According to the Europeans‚ “a witch was a person who committed a crime using harmful magic.” The Salem Witch Trials occurred in Salem Massachusetts from February 1692 to May 1693. The Witch Trials did not happen due to what some originally might think. There were more reasons for the brutality and carelessness of the trials than just witchcraft. When the colonists came over to the New World‚ they were unfamiliar with the terrain‚ weather‚ and soil. These factors made it so colonists were unable
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killed because they were believed to be witches under the devil’s control. In this essay I will talk about what witchcraft was‚ who was accused of practicing it‚ the social response in Salem and what social and religious factors are given to account for the harsh response to witchcraft. The direct definition of witchcraft is the use of supernatural or magical powers. It was often believed that these powers were under the direct influence or guidance of the devil. Witchcraft could be found in the
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Lyle Koehler argues that the Salem Witch Trials began due to witch hysteria caused by the fits of the young women being affected by witchcraft. They were given power to accuse the witches and used their power to attack their oppressing forces‚ such as authority figures. The act of accusing people of being witches was a scapegoat in order gain and retain power in a situation where people felt powerless. They also targeted nontraditional women as they were easier to justify. Many people were accused
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Throughout history there have been thousands of “false” trials. These trials were based around false accusations. The trials most notable for accusations without the clearest of evidence was the Salem witch trials‚ hundreds were killed for being suspicious and never indicating that they were actual witches. Everyone who died in Salem and everyone who is serving or served an undeserved sentence have or at least had families‚ career opportunities‚ a career‚ in short a life. All of these get ripped
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In 1692‚ Salem‚ Massachusetts broke out into hysteria all because of an accusation about a witch. When a few teenage girls began accusing the older woman of Salem of witchcraft‚ suspicions started flying around. Soon neighbors were accusing each other‚ calling the Puritan church to get involved. After the church got involved many innocents lost their lives. Most of the teenage girls that accused the women of witchcraft‚ wanted their husbands for land and money. Not that the women did anything to
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see them differently. Of the many falsely accused people‚ Brian Banks was a victim of a modern day witch-hunt that changed his life. Brian Banks was just a normal Long Beach Polytechnic student who had the ability to play football in college (Lowery). Banks was receiving scholarships to go anywhere he pleased because of his size and athletic abilities (Myers). Even though he was receiving numerous scholarships‚ Southern Cal was his targeted college (Myers). However‚ everything changed when
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The Salem Witch trials depicted in The Crucible were gruesome acts of violence and judgment angled towards innocent‚ hard-working people of the Massachusetts Bay colony. Or were they? In fact‚ they were‚ but not in the way that one may think. According to history books and works of literary art such as The Crucible ‚ the events that took place during the Salem Witch Trials were all based upon lies made up by Abigail Williams and other young girls. There is tons of evidence to back this up‚ however
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undergoing what we know today as with trials. The most famous one that sparked people’s interest was the one that took place in the village of Salem‚ Massachusetts. It all started with a group of girls blaming one girl in particular as being a “witch” and from that a ripple effect occurred. During this time the girls who were accused of being a witch held a certain stereotype. This stereotype included being very old and very poor. If someone was found guilty if witch crafted at this time‚ they were given
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A time of death‚ fear‚ witches‚ scapegoating‚ and bizarre miscommunications between a community all in one area Salem‚ Massachusetts. Accusations broke out between the populace and people in 1692. The Salem Witch Hysteria (meaning a chaotic level of fear) of 1692 began with two girls‚ Betty Parris‚ daughter of Samuel Parris‚ and Abigail Williams. The young cousins first accused Tituba‚ a West Indian brought to assist them in their fortunes. Not too long afterwards‚ the young girls began acting strange
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Breaking the law was no joke back in colonial times. Punishment were extremely harsh. The convict will be punished by physical pain or sometimes death. Do to the poor judgment from the court’s most of the accused were innocent. Even the defendants of the accused were punished‚ if the accused were proven guilty. One of the crimes that were taken really seriously was Witchcraft‚ which was punished by death. A lot of innocent women died during those year in Salem. The punishments for crime in colonial
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