Mathers’ were responsible for laying the groundwork for the Salem Witch Trials which took place 3 years later. It was Mather's interest in the craft and actions of Satan that won him an audience with the most powerful figures involved in the trial proceedings, several of the judges and the local ministers in Salem. Later scholars have suggested that this book in fact outlined the symptoms of clinical hysteria.. Scholars suggest that Mather's dramatic descriptions the devil's activity upon the young Goodwin children may have led to the first cry of witchcraft among the young girls in Salem …show more content…
He wanted to raise awareness to the people in the community for keep an eye out for the signs of “infection”. Mathers was sure of witchcraft that these accounts could have been skewed. “ADD A QUOTE PG 51” According to the dates the accounts were written on, he seemed to have been writing it simultaneously along with the trails. In order to verify the reality of these events, other accounts of the trials, and looking at documents from other lenses beside supernatural.
Cotton Mather’s made many crucial contributions to New England at the time through his writing. He was an influential man that laid the groundwork for the infamous Salem Witch Trials. His interest in witchcraft and even broader the devil build his up a big fan base where people came to become more informed about their wellbeing and survival. These accounts along with many others like it would be useful for studying and understanding the Salem Witch Trials. Mather’s contributions along with others allow historians to fit pieces together to form a bigger and more accurate
Show More

Related Documents: Salem Witch Trials Summary

Summary: The Salem Witch Trials

During the Salem witch trials many innocent people were convicted and executed for witchcraft. The evidence used against the accused was weak and in many cases completely fabricated to purge the village of unwanted citizens. Three examples of this are the cases of George Burroughs, John Willard, and Giles Cory. George Burroughs left England for Massachusetts early in his life. Once in Massachusetts he attended Harvard university,graduated with honors, married into wealth, and fought multiple Indian…

Words 648 - Pages 3

Summary: The Salem Witch Trials

Hello, I’m agent Jasmin Morales i’m in an investigation that happened in Salem, Massachusetts 1692 to 1693. And I visited Salem, Massachusetts and it was fun. My initial thoughts were scary, spooky, and really weird. I’m writing to the U.S. Department to find out the truth of what really happened to the girls in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692-1693. I’m trying to prove that the girls weren’t witches and they were innocent. Theory one is about a fungus called ergot and trust me you would not like that…

Words 361 - Pages 2

Salem Witch Dbq Essay

Salem Witch Trial Puritans weren’t able to practice christianity, therefore they decided to settle in New England. They were fundamentalist, so their loyalty to the bible lead to affecting the witches by getting put to death. 1692 was an era that hysteria was experinced by the ones being accused. Hysteria basically means to be crazy, to panic, or to be paranoid. The Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692 was caused by the commitment to religon, false accusations, anxiety, and jealousy. One cause…

Words 579 - Pages 3

Examples Of Groupthink In The Crucible

herd mentality, characterized by the unification of a majority against a perceived enemy. Demonstrated by the Witch Hunts in Salem, the Red Scare of the late 1950s, and even today in the modern age, group thinking continues to divide us as a society. For instance, the way those of the Islamic faith are treated in America is comparable to that of the people of Salem during the Witch Trials of the late…

Words 883 - Pages 4

The Crucible Reputation Research Paper

rumors start flying about witchcraft, it's not just about who's a witch—it's also about who's trusted and who's not. For instance, John Proctor, who's had an affair with Abigail Williams, is afraid to speak out against her lies because he doesn't want his secret to ruin his good name. So, in Salem, reputation can mean the difference between life and death. Reputation has been a big deal throughout history, too. Take the Salem witch trials themselves—they were all about who had a good reputation and who…

Words 460 - Pages 2

Witch Trials In The Crucible

In The Crucible that is written by Arthur Miller. He wrote the story about the Witch Trials that proceeded in Salem around 1692. The story started out with how the children got caught with the thought of being apart of the witchcraft. The girls accused others and become apart of the court. Abigail Williams accused the wife of the man she had a affair with. When the husband, John Proctor got upset of his wife, Elizabeth getting a falsely accused by the “whore” he had the affair with. That is when…

Words 837 - Pages 4

Whatever You Want Essay

The Crucible Arthur Miller Get this SparkNote to go! < Previous Section Act II Next Section > Act IV–Epilogue Act III Summary [A] person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. (See Important Quotations Explained) Back in Salem, the court is in session. Giles interrupts the proceedings by shouting that Putnam is only making a grab for more land. He claims to have evidence to back up this assertion. Judge…

Words 1366 - Pages 6

Hawthorne: Nathaniel Hawthorne and Young Goodman Brown Essay

Background on the author 1. Hawthorne ago on July 4, 1804. Salem, Massachusetts, home to the infamous witch trials of 1692, served as both his birthplace and his favorite location for devising novelistic plots. Two of his most famous novels, The Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables, were each located in the Salem setting. Some of his earliest ancestors were among those who persecuted and interrogated presumed witches during the Salem trials, and their actions apparently haunted Nathaniel so much…

Words 1078 - Pages 5

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

decided that the most suitable punishment for crime is death. This is highlighted during the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, where individuals were convicted and found guilty of sorcery, in which case their lives would be taken either burning at the stake, hanging, or beheading. One man was even pressed to death by stones, according to “A True Legal Horror Story: The Laws Leading to the Salem Witch Trials”. On December 7th, 1982, Charles Brooks became the first person executed by what we call “lethal injection”…

Words 1594 - Pages 7

The lottery STUDY GUIDE Essay

Watson boy. Steve Adams: First villager to draw from the lottery box. Mrs. Adams: Wife of Steve Adams. Allen, Anderson, Bentham, Clarak: Residents who draw after Steve Adams. Harburt, Jones, Overdyke, Percy, Zanini: Participants who draw next. Plot Summary By Michael J. Cummings © 2004 Residents of a New England village gather at 10 a.m. on June 27 in the square between the post office and the bank for the annual lottery. A bright sun is shining down on fragrant flowers and green lawns while the townspeople–more…

Words 3132 - Pages 13