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Facts about the salem witch trials
Puritans witch trials
Witch trials in England in the 16th century
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You have heard many testimoneis and lots of evidence about whether my client is witch or not. My client did not come to this town to stir up trouble or to bring harm to anyone. She came to live a normal life like you and me. The accusations against my client are absurd and my client has been targted by the community for their gain. Anaplasmosis. Perilla mint. Nitrates.Prussic acid. I bet you are wondering what all these things are. Each one of these things is a diferent reason why cattle can suddenly die. Yet the proscueter wants you to believe that the only reason why any of the cattle died is because my client cursed them. But what proof is there, what autpousy was done on the cattle. There is no real cause of death just people who did not like my client saying she cursed their cattle. These people that are accusing my client of witchcraft have no real evidence to prove that my client affected their cattle in any way. What does my client have to gain from cursing these peoples cattle,There is no money she gains no land and no gain in social status. The real question is what do the people have to gain from accusing her of being a witch. …show more content…
These witness have plenty to gain from suppoudlesy seeing martha at these witch meetings. Noting the fact that they are not on trial and will never be on trial for being a witch themselves, because of these so called eyewitness staments that gurantted there own freedom. The other towns people also had plenty to gain if martha carrier was convicted as a witch. Martha had just gained a land and money due to her brothers death from small pox. If convicted they dont have to worry about a woman who is not like them gaining land and money. Imagine not being a well liked woman in your own communitny then having your own children suppousldy willingly testify against
Although,there was talk about the many people’s roles in the witch hunts of that time. Local elites were in charge of the witch hunts and before the judges took over the trials, they were also in charge of the witch trials similar to the Weir Trials. The local level according to the people was similar to the religious authority, it was ordinary people such as ministers, landlords, magistrates and religious elites. Within the Weir trials, there were many witnesses and local members of the community that contributed in the trials mostly religious members of the community such as Reverend Mr. Fraser, and Master John Sinclair. The locals were the members of the communities that contributed to the convictions of the Thomas and Jane as well as the people who “treat” the convicts. Thomas and Jane were visited by multiple local authority figures such as clergy-men, lay-men, physicians, lawyers, conform and non-conform Ministers thus allowing the locals to try and
Your honor before we start I would just like to inform you that I am very happy that during this case you will you logic and evidence to decide the fate of my client Martha Carrier. In this case I will be defending Martha Carrier against the charge of witchcraft. One of the main allegations that has been presented by the prosecutor is that the defendant killed the cows of several villagers. The accusers of this crime are Mr. Abbot, Mr.Toothaker, Mr. Rogger, Mr.Preston. They all state that after some confrontation with the defendant their cow or in some instances several cows died from no seeable natural causes. Now blaming this on witchcraft when there are other plausible reasons is ridiculous it is possible that the cows caught a disease as this would show no outward sign other than possibly
Kent, Deborah. Witchcraft Trials: Fear, Betrayal, and Death in Salem. Library ed. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2009. Print.
Some scholars attempt to make the claim that she was the turning point of the trials due to the fact that people began to wonder if someone as devout as Rebecca could be accused, what’s to say that any other innocent person could be thereafter accused? However this has been very difficult to prove as trials went on long after her death, and Martha Corey, another accused, can be considered for that role in the following trials (Smith). Surely her family had been jumping for joy at that verdict, but the happiness did not last long at all, when the public demanded a reconsideration on the jury’s decision, consequently ending in an overturning of the non-guilty result (Hansen 128-129). While this is considerably the worst possible situation for Rebecca, it did seem to be the wake-up call for the judges and priests, though this reaction was not instantaneous. Why did so many of these professional judges and jury members ignore their responsibilities by overturning their original judgement when she was so clearly
Justice in Salem was determined by accusations of being the devil's servant, the church held all the power, and an appeals system was non-existent. The main way ‘witches’ were found was people accusing others of committing witchcraft. These baseless accusations led to false allegations for vengeance or self-gain. When accused of being a witch, the church would sway most influence of what events proceeded. Unlike todays current justice system, there was no way to appeal; as Judge Danforth said “This is the highest court of the supreme government of this province…” (1189), this shows the ‘witch’ court was the final court, and their ruling was final. Justice wa...
Puritans believed in the devil and his role as strong as they believed in God and his role. For many centuries, Puritans had the idea that the weakest individuals in society often committed diabolical acts and sins. Furthermore, Satan selected the most vulnerable individuals to do his bidding, among these individuals, women were often held responsible for many sins, including witchcraft. (Godbeer 12). According to Richard Godbeer, in his book, The Salem Witch Hunt, “it was Eve who first gave away to Satan and seduced Adam.” (Godbeer 12). In 1692, witchcraft became a panic among Puritan society. Even though both men and women were accused of witchcraft, women were seventy-six percent more likely to be accused in Salem than men. (Godbeer 12). Puritan society was a male dominate society and men looked down upon women. There were two particular reasons to why women were often accused of being witches. The first reason, was in due to the Puritan belief that women were the source of evil. The second reason was because of certain events that associated with accusations. These events were being of relatively low social status and income, being rich or financially independent and being a midwife or nurse.
Shannon L. Alder once said, “Sometimes painfully lost people can teach us lessons that we didn 't think we needed to know, or be reminded of---the more history changes, the more it stays the same.” Salem has been teeming with rumors of witchcraft since the 1600s, which is evident in the different sources and stories about witchcraft that supposedly took place there along with the intense and lethal trials.Throughout the different articles and the novel centered on Salem and the witchcraft trials that occurred there, a recurring pattern is apparent, those within Salem have quickly turned on each other and resorted to mayhem and chaos when there are not reasons for strange events.
I fear that this will be the last time you will ever hear from me. In fact, by the time you get this, I will probably be dead. You see, I live in Topsfield , but in the nearby town of Salem, the Salem Witchcraft Trials are going on. The Salem Witchcraft Trials are a series of trials of accused witches. Some people have already been hanged and I have recently been accused of witchcraft. You see, on March 21st, 1692, I was accused of putting young girls under spells by Ann Putnam Sr. and Abigail Williams. I was also accused by many other young girls, and even some older, married, seemingly sensible women. I believe that Ann accused me of this ridiculous crime because of the land dispute in our town. For over fifty years, the Nurse's and the Putnam's have been fighting over one piece of land. My father and Ann's father started this feud in 1639 and this is Ann's way of ending it. Also, us Nurse's are resented because we keep mostly to ourselves. Throughout the whole witchcraft accusations, our family has been staying away from the "bewitched" girls. The townspeople thought this was rude and that it proved my guilt. As you know, my dear mother was accused of witchcraft many a year ago, and two of my sister's have been accused before as well. The people in this town seem to have the notion that this craft is passed down through generations. In addition to this, the Putnam's head the Pro-Parris committee- they think that our minister should stay.
...fferences. The “witches” in Salem were not witches at all. They were women that were different than the rest, and the Puritanical society did not like change. They believed in order and only doing what is known by The Bible. The Puritans did not like change and they did everything in their power to keep everything the way it was. God first. (Walker)
At first, I thought a good reason to assume why the girls accused Reverend George was that he was not murdered or killed by a fellow witch unlike everyone else around him. And he was not hurt or affected by them in the least. Another reason is that people speculated that Reverend George had these weird and not religious beliefs and practices. The Indian Wars were related to the Salem Witchcraft Trials by the English settlers already having land issues with the Indians in the first place, and because of the Maine Frontier. King Philip's War was going on during the same time as these witchcraft accusings, so it was believed to be connected to some sort. In addition, apparently, the captives of the Indian's chiefs stated that they were doing witchcraft and were communicating with demons. Plus the Puritans believed the Indians were agents of the devil.
...n as truth in court, giving the court evidence to accuse Mary Warren as a witch as well.
The body of civil law that once governed the Roman people, the Digest of Justinian, states in article 22.3.2, Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat. The burden of proof lies upon him who affirms, not him who denies. This presumption of innocence, the idea that all men are innocent until proven guilty, lies at the heart of all court systems on our holy earth. If not for this principle, any manner of blind accusations could be made, all of which would hold equal merit. The very situation has arisen here in Salem. The cry of witchcraft has explained a many number of misfortunes that have befallen on a many number of people.
So, if the Book of Job represented the cornerstone of scriptural reference for malefic witches, Clark argues convincingly that the biblical story of the Witch of Endor was the foundation for theological arguments against cunning-folk. Perkins asserted that it was the witch’s covenant with Satan that allowed her to tell “Saul the time of his death” because “God [had] drawn away his good spirit” for turning to a witch. . Therefore cunning-witches, it was argued, who appeared to be good and helpful, actually worked for the Devil as much as the malefic witch; an argument which led Gifford to suggest that the black witch existed only to drive people to cunning-folk, and thus towards Satan and away from God. This belief, however, was not accepted on a popular level, as ordinary people commonly visited cunning-folk for help with daily aliments. In 1612, for example, Joan Willimot, in an attempt to deny the charges of witchcraft laid against her, declared that her familiar ‘Pretty’ “neuer hurt any body, but did help diuers sent for her, which were striken”, highlighting the popular conviction that ‘good’ witches did good deeds. Indeed, Sharpe comments that most of the population continued to find the service of cunning-folk indispensable well into the
Mad Cow disease, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a transmissible disease in cattle, which may be spread to humans through slaughtered meat. It attacks the brain and causes a change in behavior, dementia, and eventually death. This is called the Crutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) (WebMD, n.d.). With confirmed Mad Cow disease, it is necessary to destroy (burn) all animals that may have been near the infection, the disease is marked by rapdid mental deterioration, usually within a few months, and most people laps into a coma. This disease is not curable, however, treatments focus on keeping the person as comfortable and healthy as possible.
Concerned citizens of Salem, if it were a good mornin' I would bid you that, however it is not. This mornin' a grave injustice is looming like the grey clouds before a storm. This morning we will bear witness to yet another brutal and senseless murder of two innocent Christians, Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor. Ladies and gentlemen, for four long months the very court that proposed to protect us from all evil has deceived us and in fact perpetuated the evil doings running rife throughout our fair town. For four long months a prodigious fear has settled itself in our very hearts, a fear of the unknown and a fear of becoming one of the accused. My friends, it must be clear to any truly Christian society that the devil be not among us in the form of witchery or wizardry, but in the manifestation of vengeance! I implore you to take a stand, to band together and to put a stop to this madness before it completely takes hold of Salem and you too are on trial for witchcraft!