You should know by now that not every colony started in America was founded for religious freedom. Most people think the thirteen original colonies were all about freedom from religious oppression in Europe, but people also came for adventure, profit, to escape a rocky past, for cheap land etc. All of that being said, Massachusetts was known for its religious background. Unfortunately, it was not always positive.
Massachusetts, well actually most of New England, was founded by Puritans. This religious group took their spiritual life very seriously. In fact, only church members were allowed to vote in Massachusetts. Visit this website for a brief description.
The Puritans strict beliefs about the way life should be lived, coupled with their very paranoid attitude about the Devil, led to the infamous Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s. Salem was not the only Massachusetts town that experienced a witch hunt, but it has become the most notorious due to Salem's tourist industry, a recent revival of interest in witchcraft and a famous play called The Crucible about the trials.
I visited Salem, MA this summer and spent some time at this museum. When you visit this website, please look at three of the sections on the left side of the screen: 1692 Salem Witch Trials, FAQ & Kids' Questions. Be sure to watch all of the videos in the Kids' Questions section.
For the comments section this week, reflect on the lifestyle and beliefs of the Puritans, as well as all you learned about the Witch Trials, and discuss whether or not the Salem Trials were legitimate. Do you think there were witches in Salem? If not, why do you think the Witch Trials happen? Can you think of any modern examples where people get caught up in a mass hysteria movement and are blamed/accused of things that are not true?
Well, the puritans were a very religious people. They cared a lot about education for their children and teaching them about the dangers of the world. It was important to them to do this because it would help purify the church. One thing that I think sucked for the puritans was that religious music was outlawed in the colonies. I mean, they could still sing and stuff, but not religious songs. I don’t know what their kind of religious music was, but I still would be sad that I couldn’t sing praise to God.
ReplyDeleteI thought the whole witchcraft thing was a little confusing at first. There were supposedly people who were “possessed” and they would “accuse” someone of tormenting them, and that person who was “accused” was tried and hanged. At first I thought that people could just pretend to be possessed, accuse someone for possessing them, and have them hanged. But, it was girls who would be tormented and possessed, not just random people. There were 19 people hanged during the salem witch trials. I also thought that Halloween was interesting. People believed that on Halloween people could be connected with their ancestors. They would have bonfires to celebrate and instead of carving pumpkins, they carved turnips and put little candles.
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The Puritans were obviously very religious. To me it seems that they were really judgmental and if someone did not look like them, think like them, or act like them then they figured they were from the Devil and doing witchcraft. I do not think witchcraft was a real thing because 1) it is not possible to make a flying potion to fly on brooms. 2) Women might have been making potions, but I do not think they would be doing it to hurt people. 3) People might have not wanted to be Christians because either that was the way they were raised or they did not want to have to agree to it and be good because they thought it would be too much work. (126)
ReplyDeletePuritans were obviously very religious people for certain reasons. They seemed like the people to just judge at any circumstance. They judged for the way people looked, acted, or dressed. They more than likely thought this because they were associated with witch craft. Witch craft is not real. it is impossible to make people do things with potions. Potions aren't real. Women have been making potions for a while but they don't work. And if you are a Christian you shouldn't believe in witch craft or potions. People also didn't want to be a Christian because it was too much work. And they didn't want to have the dedication to something without getting bored with it.
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The Puritans were very religious, obviously. One thing that stuck out to me was that they couldn't sing. Well they could sing and do music, they just couldn't do religious singing and music. I love to sing in chapel and in church so that would stink. Another thing that was very weird was if you didn't look like the Puritans you were from the devil and was active in witchcraft.I liked some of their rules but some of them were weird and kinda not fair. This is were Christians sorta started. Thank you Puritans.
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First of all, God was at the forefront of their minds, so he was supposedly “motivating” all of their actions, even though what some of the things Puritans did were against God’s nature and His Word. Puritans also thought that they could be the next eternal one if they worked hard enough and did good things, and they believed that God had picked out whether you were going to heaven or hell, and as a believer or an unbeliever, you couldn’t know which you would be going to.
ReplyDelete“Tormented” young girls would cry out the name of the person who was “tormenting” them, and the Puritans would find the person and put them in prison for practicing witchcraft. Later on, they stopped the Salem witch trials, the people waiting to be tried or executed were released, and they apologized to the families that had loved ones killed because of the witch trials. It was believed that on Halloween, you could be connected to your ancestors, and people celebrated by a bonfire and a good meal. They carved turnips and stuck little candles in them. There were women who went out into the woods and tried to make potions to help people. The church, however, thought that they weren’t coming to church because they were making evil potions and were very concerned. (221)
The Puritans were very fearful of the devil and all it took was a small spark to set off the Salem Witch Trials because they were so deeply rooted in religion and their beliefs. They were similar to the Amish people they had a very simple way of life.
ReplyDeleteThree girls claimed that they were being possessed by evil spirits lead by people. They would say they didn’t like someone and claimed they were a witch. These girls caused a mass hysteria.
We see this happen today in some court cases today. Someone claims something that is not true and it has been know for others to “jump on the band wagon so to speak”.
I also think this is very dangerous and that we need to make sure that what we speak out is true!
The Salem witch trials all started with two girls getting sick. They called in a doctor who thought they were bewitched. The people suggested that they get someone who practiced witchcraft to make a witch cake to see who it was. In 1692 the Puritans believed you could sell your soul to the devil for evil powers. The governor of the Massachusetts set up a court just for witch trials. If the people were convicted they were hanged. Throughout the whole time of the trials 20 people were killed. Also in that day it was thought that women were weaker than men therefore more likely to turn to the devil. A modern example of this would be in 1941 after the Pearl Harbor bombing many Japanese people in the United States were put in holding camps.
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ReplyDeleteWhat I took from this was:
ReplyDeletea) The Puritans were very superstitious (and jumpy)
and
b) Their idea of God is much different than ours
Let’s begin with point a. When the all the Puritans caught wind of the “possessed” little girls, they instantly jumped to conclusions that witches possessed them (well, they actually thought it was the Devil or the “evil one” who “had his hand on them”). The witches were supposedly the spawn of the Devil and were persecuted as such. When the man who diagnosed the girls began this conspiracy, the other Puritans began the domino effect until there was a separate, rigged court just for the trail of “witches”.
On to point b. I remember the lady talking about how the God of the Puritans was not a loving God like ours today. In fact, they constantly lived in fear of Him. God and Satan were equally terrifying. I mean, why wouldn’t they be? They could both seemingly take your soul at any time, and they both had more power than any human. But the people were oblivious to the fact that God had already done so much for them! Instead, they lived in terror, and when the “witch” thing began, they were more than ready to peg their fears on something.
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I think that their walk did not match their talk. They seemed at first(or at least to me) like they came across as some perfect little religious group of people. Then as you read on, they become kind of judge mental of people. They thought that if you worked hard and were rich you were going to heaven. But if you did not work as hard and were on the poor side, then you were going to hell. But as we know now, things do not work that way at all. Then there are the witch trials to talk about. It seemed really unfair. The way I understood it, it was this one girl that was sick and was hung. Then all of these other people were hung. I am not sure if I understood correctly, but I think those other people were hung just because of that one girl that was sick. it seems really unfair to do that to people who did not even do anything! If one girl was sick, try to help her get better, and keep her separated from other people so they do not get sick too. They had no realistic reason to kill the girl that was sick. And all the other people as well.(209)
ReplyDeleteWell first of all, I do not believe there were any witches. I do not think anybody was “bewitching” anyone. The two little girls who were sick, I think if anything, they were demon possessed. A human doesn’t posses another human so I think the bewitching was not real, and they believed in the wrong thing. So since that all the men and women that were hung should not have been. Also, you do not kill a possessed person unless maybe they are threatening your life. You should get a preacher or something. Unless somebody confessed of bewitching, then I do they had no proof of somebody doing that. Like I said, I think they were not witches. (119)
ReplyDeleteThe Puritans were very strict about their beliefs. They wanted to "purify" the church (wonder where they got the name). They taught their children about their religion because they were the next generation of the church. They thought that what they believed was the only right way and anyone who thought differently was a nutcase. I don't believe the whole witch thing. I think the people were just overreacting out of fear. And it was a little strange that the two girls who were believed to be bewitched were closely related to the pastor... just a thought. This whole thing reminded me of the first Sherlock Holmes movie. The "bad guy" so to speak, was a man with "magical qualities." He is convicted of murdering five girls and he says he sacrificed them for his religion. In the movie, he is seen standing over a girl and muttering strange things under a cloak while she writhes around on a table and is "bewitched". At the end we find that he was planning out all these illusions so people would think he was magical and be afraid of him. All that to say, it never really happens and it's all fake. People can really be possessed but it isn't by other people; it's by the devil. (226)
ReplyDeleteThe puritan’s way of life was a reflection of their religion. They believed that the bible was God’s true law which it is. The people at Salem had a strong belief in the devil. During this time a bunch of which craft had been going on as a result of this which craft. Prisons were filled with more than 150 men and women from towns surrounding Salem. Their names had been cried out by tormented young girls as the cause of their pain. Only about twenty people died because of the Salem witch trials they were all hung. William Fibs got an angry letter that said he was making a big mistake with the Salem witch trials so fibs ended it.
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The Puritans were just one of many groups of people who during the Reformation broke away from the church in England and came to America for their Spiritual freedom. They were one of the only colonies in the United States to only let people with their religious beliefs live on their land. Many settled in the New England area and lived there peacefully living out their religion.
ReplyDeleteThe witch trials in Salem should not have been gone about the way they were. The judge was probably like the rest of the town in wanting to get rid of these “witches”. There were no actual witches but the rumors that were going around were pretty convincing at the time and those same rumors led to three consecutive days of people being hung. The trial was based off of no evidence and just a scared dad whose kids got sick. The trial never should have happened nor should any have lost their life.
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The Salem Witch Trials and the Puritains were important elements in our history. The Puritains were very religious. They thought their God was a scary God and that he wasn't loving. They also believed that the devil could tempt you into joining him and in return he would give you evil powers to torment other people This would lead to the Salem witch trials. The start of the witch trials was when 2 little girls became ill, and the normal treatment for sickness wouldn't work. They then brought in a doctor who then said that the little girls were bewitched. As soon as the girls were diagnosed, they tried praying and fasting, but nothing was helping. They then started accusing people of witchcraft. Most people who were convicted were women, but some men were too. The youngest person accused were in their 30's and the oldest person was 80. The court used a method that let the spectator tell what they saw the person accused doing. Then they would ask the person accused questions like, "Are you a witch", or "Do you know anyone that is a witch". Even if they said no, the people were hung, and sentenced for treason. The Puritains got their punishment from the British ways of law. No one, however, was burned at the stake. I don't believe that the so-called "witches" were real. Yes, the girls might have been ill, but they didn't have true evidence that the person was a witch. It is so sad to think about how many innocent people died because of this event. Thankfully, in October 2001, the last of the names were cleared. This was a historic event because it symbolized that no one was thought of to be a witch. The witch trials probably happened because the people were so psyched out about the devil and all of his evil ways of getting to people. Overall, the Salem Witch Trials was a very sad time in our country's history. (332)
ReplyDeleteThe Puritans were very strict in their lifestyle and beliefs. They came from England to get away from the Church of England’s politics and man-made doctrines. Their strong, pure spiritual beliefs made people with other opinions not welcome. Conversion through their beliefs and adherences to their biblical interpretations made any sin a political and social problem. These ideas involved the outlook toward children, studies of all academic areas and moral character. Through the words and actions of the Puritans, American moral character was established.
ReplyDeleteThe Salem witch trials happened because the core beliefs and superstitions of Salem’s society allowed people to accuse others whose behavior they considered to be on the outer margins of society. Those who were accused came from all types, gender and ages. Everyone did not approve of the court that was established to try these people. From June to October in 1692, 20 people were accused. There have been several examples of mass hysteria like this in modern times. The latest example was the mass panic over the AIDS epidemic.(175)
The Puritans were religious and believed teaching their children about the problems in the world would keep the church pure for that generation. But these people were very judgmental. They didn't want anything to be different from their "perfect church." During the Salem Witch Trials, people believed that someone could cause someone else to be tormented and possessed, but this only happened to women. The people thought that anything that looked, acted, or even thought differently from them was from the devil. Another thing is that, they couldn't sing anything of religious value. I couldn't live like that. The music I sing and play that honors God is one of my main focuses in life. The Puritans thought they were doing what God wanted and were pleasing him. WRONG! Killing people just because they're different is not anywhere near godly. Witches were not real. Hanging these girls was pointless murdering. Witchcraft is all about potions and spells that don't actually work. The Trials were a terribly sad event in our history. It's horrible that our country that is supposed to be so great has such terrible and gruesome times in our history that have helped develop us to who our country has grown into today. (205)
ReplyDeletePuritans believed that everything in the Bible was God's true law. The New Testament was their devotion and their model. Every wrong decision was the devil. The parents made sure their children did what the Bible said and read the Bible. They believed that God already knew who was going to heaven and how was going to hell. God could forgive anyone, but man child only forgive if there was a change in behavior; actions spoke louder then words. The devil was behind every evil deed. I don't believe there were actually witches. There might have been people who were demon-possessed. Some people might have don't charms and were calling upon the devil.
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