The Puritans: The Cause of the Hunt Heard Across Salem
“The Puritans were one of many groups throughout human history who wanted to be special, to be set apart from others” (Carr, 2015). Little did the Puritans know, they would soon set themselves apart from others in an unimaginable way. Dr. Karen Carr earned her PhD in 1992 after graduating from the University of Michigan. Shortly after graduating, Carr took on the roll as a history professor at Portland State University. She has studied and taught to students the history of the Salem witch trials. According to Carr, around 1630, the Puritans made the voyage from England to what is now known as Salem, Massachusetts. They were looking to break away from the Church of England and focus on their own religious beliefs. Along with the fears of the future and the unknown came the fears of their new world. These fears helped spark the beginning of the Salem witch trials in 1692 (Carr, 2015). Throughout the trials, many accusations were made and punishments ensued. As stated by PBS in People & Ideas: The Puritans, by the end of the Salem witch trials in 1693, 20 men and women were executed, and countless were accused. The Puritans caused the Salem witch trials through their lack of separation between church and state, fear of the Devil, and the unequal treatment of women. Perhaps the most influential piece of the Salem witch trials was the close knit relationship between the Puritan religious beliefs and governing body. …show more content…
The lack of separation between the church and established laws contributed to the Salem witch trials. According to Witchcraft, Religious Fanaticism and Schizophrenia: Salem Revisited – Archiving Early America, since the Puritan society was formed on the base of religion, the judges and authority figures were also high-ranking church officials. As high-ranking church officials, the judges put their religious views first before rationalization. Most of the witch trials that took place were based on circumstantial evidence. Instead of using concrete evidence to convict possible witches, the judges relied on accusations made by other Puritan citizens. Puritan judges allowed their religious fears to stand in the way of a fair trial (Sawyer and Bundren). One could argue that the judges did not know anything other than their religious beliefs or that the fear of the Devil simply lead them to convictions. If there were separation between church and state, the judges would not have convicted citizens based solely on religious evidence. Or, if the judges were not church officials, they would have not been as fearful of the Devil. These arguments strengthen the fact that the Puritans did not properly separate state from church. As part of their religious beliefs, the Puritans had an immense fear of the Devil and his actions. The constant fear of the Devil played a role in the Salem witch trials. In Witchcraft, Religious Fanaticism and Schizophrenia: Salem Revisited – Archiving Early America, Sawyer and Bundren explain that the Puritans believed every individual was born sinful. The only way to rid themselves of their sins was to repent. As part of their repentance, the Puritans devoted every part of their lives to God. Women were not allowed to read anything other than the Bible and all Puritan citizens were to attend church services (Sawyer and Bundren). According to Levin, The Puritans lived life waiting for God’s salvation. They believed the Devil was out to destroy God’s salvation plan. Naturally, as individuals were acting out and accusations were being made, the Puritans began to blame the Devil. To the Puritans, there was no other reason for the events taking place to occur other than the personal acts of the Devil. The only rational way for the Puritans to protect themselves from the Devil was to remove the Devil out of the Puritans (Levin, 1952). …show more content…
According to Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem, Ergot is a poisonous fungus that grows on rye grain. The fungus works by attaching to the nervous system of the individual who ingests it. Symptoms of Ergot poisoning include body pain, trembling, muscle spasms, confusion, and hallucinations. Some scholars argue that the climate conditions of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692 were adequate for ergot fungus to grow on the Puritan’s crops (Caporael,
“The Puritans were one of many groups throughout human history who wanted to be special, to be set apart from others” (Carr, 2015). Little did the Puritans know, they would soon set themselves apart from others in an unimaginable way. Dr. Karen Carr earned her PhD in 1992 after graduating from the University of Michigan. Shortly after graduating, Carr took on the roll as a history professor at Portland State University. She has studied and taught to students the history of the Salem witch trials. According to Carr, around 1630, the Puritans made the voyage from England to what is now known as Salem, Massachusetts. They were looking to break away from the Church of England and focus on their own religious beliefs. Along with the fears of the future and the unknown came the fears of their new world. These fears helped spark the beginning of the Salem witch trials in 1692 (Carr, 2015). Throughout the trials, many accusations were made and punishments ensued. As stated by PBS in People & Ideas: The Puritans, by the end of the Salem witch trials in 1693, 20 men and women were executed, and countless were accused. The Puritans caused the Salem witch trials through their lack of separation between church and state, fear of the Devil, and the unequal treatment of women. Perhaps the most influential piece of the Salem witch trials was the close knit relationship between the Puritan religious beliefs and governing body. …show more content…
The lack of separation between the church and established laws contributed to the Salem witch trials. According to Witchcraft, Religious Fanaticism and Schizophrenia: Salem Revisited – Archiving Early America, since the Puritan society was formed on the base of religion, the judges and authority figures were also high-ranking church officials. As high-ranking church officials, the judges put their religious views first before rationalization. Most of the witch trials that took place were based on circumstantial evidence. Instead of using concrete evidence to convict possible witches, the judges relied on accusations made by other Puritan citizens. Puritan judges allowed their religious fears to stand in the way of a fair trial (Sawyer and Bundren). One could argue that the judges did not know anything other than their religious beliefs or that the fear of the Devil simply lead them to convictions. If there were separation between church and state, the judges would not have convicted citizens based solely on religious evidence. Or, if the judges were not church officials, they would have not been as fearful of the Devil. These arguments strengthen the fact that the Puritans did not properly separate state from church. As part of their religious beliefs, the Puritans had an immense fear of the Devil and his actions. The constant fear of the Devil played a role in the Salem witch trials. In Witchcraft, Religious Fanaticism and Schizophrenia: Salem Revisited – Archiving Early America, Sawyer and Bundren explain that the Puritans believed every individual was born sinful. The only way to rid themselves of their sins was to repent. As part of their repentance, the Puritans devoted every part of their lives to God. Women were not allowed to read anything other than the Bible and all Puritan citizens were to attend church services (Sawyer and Bundren). According to Levin, The Puritans lived life waiting for God’s salvation. They believed the Devil was out to destroy God’s salvation plan. Naturally, as individuals were acting out and accusations were being made, the Puritans began to blame the Devil. To the Puritans, there was no other reason for the events taking place to occur other than the personal acts of the Devil. The only rational way for the Puritans to protect themselves from the Devil was to remove the Devil out of the Puritans (Levin, 1952). …show more content…
According to Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem, Ergot is a poisonous fungus that grows on rye grain. The fungus works by attaching to the nervous system of the individual who ingests it. Symptoms of Ergot poisoning include body pain, trembling, muscle spasms, confusion, and hallucinations. Some scholars argue that the climate conditions of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692 were adequate for ergot fungus to grow on the Puritan’s crops (Caporael,