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Salem Witch Trials Throughout history millions of people have been scorned, accused, arrested, tortured, put to trial and, persecuted as witches. One would think that by the time the United States was colonized, these injustices on humanity would have come to an end, but that was not so. In 1692 a major tragedy occurred in America, the Salem witch trials. It all began when a group of girls accused others, generally older women, of consorting with the devil. The witchcraft hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts resulted from the strict Puritan code which aroused the girls interest in superstition and magic and caused strange behavior. The Salem witch trials were based on the Puritans and their God versus Satan and his followers and their strict codes. Puritans had always thought that they were the new chosen people, abandoning a land of sin and oppression to establish the Promised Land (New England). Puritans beliefs were rooted in contrasts. (1) They believed that if there was something good there was something bad to contradict it, for instance since there was a God, there must be a devil. Since there was good, there must be evil, and since there were saints chosen to do God’s work on earth, there must be witches who were instruments of the Devil. (2) So if someone did not believe in witches it was considered heresy in Salem. A witch was regarded as a person who had made an actual, deliberate, formal pact with Satan and would do all in her in power to aid him in his rebellion against God. (3) The Puritans believed that they were living in a world of chaos and crime, and directed their efforts to constantly guard against sin. (4) Life in Salem Village was not easy at the best of times. Gaiety and merrymaking were regarded as irreligious, and the people of the village were somber and severe. Their lives were spent in hard work and religious observance. Even their relaxation was associated with the meeting house. On the Sabbath there was a long service in the morning and another in the afternoon. Village residents who came from outlying farms were not able to get home before the services, and it gradually became a regular practice for the time before the services to be spent in visiting and conversation. This was the time when gossip and news were spread from one to another. (5) Children would accompany their parent... ... middle of paper ... ...irley, The Witchcraft of Salem Village, Random House, New York, 1956,p.5. 8.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD.,1992, p13. 9.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD., 1992, p.12. 10.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD., 1992, p.86. 11.Jackson, Shirley, The Witchcraft of Salem Village, Random House, New York, 1956,p.17-18. 12.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD., 1992, p.86. 13.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD.,1992, p.81. 14.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD.,1992, p110. 15.Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. “Witchcraft.” 1996 16.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD., 1992, p.80. 17.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD, 1992, p.206.