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How Did The Salem Witch Trials Affect America Today

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The Salem Witch Trials was a dark time in history for the American colonies in 1692. People were wrongly accused and killed because other colonists thought they were witches. The trials impacted the beliefs of people’s thoughts on witches and other mystical beings. It has also impacted both Salem and America equally. The Salem Witch Trials is a dark chapter in American history that helped define societal beliefs. Puritans are colonists who had left England seeking religious tolerance. The life of the Puritans was mainly influenced by Christian beliefs and the church. Their laws were harsh and every Puritan needed to follow a moral code. Anyone or anything that went against the code was punished because going against the code was considered as a sin. According to Religious Aspects, “The Puritans also believed strongly in the wrath of God and did everything they could to prevent themselves from receiving it. This is why the witch scare was taken so seriously and the accused were punished harshly. The first …show more content…

The Devil was as real as God to the Puritans. The Puritans thought that witches could do horrible things because they traded their souls to the Devil. Magoon said, that the Puritans believed that someone in the community was practicing witchcraft and that is why the girls who started the Salem Witch Trials were possessed by the devil (7). The Puritans also believed that the Devil chose people who did not follow the rules of the Puritans closely to carry out his work. The people who failed to follow the Puritan’s moral code were easy targets for witchcraft and the Devil himself. The Puritans practiced the ritual of confession which became essential to witch-hunting. “Because Puritans felt heavily the weight of their sin, and because confession was an integral part of their lives, we should not be surprised that some fifty men and women confessed to having joined with the Devil”

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