The Outbreak Of Witchcraft Accusations Of 1692 In Salem,

The outbreak of witchcraft accusations of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts was a devastating period for those involved in the crisis. Because of the random and frequent witchcraft accusations made throughout the time of the trials, the reoccurring characteristics that were often indicative of an individual’s likelihood of being accused of witchcraft were not always consistent. In John Demos’s book Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England he includes a diagram containing nine points of what he believes to be the definitive characteristics of a â€Å"typical† witch during the Salem witchcraft trials. It is important to note that Demos’s portrait of a witch identifies the â€Å"typical† witch, not every witch. For†¦show more content†¦Then, the paper will assess the peculiarities of her case and how they are not explained through Demos’s portrait of witch. Finally, the paper will identify the nature and signi ficance of the trial of Rebecca Nurse. John Demos’s nine point portrait of a witch is one way to analysis the case of Rebecca Nurse. To do so, one must first evaluate and understand the history of Rebecca Nurse and her role in the Salem in the late 1600’s. Rebecca Nurse was the wife of Francis Nurse, a farmer who became wealthy after buying and tending a large plot of land between Salem Village and Salem Town. Together they had eight children, and as a family they were prosperous. Connecting this information to Demos’s portrait of a witch, Rebecca Nurse falls under the first four points made in his sketch. These first two points are that she was â€Å"female† and that she was of â€Å"middle age†. However, the latter point is slightly inaccurate because Nurse was older than sixty years. The final two points that Rebecca Nurse falls under in Demos’s portrait of a witch are that she was of â€Å"English† and â€Å"Puritan† descent and culture, and that she was â€Å"married†, with little or no children. Again, the latter point is not fully accurate because Rebecca Nurse, while married, had, in fact, eight children in her lifetime. The significance of these traits of Rebecca Nurse agree, for the most part, with theShow MoreRelatedAmerican History to 18871148 Words   |  5 PagesPaul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaums Salem Possessed explores the pre-existing social and economic divisions within the Salem Village community, as an entry point to understand the accusations of witchcraft in 1692. According to Boyer and Nissenbaum, the village split into two factions: one interested in gaining more autonomy for Salem Village and led by the Putnam family, and the other, interested in the mercantile and political life of Salem Town and led by the Porter family. Boyer and NissenbaumsRead MoreThe Salem Witchcraft Trials Essay826 Words   |  4 Pages The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were the large st outbreak of witch hunting in colonial New England up to that time. Although it was the largest outbreak, it was not something that was new. Witch-hunting had been a part of colonial New England since the formation of the colonies. Between the years 1648 to 1663, approximately 15 witches were executed. During the winter of 1692 to February of 1693, approximately 150 citizens were accused of being witches and about 25 of those died, either byRead MoreThe Trials Of The Salem Witch Trials891 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the time period of June to September 1692, twenty people were unjustly murdered after trials found them guilty of acts of witchcraft. The series of hearings and prosecutions of the accused witches in colonial Massachusetts marks one of the nation s most notorious cases of mass hysteria. The reasons behind the trials and deaths are complex and multifaceted. Internal disputes, strict religious lifestyles, accusations from young children, witch hunting methods, spect ral evidence, and even someRead MoreThe Salem With Trials685 Words   |  3 PagesSalem Witch Trials The 17th century was filled with mystery because of the strong beliefs in the supernatural powers and the presence of Satan on Earth in the colonial North America. Witchcraft, the use of magical faculties, was mainly used by the peasants with a particular charm of being associated with the evil spirits and demons to prosper in their agricultural activities. In fact, many literatures were written on witchcraft during that period. For instance, Joseph Glanvill in 1668, claimed toRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials : Crisis1601 Words   |  7 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials: Crisis in Salem Village Many people know of the Salem witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1692 spilling over into the year 1693. But for those who do not know, the Salem witch trials were a series of trials against men, women, and children accused of being a witch and or practicing witchcraft. In â€Å"The Devils Snare: The Salem Witch Trials of 1692† by Mary Beth Norton, the author recollects the stories of real life accounts of those accusers andRead MorePuritans And The Church Of England1301 Words   |  6 Pagescases involving the accusations of persons doing witchcraft/interacting with the devil, also known as the Salem witch trials. The Salem witch trials began in February 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts. It all started with a group of young girls that claimed to be possessed by the devil that started all of the mayhem soon to follow. The allegedly possessed group of young girls began accusing several local women of witchcraft; the town broke out into mass hysteria. (Salem Witch Trials, 2011) AsRead MoreThe Trials Of The Salem Witch Trials1455 Words   |  6 Pageshumans are skeptical, if not reluctant to understand or accept that which unknown or different from what they previously considered being true, right, or normal. Such was the case in 1692 when over a hundred people from the Salem Town, Salem Village, and surrounding areas of Massachusetts were accused of witchcraft, leading to numerous arrests and even executions. The events that transpired in the small New England colony have intrigued, seduced, and baffled historians since their occurrence hundredsRead MoreWitchcraft Hysteria By Laurie Winn C arlson1307 Words   |  6 PagesBeagle says, â€Å"You ever want to see real witchcraft, you watch people protecting their comfort, their beliefs.† This quote is saying if you want to truly understand someone, learn about what they believe in. It all began in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The accusations toward people who were thought to be witches was on the rise. These would not be the kind of witches a person would think about in today s world, but women and men who were put on trial for witchcraft hysteria, which in turn caused massRead MoreSalem Witch Trials Case Review1377 Words   |  6 Pages The Salem Witch Trials was one of the most out of the box things back in 1692 Massachusetts, but it still seems to be quite unexplainable and at times shady. More than 200 people were accused of practicing the devil’s magic, but only about 20 were executed. Though people were killed, the colonists eventually admitted that the Salem Witch Trials were actually a mistake fo r which they later compensated the families that were convicted. I picked the Salem Witch Trials to type about because I wouldRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials : The Causes Of The Deadly Accusations912 Words   |  4 PagesPeriod 1 11 April 2015 The Salem Witch Trials: The Causes of the Deadly Accusations In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, he writes, â€Å"We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!† (Miller 77). This partially fictionalized tale of the Salem Witch Trials points to one of the causes of the trials, vengeance, but the over dramatized tale s early stages were quiet. The Salem Witch Episode had humble beginnings