Exodus 22:18 states, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live". This bible verse was the backbone of the witch trials. The witch hunt in Europe lasted for about 270 years (from approximately 1480 to 1750) and around 50,000 people total were killed during that time, even though over 100,000 people were tried for the crime witchcraft. Originally the witch hunts were organized by religious officials to make sure that people feared of challenging the church. Three-fourths of all the people that were killed were women, although in some countries, the amount of men tried for witchcraft were almost 60% (for that country).They prosecuted these people because they believed that the Devil was inside of them, and that they could not be saved. Europe’s goal was to rid itself of witches entirely, stopping at nothing. People would accuse anyone of being a witch and practicing witchcraft if it meant they were safe. The amount of people killed in the trials depended on the county. Some places, like Germany, killed anyone that was even just accused. But in some countries if they person admitted to it and repented, their life was spared. The years that were the most intense and where the most people died were the years around 1550, and those years are/were referred to as “The Burning Times”.
Laws and acts were made concerning witchcraft. Some were made right when the witch hunts started and some were made after they ended, and some in-between. The first was the Witchcraft Act 1542, made by Henry VIII. It stated that witchcraft is a felony, and is punishable by death. The next one was the Witchcraft Act 1562, which was passed by Elizabeth I. It was more fair towards people found guilty of witchcraft; say that they can only use the death penalty if the person being accused had harmed someone while they had been alive using witchcraft. Also the Scottish Witchcraft Act 1563, where if you practiced witch craft you needed to die and if you had ever helped a witch you needed to die. Others included the Witchcraft Act 1604, and the Witchcraft Act of 1735. Even now there is still a witchcraft act in place in South Africa that is based off the act that was established in 1735. It is called The Witchcraft Suppression Act 3 of 1957 and “prohibits various activities related to witchcraft, witch smelling or witch-hunting.”
Looking and learning about witches became a huge craze, and many books were written about it. The most famous book was named "The Malleus Maleficarum". It was written by written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer, a German Catholic. This book was every person’s guide to witchcraft. It talked about how to find a witch and once found how to kill them. The title is translated as “The Hammer of Witches”, and is still universally known today. The book says that three things are necessary for witchcraft: the person wanted to be a witch, the help of the Devil, and the Permission of God. Widows and adult women with children were the most charged with witchcraft. The book has three parts: the first part explains why witches’ exist; the second part is how to determine if a person is a witch, and the third part is instructions to accuse, persecute, and kill a witch. Some examples that the book states that were proof that they were a witch are: a mole or birthmark (given by the devil), and people who didn’t cry during the trials. The reason that this book succeed so well is that Kramer gave the Pope a lot of money to sign off on it and give it the churches condolences.
The witch trials came from the Christian church. The first trials of witchcraft came from the Catholic Inquisition. At first everyone who was tried was only there because an anonymous person told the people that they were a witch. At first both the Catholics and Protestants did not persecute witches, but then in the late part of the trials they both did.
In Europe, most cases did not even compare with the witch trials that would follow it like the Salem Witch Trials . In York,
The Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials cost many people their lives, planted a seed of paranoia around the world, and affected many people. The Salem Witch Trials began in Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. The trials lasted only a little less than a year. Trials started when two young girls claimed to be afflicted by very violent convulsions, or strange fits that unabled them to hear, see, or speak. These witch trials led to twenty executions and nearly two hundred…
speedy and public trial. 7 Right of trial by jury in civil cases. 8 Freedom from excessive bail, cruel and unusual punishments. 9 Other rights of the people. 10 Powers reserved to the states. 1431-Trial of Joan of arc took place. she was burned at the stake on allegations of with craft. *1629-King Charles 1st- Let puritans have a charter in America. 1629-Salem is settled. 1641-English law makes witch craft a capitol crime. 1648-The first witch trial in Charleston mass…
People’s Views on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 Imagine, just for a minute, living in a time and place where you are not free to practice your own religious or spiritual beliefs and you are forced to live in fear because of persecution by the church and everyone around you. Persecution back in 1692 in Salem Massachusetts was a horrible thing. Those persecuted were hanged, burned, and even pressed against rocks if found guilty of witchcraft. Nineteen men and women were carted to Gallows Hill…
denied God’s superiority, and a crime because the witch could call up the Devil in his/her shape to perform cruel acts against others. Therefore, in any case when witchcraft was suspected, it was important that it was investigated thoroughly and the tormentor(s) identified and judged. Unknown to Samuel Parris, Mary Sibley ordered Tituba and her husband, John Indian, to bake a "witch cake" in order to help the girls name their tormentors. A witch cake is composed of rye meal mixed with urine from…
The Salem Witch Trials Introduction The Salem Witch Trials lasted a time span of 13 months, during which 200 people were accused and 19 people were hung. This was a dark time period in American history because people believe young, teenage girls and it led to people getting killed. The Salem Witch Trials was one of the most important events in American history because many innocent people had their lives taken; even people with power. The Beginning The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 when…
The Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials were a series of court hearings and prosecutions of people accused of performing witchcraft and other supernatural abilities in colonial Massachusetts. These occurred between February 1692 and May 1693. Although they are referred to as the Salem witch trials, the preliminary hearings were done in various towns: Salem Village, Ipswich, Andover, and Salem Town. These trials had a lasting effect on a multitude of things in the formation…
Salem Witch Trials November 1st, 2012 Spring of 1692 was the only the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials when over 100 people were accused of using witchcraft. This took place in Salem Massachusetts during a time when the devil was strongly believed in. The minister of Salem Village throughout this time was Samuel Parris. His nine year old daughter Betty and his niece, 11 year old Abigail Williams accused their slave Tituba and friend Sarah Good of use of witchcraft after they became “ill”.…
who had a “familiar spirit.”2 Of course, we see it well here in the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. The ways the Puritans conducted church contributes to the hysteria aids in the start of the trials. Throughout the trials, the worrisome feeling of being accused only feeds fire to the situation. Only until after the trials and the executions do people rest easy on their pillows. These were the circumstances in the Salem Witch Trials. The Puritans were people of a Protestant group in the 1500-1600s. They…
During the Salem Witch Trials, a small Puritan town of Salem overreacts about the ‘witches’ in their town and hangs twenty villagers, accusing many more in the process. John Proctor is one of the many who were accused and hung in order to protect his family, friends, and soul. The Crucible by Arthur Miller shows how Proctor is manipulated and changed through a series of constant battles against him and finally breaks into a man that has found his peace. Before the Salem Witch Trials, John Proctor…
Salem Village had a very colorful history before the famous witch trials. It was not exactly known as a bastion of tranquillity in New England. The main reason was its 600 plus residents were divided into two main parts: those who wanted to separate from Salem Town, and those who did not. The residents who wanted to separate from Salem Town were farming families located in the western part of Salem Village. Those who wanted to remain a part of Salem Town were typically located on the eastern side…