The Matthew Hopkins Controversy

Words: 1412
Pages: 6
Open Document
The early modern witch trials, based around the 16th and 17th centuries, are shrouded in great controversy. Experts have proposed several theories trying to explain why certain events occurred, but nevertheless there will never be a truly justifiable answer for the immoral actions taken by individuals. One particular individual whose name is almost synonymous with these witch trials is Matthew Hopkins. Matthew Hopkins is often referred to as the “witchfinder general” because he, along with his partner Stearne, traversed throughout England, accusing hundreds of people as being witches. According to George Gifford, of all the people that Hopkins accused, “between 100-200 were punished to death in 1645” (1321). Hopkins success in accusing so many …show more content…
Proof, in the mind of Hopkins and other like him, was generally a confession, an admittance of being a witch. However, much like everything else done by Hopkins, this too involved the use of trickery to make sure the outcome was desirable. Hopkins relied heavily on varying forms of physiological torture that were so unbearable, that most people chose to falsely confess rather than to continue with the mental suffering. One of the most common torture practices used was sleep deprivation, the person would be confined to a small room and would be continuously watched by guard whose only reasonability was to make sure the person stayed awake until a confession was made (Midelfort 3). In other cases, the victim would be forced to sit on a stool with their legs crossed until he gave in and “admitted” to having performed witchcraft. Again, the real controversy was not that Hopkins falsified his results; it was that he twisted the process of retrieving those results so that no matter the situation, almost everyone who he accused as a witch would be proven to be one. At the time being this was not as clear to see or perhaps it was just ignored because most of the general public was involved and the mentality was that rather someone else be accused than me. So as result, most people, in the fear of themselves being accused fed Hopkins twisted mentality and made it even easier for him to generate false
Show More

Related Documents: The Matthew Hopkins Controversy

Essay about The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation…

Words 3227 - Pages 13

Foundations Of American Government

Lesson 1, Part 1: Foundations of American Government "Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." -George Washington The Declaration of Independence The U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights The Enlightenment and Political Philosophy Expected Outcomes To understand the philosophical principles behind the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and how these principles influence the structure and process of government. Overview The United States…

Words 7246 - Pages 29