Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

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One the notorious, darkest periods in United States was the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of examinations and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693 caused by mass hysteria. The Salem Witch Trials included the unlawful and unethical prosecution of individuals accused of partaking and engaging in witchcraft. More than 200 were accused and 20 were murdered. Eventually society came to the conclusion that the trials were an error. Although most known in the New England colonies in the United States, the trials and persecutions began in Europe after the Catholic Reformation. When the unexpected occurred such as illness or death, many blamed witchcraft as the cause. Back then, people accredited success and misfortunes to the supernatural. During the period of colonization, the phobia of the power of witchcraft spread from Europe to the United States. The Salem Witch Trials started in…show more content…
To the Salem community the victims were seen as irritating pariahs, but some were also key contributing members to the aforementioned community and said concept was eradicated. The evidence they used during these trials was that of “Spectral Evidence” or testimony about dreams and visions. These testimonies were used a justifiable proof to provide some sort of evidence for the trials. Spectral Evidence worked as exposed and corrigible, heresy with relevance to any or all assumed participation. Not all people wanted to use this invalid evidence. Cotton Mather, a minister, wrote a letter pleading with the court to refuse spectral evidence. The court basically disregarded this appeal and eighteen accused of witchcraft were sentenced and hanged. On October 3, following in his son's footsteps, Increase Mather, disparaged the use of spectral evidence: "It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person be

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