Identification And Punishment Trials In The Salem Witch Trials

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Imagine a world where differences of opinions or beliefs were to be considered witchcraft. This was the world for many individuals living in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1600s. During the Salem Witch Trials, many women and men were accused of witchcraft by a handful of teenage girls. Many of the afflicted showed mysterious symptoms, such as outbreaking into fits and having hallucinations. Due to the mysterious symptoms, the girls and the Puritans began to point fingers at mainly the less fortunate women who did not follow the Puritans Bible to a “T”. Due to the irrational outburst of these young women, the identification and punishment process naturally lead to conflict because of the judging of others, the religious affiliation, and …show more content…

According to a chart by Margo Burns, there were 156 people accused of witchcraft and only 19 of those people were executed by the means of hanging. One of the accused and executed was Sarah Good, one of the first women accused. “Sarah Good… was a poor, pregnant beggar who would often wander door to door asking for handouts while her husband worked as a day laborer. As a result, Good was a prime target for the accusation of witchcraft in the small Puritan-run town were nonconformity was frowned upon” (Brooks, Sarah Good). Sarah fell under the stereotype classified as “witch” because of her characteristics, which later lead to her execution. One other person was tortured to death: that person was Giles Corey. According to Rebecca Beatrice Brooks, Giles was a 71 year old man accused of witchcraft after his wife was charged with the same crime. “Giles Corey refused to enter a plea...As a result Giles Corey was tortured for three days… He died on the third day of torture…” (Brooks) In Brooks other article about Giles Corey, she mentioned the kind of torture they used: “The exact torture procedure consisted of stripping the prisoner naked, laying him on the ground and placing a board with heavy stones on top of him. The weight was slowly increased over the course of several days until the prisoner yielded.” Brooks had also mentioned that “Corey was considered a violent man after he was charged with beating his farmhand, Jacob Goodale, to death in 1676 with a stick… in the end Corey was only fined for his actions.” Due to the standing evidence and characteristics of these people, they were labeled witches and executed which lead to a conflict within the

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