The Puritan Witch Hunts: A Dark Chapter in Colonial New England History

Abstract

[Name] Like many other Europeans, the puritans believed in supernatural powers whereby every event that appeared in their daily activities was interpreted as a sign from God. Puritans argued that “everyone, however humble or subordinate, deserved respect if they carried out faithfully their responsibilities within the hierarchy of God’s creation” (Godbeer, 2011). The Puritans believed in God's mercy and judgment, and they believed that witches allied themselves with the devil to carry out evil deeds to the people of God. This essay aims to show how the Puritans brought theocratic anxiety to the colonies and helped shape their criminal justice system that enveloped religious supremacy. Hundreds of people in Puritan New England whose habits appeared to be bothersome to the neighbours or whose conduct appeared to be threatening in any way were accused of witchcraft. Women constituted the majority because they became more susceptible to the devil because of their allegedly weaker constitutions, which led to major that forever remained evergreen. A 9-year-old girl, Elizabeth Parris, and an 11-year-old Abigail Williams had fits that included violent contortions and uncontrollable outbursts of screaming. It was at this time that a local doctor, William Griggs, diagnosed bewitchment. Later, several other girls of roughly the same age began exhibiting similar symptoms. The minister of Salem village's slave Tituba, alongside two other women, took the blame for bewitchment (Godbeer, 2011). Many of the accused were teenagers, refugees fleeing French occupation or household workers, and judges would convict them by use of spectral evidence based on the memories of the witnesses. The accusations of witchcraft fused terrors inspired by Indians and French Catholics with new fears of internal subversion from the people. The trial court believed that many of whom had enjoyed reputations for conspiracy devoutness were thought to have made...