Injustice In The Salem Witch Trials

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Several centuries ago, many practicing Christians and people of other religions strongly believed that the Devil could give a few people known as witches the power to cause harm to others for their loyalty. In the 1600s, a Reverend’s daughter and niece started having “fits”; they would scream, throw things, make weird noises, and put themselves into strange positions. Claiming that they were being “bewitched” by other townspeople, these young girls caused one of the most controversial court cases ever to be considered: the Salem Witch Trials. Some of the witches were tortured and thrown into jail; they had to pay for their food and many other things. They also had to pay for the chains they were held in; many of them died in these very chains. There were many injustices during the witch trials, and most people did not understand what a big deal it was. The Salem Witch Trials was an event that changed the course of American history. Many people were accused of being witches during the trials. A few of those people were children. Two of the children accused were Reverend Samuel Parri’s daughter, Elizabeth and niece, Abigail. It all began when they started to have so called “fits” ,where they would scream, throw things, make peculiar sounds, and put themselves into strange positions, but the doctors blamed the supernatural. Later on, another girl, Ann Putnam, began experiencing the same “fits”. When the girls went to court, two men, Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne, pressured the girls into blaming three women for afflicting them. The three women who were blamed were: Sarah Green 2 Osborne, an ... ... middle of paper ... ...suffering the innocent people had to go through. There were many effects of the Salem Witch Trials which will be remembered throughout history. Green 6 Blumberg, Jess. “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials.” Smithsonian. 24 Oct. 2007. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a brief-history-of-the-Salem- Witch-Trials-175162489/. Boyer, Paul. “Salem Witchcraft Trials.” The World Book Encyclopedia. 1996. Print. “ Salem Witch Trials.”Wikipedia. 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch trials. Scherer, Jane. “The Last Witches of Salem.” Cobblestone. Oct. 1986: 38-40. Print. “The Salem Witch Trials, 1692.” Eye Witnesses to History. 2000. Print.

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