The chief judge William Stoughton came under attack for his overzealous response to the accusations which led to many innocent deaths and false convictions. He however refused to shoulder any blame for the situation. Samuel Parris also did not accept his role in triggering the hysteria. Hoffer thus offers a very close and unique explanation of why witchcraft trials ever took place in Salem. He blames the early fragile American law which had no right to counsel clause and which did not offer protection against self-incrimination. Massachusetts had wanted to develop an inexpensive and speedy justice system which only led to more problems as judge played the dominant role and in the case of witchcraft trials, it was the judge freely handing out convictions and sentences. In Salem, the witchcraft trials were thus "dominated not by book law, . . . But by folk beliefs shared by the judges, jurors,...
Thus these trials "have become a metaphor for miscarriage of justice, superstition, and credulity. Mere mention of them calls up the specter of unprovable aspersions, the presumption of guilt, and the destruction of family and community." For this reason, both federal and state justice system today stresses the importance of fair trial. In some way those innocent people killed in the witchcraft hysteria did not die in vain.
Salem Witch Trials -- Theories and Causes In the year 1692, a tragedy occurred that is remembered to be one of the most immense disasters of American History. In a small region of Salem village, which is now the now Danvers, MA area, in the home of the provincial minister Samuel Parris, a little girl started acting in s strange predicament. It would not be long before this behavior would be
Salem Witchraft Trials Salem witchcraft is probably the most fascinating and most talked about subject in the history of the world. How people were accused of being witches and wizards, the trials that ensued, the baseless charges that were made and the hysteria that had gripped Salem in the 17th century have fascinated historians around the globe and most prominently in the United States and Europe and endless researches have been
Salem Witchcraft Trials that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts reveal a complex component to human behavior. It illustrates how hysteria can operate on many levels. Specifically, we can learn about the growing hysteria of the accused and the hysteria of the members of Salem to do something about these so-called witches. Mary Beth Norton asserts that in order to understand the witchcraft crisis that erupted in Salem Massachusetts, we much explore
In this sense, the only category of convicts which were burned to death was that of the so-called "satanic Blacks" as this was considered to be the only way of destroying their 'evilness.' In Puritan New England ideology, Blacks were associated with Satan. This belief was the remnant of an old European image of Satan as a black man which dated back to long before the contact between Africans
Salem Witchcraft Trials The witch trials of Salem Massachusetts represent one of the most fascinating events in American history. Although the witch-hunt hysteria only lasted approximately one year, the ramifications and lessons learned are still alive today. Questions still abound over the sudden fear of witches in 1691-2. This paper will examine the circumstances which led to the trials including the Puritan lifestyle, conflicts that arise within communities (and how
Salem Witch Trials In the months of June to September 1692, nineteen men and women were hung near Salem Village, Massachusetts, for the crime of witchcraft. One man, Giles Corey, close to eighty years of age at the time of the accusations, was crushed to death under heavy stones for refusing to be tried. Hundreds of other people also faced accusations of witchcraft, and a large proportion of the accused
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