The Aftermath Of The Salem Witch Trials - 1233 Words

In the aftermath of the Salem witch trials, the American colonies were shaken to their core. The events were captivating, horrifying and fascinating. In the aftermath, the country looked towards a brighter future, one free of demons and hysteria. America was on the path to modernization, keen on putting aside such old world ideas as witches. In his wide spanning book, America Bewitched, Owen Davies follows America’s life after Salem, recounting the country’s fascination with witchcraft. Through thematic chapters, Davies offers reports of witch-trials, magical beliefs, and the changing attitudes of a modernizing society. While thorough and gripping, the book steers clear of arguing for a specific meaning behind the United States’ continuing enthrallment with the subject. However, a common thread can be found in the evolving attitudes towards beliefs in witchcraft and the European concept of the ‘other.’ By highlighting Davies tales of interracial conf rontations in the Spanish colonies of the southwest, the tension between slaves and owners in the Deep South, and the outer reaches of the Alaskan territory, a clear connection ties the United States continuing enthrallment with witchcraft and colonialism. From the time the first conquistadors invaded what would be later known in the states as New Mexico, the Native Americans were seen as evil. In the 17th century, Spanish missionaries observed native peoples’ religions and foreign spiritualism as the work of the devil. ItShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1358 Words   |  6 Pagesproduced in 1996 and portrayed the dramatized play written by Arthur Miller in 1953. The movie story deals with the Salem, Massachusetts hysteria in 1692 with an irrational fear of the devil. Witch hunts and false accusations resulted. Trials took place and resulted in the hanging and associated death of more than 20 people and the false imprisonment of many others. B. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft. â€Å"From June through September ofRead MoreWhat Were The Salem Witch Trials1449 Words   |  6 PagesWere the Salem Witch Trials and What Were its Aftermaths? START OF WITCHCRAFT HYSTERIA A considerable lot of the American settlers carried with them, from Europe, a faith in witches and the devil. Amid the seventeenth century, individuals were often executed for being witches and worshiper of Satan. The Puritan town of Salem was home to where many executions of witches took place, more commonly known as the Salem witch trials. A scandalous scene in American history, the Salem witch trials of 1692Read MoreSalem Witches and Ergot of Rye Essay1055 Words   |  5 PagesSalem Witches and Ergot of Rye While researching texts written about the Salem Witch Trials, I found a few authors who published articles and books about the Salem Witch Trials. These authors often showed that the most likely cause of the fits coming from the victims was produced by ergot of rye. However, I could not find much discussion about another important source of the fits’ cause: witchcraft. My goal in this paper is to produce a convincing argument that the victims during the Salem WitchRead MoreIs Witch Trails A Thing Of The Past?923 Words   |  4 Pages Being that the Salem Witch Trails date back to over three hundred years, many people believe witch trails are a thing of the past. However, modern day witch trails are still extremely prevalent. Modern-day witch-hunts are reported to still be happening in Africa, the Pacific, Latin America, even in the U.S. and Europe. According to a New York Times article, within the last fifteen years alone, more than 2,000 Indians have been killed after being accused of witchcraft. Almost all of the accused haveRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Essay911 Words   |  4 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch trials help chaos throughout colonial Massachusetts affecting many others along the east coast. Due to the Salem Witch trials being such a famous event many believe that this was the first Witch hunt, however this not the case it was the first in America. Approximately 141 innocent people were imprisoned with a total of 19 deaths (insert aftermath citation). Salem witch hunt started in 1692 as accusations by the small Puritan community of nearly 500 aroseRead MoreThe Controversy Of The Salem Witch Trials Essay1555 Words   |  7 Pages The Salem Witch Trials have been sensationalized as of late, becoming a highly popular television show, and an event that many movies have been loosely based upon. Without doing the proper research, one would think that the trials were more violent than they became. There were no witches burning at the stake, or daily hangings, or drownings, but people of the time were frightened nonetheless. The acts of just a few key people drove a whole town to hysteria and fear. Throughout the trials over aRead MoreThe Controversy Of The Salem Witch Trials Essay1548 Words   |  7 PagesStates of America. The Salem Witch Trials have been sensationalized as of late, becoming a popular show, and an event that many movies have been made of. Without doing the proper research, one would think that the trials were more violent than it became. There were no witches burning at the stake, or daily hangings, or drownings, but people of the time were frightened nonetheless. The acts of just a few key people drove a whole town to hysteria, and fear. Throughout the trials over a hundred peopleRead MoreSalem Witch Trials, By Liv Turske908 Words   |  4 Pages Salem Witch Trials Liv Turske Abstract The Salem Witch Trials was from 1692-1693, in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. There was a circle of girls who wanted to have a little fun so they got involved in the sport of witchcraft. They went to the minister’s house every day to visit Tituba, the Caribbean slave, to join her for palm and tea leaf reading. The girls took it too far though. They pretended to have fits and started accusing people of being witches. They went so far that peopleRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials : Crisis1601 Words   |  7 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials: Crisis in Salem Village Many people know of the Salem witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1692 spilling over into the year 1693. But for those who do not know, the Salem witch trials were a series of trials against men, women, and children accused of being a witch and or practicing witchcraft. In â€Å"The Devils Snare: The Salem Witch Trials of 1692† by Mary Beth Norton, the author recollects the stories of real life accounts of those accusers andRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1145 Words   |  5 Pagesthe author reflects the persecution of communists in America in the 1950’s through a recount of the Salem witch trials. It is often presumed that Miller based his drama directly off of events that were particularly prevalent in the years surrounding the publication of The Crucible- which was released in the year 1953, towards the conclusion of the Korean War. Although there was not a literal witch hunt occurring during this time period, America was in a stat e of paranoia due to an enemy that was