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The Salem Witch Trials - Online Term Paper

The Salem Witch Trials


In 1692 the Massachusetts Bay Colony was an isolated but growing Puritan community in the North American wilderness. The colonists frequently mistrusted each other and quarreled about petty things. The spiritual life of Puritans who lived in isolated areas like Salem Village may have added to their sense of vulnerability. Puritan doctrine stressed that everything was in God's hands. They attributed almost all actions to the mystical powers of God or Satan, thus making them susceptible to the belief of witchcraft. In 1692 King Charles I of England issued a charter to a religious group called the Puritans. The set of laws gave the Puritans the privilege to settle and govern an English colony ...

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Europe. The Reformation led to the formation of a religious group called Protestants. In the decade that followed, many other reforms took place in the Church of England.
The Puritans, who had originally been part of the Church of England, greatly encouraged the reforms of others. They rejected the Catholic traditions and wanted to "purify" the church. The English king listened to their appeals, but many Catholic traditions remained in the Church of England. This disappointing news lead the Puritans to form churches of their own. They rejected such frills as fancy lace collars and feathered hats. The Puritans also thought that working hard to gain wealth, even at the expense of their neighbors, was a good thing. "To the Puritans, wealth meant that God had blessed them. But to non-Puritans, the plainly clothed but wealthy Puritan seemed to be a hypocrite."2 As it became more difficult for the Puritans to practice their religious beliefs in England, many opted to move to the New ...

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each other of crimes and immoral behavior. Religious differences developed as new colonists arrived."3 The Puritans did not know what to do, their "perfect", world was beginning to crumble. Puritan ministers warned that God would "withdraw his present help" if people continued to "deal falsely with God" and with each other. The Puritans were fearful that they would loose God's favor if they failed to lead pure and upright lives. They wanted to weed out the people they considered witches, because they felt they needed to purify themselves and their communities. The Puritans thought witches were guided by the devil, and they did not want the devil in their midst. Officially, the Salem ...

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PAPER DETAILS
Added: 10/20/2005 03:32:11 PM
Category: American History
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 3779
Pages: 14

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