Salem Witch Hunt and the Spiritual Worldview
There were investigations to identify witches between June 1692 and May 1693, which led to the persecution and hanging of people thought to be witches. It took place in Salem, colonial Massachusetts. In the trials, over two hundred people were accused. Out of thirty who were found guilty, nineteen were executed. Mainly, the spiritual worldview motivated the witch hunt because generally, witchcraft uses the occult that departs from divine revelations. Witchcraft aims to overcome humans. With time, differentiating wizards and witches became difficult. White magic was considered harmless and a gateway to all pernicious activities. The wizards were believed to heal people’s lives with their knowledge and white magic. The feminine gender was mostly persecuted and condemned for witchcraft. There was an increased hatred towards women because of the political influence and need to be in control. The practices were not normal, but people’s mentality and belief that anything away from the belief system, which was strictly Christian was the devil’s work. Those thought to be witches were believed to be Satan’s followers who traded their souls while seeking his assistance. They were believed to worship the devil while practicing sorcery for evil intentions. The people believed that the witches transformed at night from human form to animals or other creatures. In the new forms, they flew on air and went for ogre meetings.
Work Cited
Godbeer, R. (2011). The Salem witch hunt: A brief history with documents. Macmillan Higher Education.
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Question
For this assignment, you will submit a sample paragraph from your primary source essay, other than the introduction or the conclusion. In other words, you are going to submit one of the body paragraphs. The body paragraph should be at least half a page long (typed, double-spaced). In order to receive full points, your paragraph will contain specific references to the text (with more emphasis on the primary source evidence than the background material) and a solid analysis of the examples you provide.
One prominent interpretation of the Salem witch trials is that the residents of Salem targeted those who were already outsiders—defined as a person who is not accepted by or who is isolated from society—within their community. Does this argument adequately explain the Salem Witch Trials? Why or why