Salem :: essays research papers

The Salem Witchcraft TrialsA Time of Fear and Confusion          Imagine, skilful for a minute, living in a time and place where you argon non free to practice your own religious or uncanny beliefs and you are forced to live in fear because of persecution by the perform and everyone around you. Persecution back in 1692 in Salem Massachusetts was a very real, very serious thing. Those persecuted were hanged, burned, and even pressed against rocks if piece hangdog of witchcraft. The Salem Witchcraft Trials stands as one of the darkest times in American history of religious tolerance.      The Salem Witchcraft Trails were caused and continued by mingled events and flock. Diseases, natural catastrophes, misfortune, and remainders seemed to be around every corner for the lot that lived in Salem. Instead of writing these events off as insalubrious dowery large number in Salem blamed these horrible things on the Devi l. The people of the town believed that the Devil recruits witched and headliners to do his work for him. As curtly as something bad happened, the God-fearing people of Salem were quick to blame it on a witch or wizard. Anything a little out of the ordinary equivalent children claiming to see things that someone else could not was blamed on a witch. The people seemed to be always out to find a witch in hopes of stopping their misfortunes. They believed that once the witch was executed all the bad luck they were experiencing would disappear. Since their bad luck never disappeared their witch hunt would not soon be satisfied. The whole tragic trials were apparently started when several young girls were found playing with a ball made of crystal. Only trying to escape cock their punishment, they claimed to have been forced to do so by a witch. The church tried to seek out and punish the witch or wizard responsible for tormenting the girls and thus started this whole out of control event. The minister of the town, Samuel Parris, not only didnt help the problem, but added fuel to the fire by telling the town that witches were everywhere and that no one could be trusted. Since people were allowed to testify in court about spirits talking to them, everyone backstabbed to each one other in order to financially gain anothers property. If you were convicted of being a witch the only way to escape death was to confess.