Puritanism, and The Salem Witch Trials :: essays papers

Puritanism, and The Salem Witch TrialsPuritanism refers to the movement of reform, which occurred within the Church of England. It began at the time of the Elizabethan settlement of 1559 and ended at the end of the prat Parliament with the ascension of Charles II to the British throne in 1660. The American Puritans clearly understood that Gods word applies to every of life-time. Their exemplary lives and faith, contrary to hot myths, are a highpoint of Christian thinking. Puritan legal history specifies more or less(prenominal) of their loyalties and compromises. Today, scholars continue their dispute over the degree to which the Puritan colonists influenced American law, morality, and culture. In the area of law, this image is supplemented by lurid accounts of witch trials and corporal popular punishments. The best example of this was during the seventeenth century. The Salem witch trials began in 1692, and lasted less than a year. The first arrests were made on March 1, 1692 and the final dangling day was September 22, 1692. The first noted arrest, was of Tituba, a Carib Indian from Barbados. She was rarefied Samuel Parris slave. Her role in the witch trials includes the arrest and confession of witchcraft on March 1, 1692. In January of 1692, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris became very ill. When she failed to improve, the village doctor, William Griggs, was called in. by and by much deliberation, Griggs concluded that the problem was witchcraft. This put into motion the forces that would ultimately solution in the death of 19 men and women. In addition to those nineteen people, one man named Giles Corey was crushed to death. Seventeen others died in prison and the lives of many a(prenominal) were irrevocably changed. To better sympathise the events of the Salem witch trials, it is necessary to understand the time period in which the accusations of witchcraft occurred. There were the ordinary stresses of 17th-c entury life in Massachusetts Bay Colony. A strong belief in the devil, factions among Salem Village fanatics, and rivalry with nearby Salem Town all played a part in the stress. There was also a recent small pox epidemic and the threat of an attack by warring tribes created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. Soon prisons were change with more than 150 men and women from towns surrounding Salem.