Salem Witch Trials
By Sarah and Benedikte
Puritans
They were extreme Calvinistic protestants, the believed that the universe was God-centered that man was born sinful and corrupt rescued from damnation bound to God's will.
they saw themselves as the chosen people of god and wanted to create a purified church.
In order to escape from religious persecution, they decided to settle in the new world in the 1600', were they arrived in Delaware.
What happened in Salem?
It all began in Reverend ParrisĀ“home. His daughter Elizabeth (9) and his niece Abigail (11) was left in the care of Tituba who was a former slave from Caribbean. She told the girls about her childhood and fanciful tales involving magic and power.
The girls managed to keep it a secret, but soon the group began to grow, and six other girls joined within a short time. The group of girls all ranging from 12-20, they started acting strange. They had certain trance experiences, they felt preclude with pins, cut with knives, and were tempted to commit suicide. Worst of all, they had to cover their ears when the minister preached about God. Reverend Parris called in the doctor William Grigs and he declared that the girls were under the evil handled.
They wanted to find the witch that had afflicted them. Then the girls started to accuse villagers of the city of witchcraft. First they revealed Tituba as the witch, and later Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne in collusion with the devil.
On March 1st 1692, three women were brought to trial
Spring 1962 more than 100 men and women from Salem to Boston were accused of withcraft
What caused the witch-hunts?
Their religion also might have caused the witch-hunts, as they were naive and didn't know better.