To Kill A Mockingbird Essays: The Salem Witch Trials
Many know of the Salem Witch Trials. The travesty is well known. Stores open to sell merchandise. Libraries open to the public offering tales from the time. But what do we truly know about the trials, other than what have heard from our peers, our teachers?The story of the Salem Witch Trials continues to fascinate people because it has the potential to teach us lessons about fear and prejudice.
Many are not aware of the fact that the trials started after two young girls fell ill and, after the town doctor declared them under a demonic spell, accused three women. Nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris and 11-year-old Abigail Williams suddenly fell into fits of screaming and it is said that their bodies convulsed daily. The town doctor diagnosed them …show more content…
A place of accusing, death, and vile actions. They sat in fear in their own homes. They no longer thought it was right to hang the accused and soon the men all in action for these crimes did as well. “Increase Mather, president of Harvard College later joined his son in urging that the standards of evidence for witchcraft must be equal to those for any other crime, concluding that “It would better that ten suspected witches may escape than one innocent person be condemned.’” The trials were concluded to be unlawful and leading justice Samuel Sewall issued out a public apology for both the trials and his parts in the crimes but the damage to the community still remained. The families of the accused were taken care of financially and the names of their loved ones were cleared. Today there lives a memorial at Gallows Hills in the memory of the accused.
The memories of the Salem Witch Trials is one that we as a community need to learn. How long before another witch hunt happens? How long before we all turn into accused ones? Unless we take the lessons drawn out of this tragic tale, as always, history will repeat itself. Truth be told, it’s already starting. Teens and adults alike accusing each other of petty crimes. Races, cultures, and ethnicities being judged and ridiculed because of others and their peoples pasts. If we need to learn from our past, why are we not learning from this piece of
Many are not aware of the fact that the trials started after two young girls fell ill and, after the town doctor declared them under a demonic spell, accused three women. Nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris and 11-year-old Abigail Williams suddenly fell into fits of screaming and it is said that their bodies convulsed daily. The town doctor diagnosed them …show more content…
A place of accusing, death, and vile actions. They sat in fear in their own homes. They no longer thought it was right to hang the accused and soon the men all in action for these crimes did as well. “Increase Mather, president of Harvard College later joined his son in urging that the standards of evidence for witchcraft must be equal to those for any other crime, concluding that “It would better that ten suspected witches may escape than one innocent person be condemned.’” The trials were concluded to be unlawful and leading justice Samuel Sewall issued out a public apology for both the trials and his parts in the crimes but the damage to the community still remained. The families of the accused were taken care of financially and the names of their loved ones were cleared. Today there lives a memorial at Gallows Hills in the memory of the accused.
The memories of the Salem Witch Trials is one that we as a community need to learn. How long before another witch hunt happens? How long before we all turn into accused ones? Unless we take the lessons drawn out of this tragic tale, as always, history will repeat itself. Truth be told, it’s already starting. Teens and adults alike accusing each other of petty crimes. Races, cultures, and ethnicities being judged and ridiculed because of others and their peoples pasts. If we need to learn from our past, why are we not learning from this piece of