Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

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The Death Of Two Innocent Americans Throughout the course of history there have been a number of controversial trials. From The Salem Witch Trials in 1692 to the Casey Anthony Trial in 2011 courts have continuously dealt with mass hysteria and contradiction. What all of the controversial cases have in common is that they ended badly. Some cases ended with guilty people being set free, and some with innocent people being harshly and unnecessarily punished. These cases and many others have been given the name “the Trial of the Century” however none of them can compare to the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. This was a gross miscarriage of justice where an innocent man and woman were executed. There were many reasons that the Rosenbergs…show more content…
During the wait they appealed seven different times. First they appealed to the supreme court to hear the trial and possibly appeal the decision. Second to President Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. Both denied to hear the plea or overturn the conviction. The only reason given for the refusal of appeals was that Americans were afraid and executing those found guilty would ease the public and it would send a message to all other communists and spies.(Staughton) Friday June 19, 1953 was not only the execution date for the Rosenbergs, it was also Sabbath. A very important day in the religion of Judaism. Rabbi Irving Koslowe pleaded with the sentencing judge claiming that “It would be a shanda, a disgrace, to carry out an execution of Jews on the Sabbath” (Browning). The judge changed the time of the execution but unfortunately he pushed the execution up three hours from 11:00 P.M to 8:00 P.M. Julius went first. He was strapped into the chair and electrocuted at 8:04 P.M. Rabbi Koslowe told Ethel that her husband was dead and asked if there was anything she wanted to say. She responded "No, I have no names to give. I'm innocent. I'm prepared to die," She was strapped into the electric chair at 8:11. Three 2,000-volt shocks of electricity were administered. She was still alive, her heart still beating. It took two more jolts to kill her. She was pronounced dead at 8:16 P.M., three minutes after the Sabbath began. With the flip of a switch two innocent people were killed. While the five others involved lived full

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