Witchcraft In the New England Colonies
Few events in American History are better know than the Salem Witchcarft trials of the seventeenth century. Persecution of witches was most apparent in colonial New England were strict calvinist views formed the basis of a theocratic, old testitment that accepted models. Puritains saw witchcraft threw the literal inturpritation on the bible 'thou shalt not suffer a witch to live"(Exodus 22.19). The Hysteria of the Salem with trials frist began in January 1692 when a group of young girls began to display bizzare behavior. The young girls had convulsive seizures, blasphemous screaming, and trance like states. The community could not come up with any natural casuses for this bizzare behavior. The Community reasoned it must be the work of satan and that witches have invaded Salem. Cats were thought to be connected Satan, therefore many people with cats were often charged of being a witch. Also people who lived alone or were widowed and had pets were suspected to be witches. Many people that practiced medicine with herbs and such were often charged. The people that were charged were tested in cruel ways. One way they tested accused witches was to tie there hands and feet together and drop them in water, if they sunk then they were innocent (but dead) if they floated then they were a witch and they would be punished or were forced to carry a hot coal around the town two times, if they were burnt then they would have been innocent and let go. However if they weren't then they would been proven to be a witch and would be killed. Sometimes they would stick a pin in someone and if they bleed then they were not a witch but if they did not then they were a witch. However the pins they used were not long enough to draw blood therefore everyone was "proven" to be a witch. Witches were punished in a variety of ways. One way they punished them was to hang them or even burn them to death. Some were even crushed to death by rocks.
By: Kate