The Salem Hysteria Essay Research Paper THE — страница 2

  • Просмотров 202
  • Скачиваний 5
  • Размер файла 15
    Кб

them, the accusations grew rapidly. Once a Puritan was accused of being a witch, they were basically forced to go along with it. They had the choice of death or admitting they were a witch. What choice would you make? If you told the truth, you would have maintained your relationship with God and kept your name in society. But if you went along with the accusations, you could keep your life and live to tell about. On the surface it appears to be an easy decision to make. But the more you think about it, it would be a very hard choice to make. It all depends on what you believe in. You’ve got to ask yourself if you have the guts when it comes time to make the big decision. Do you take the easy way out or do you choose to follow your beliefs? By the end of the trials, nineteen

convicted witches were executed. About one to two hundred people were arrested and imprisoned on witchcraft charges. Two dogs were executed as suspected accomplices of the witches. The Salem hysteria proved to be ironic for a couple of reasons. First, the Puritans left England to find religous freedom. They thought they had found it in the New World. For some this was true, but it proved to be horribly wrong for the nineteen executed. Also, the young girls accused many Puritans of serving the devil. Even though they might not have realized it, that is the exact thing they were doing. They were spreading lies about innocent people, which caused them to be put to death. In conclusion, the people of Salem Village were in desperate need for conformity. They wanted to believe that

witches existed in their community. As many know by know, the people of Salem got the conformity that they asked for. The Salem hysteria should make us think about the many benefits that we have today, that others do not. It should also teach us that conformity is not necessary in every instance. The Salem hysteria will be remembered as one of the most tragic events in American history.