Salem Witch Trials

The Salem witch trials were basically one of the incredibly tempest form of the community storms that dates back to 1660s.It lead to about a dozen of alleged witches to be slain in Salem , an act that remains very alive in the minds of many down the decades despite the fact that there were many more witchcraft executions in Europe during the same period .So the question that has persisted in most people’s mind is what really caused the Salem trials and what do we learn from them ?This essay discusses the causes of the renowned Salem witch trials and their subsequent outcomes. The Salem witch trials were more of some signs which had persisted in the community for a long period in the community .The dwellers of these part of the world were then simply acting out of their frustration in the various sectors in their lifestyles. Among the areas that they had problematic issues was on their economic sector ,social , and even their political misfortunes where they attributed the ill happenings to some intangibles powers .

This kind of tension had been building up for along decades where it eventually came to reveal its real hands of destruction during the famous Salem trials. In the endeavors of most historians to hunt for the root cause of the causes of the practice of witch craft ,they have found out that there existed a gap between the two kind of people living during this period in time .There was this kind of people who had started prospering due to the reconstruction of the social economic sector and had been reaping a good share out of the same. There the other group of people felt that they had stagnated in their kind of lifestyle .This kind of individuals blamed the other prospering folks in their social status as though they had possessed some embodied evils .When the first trials were heard the town had already been experiencing some constant attacks by the Indians (Sutter) .

There was this other case of a reverent pastor known as Samuel Parris who had two daughters and a black house slave who was supposed to take care of the girls .They had been admonished to act differently from other kids as their father considered it as an idle act to behave just like the rest. Their major activity was reading books about fortune telling which was a common practice during this period in time .The house servant who was known as Tubula together with the girls and some other two friends could form a circle where she could narrate stories of witchcraft ,strange animals and demons .These gatherings soon turned to be frightening experiences for the two daughters of the reverent as they started acting strangely .As a result the father sought for help from a physician who could not find any physical reason for their illness and therefore inferred them as being bewitched.

This came at a time when the family was experiencing some difficult status and economic regressions. This triggered a wave of panic and fear in the family which later spread to the other villagers .The two girls plus the hose help were tried in a special court for practicing ‘evil’. This case stood as a bench mark for a string of accusations by many other people .Another major cause was some convulsive egotism ,which was a disease that was caused by eating infected rye which could cause some hallucinations.

There was also some strong beliefs that Satan was acting in the world due to the occurrence severe diseases ,natural disasters and all the bad fortunes were all attributed to the power of the devil (witchway).The effects of Salem trials were among them was the large impact it left to the community. During those times everyone concentrated on the trials and so no one was available to take care of the crops in the farms which subsequently resulted to a poor yield. Those were accused and put to imprisonment stayed in jail due to their lack of sufficient food and money .Another big reason we get from the trials in Salem to the modern society is that it has been embraced as a metaphor for persecutions which are normally based on some unknown fears and hysteria .This trials stands to remain as a case study were justice was maliciously trodden throughout the colonies where those accused were hanged with a short time of the listening of their cases .

The church top leaders though they didn’t run the show then in a bigger sense but they all played a significant role in bringing the whole issue to an end .It also did influence how cases are conducted in the courts where there has been some incredible change in the standards of evidence .More caution has been taken in relation to what has been termed as evidence .There had been a great deal of skepticism of charges and as a result of the Salem witch trials where now a very high burden of proof has been required by those make accusations. On the same line of laws ,it can be said that it helped in formulation of the constitution (Hale).The right for a free trial ,right to defend oneself a well as the right to not present any testimony that would incriminate the accused .

Another impact of the trials is that it has influenced the imaginations of many artists and writers along the centuries .Following the era of the Salem trials ,it has remained as a scar on the view of the US history and it has lessened any chances of a reoccurrence of the same as people have learnt of the cons that arose from trials. So the future leaders must learn of the reasons learnt from them and ensure that it won’t happen ever again. There also a lesson learnt which has left a major influence on American culture where it advocates the necessity of a democratic judicial system which are currently in the practice (Reis).