Negative Effects Of Puritan Culture On American Society

As the sky mimics the bleakness of ash and the life below it reflects the same somber manner, the air reeks of agony, angst, and anguish. Throughout the town, people wear solemn expressions on their faces as they see their loved ones slaughtered —day after day. They are enduring a nightmare with the fear of being accused of witchcraft. They are living during the corrupt time of the Salem witch trials. Thomas Satterwhite Noble’s oil painting â€Å"The Witch Hill,† which typifies the mood described above, depicts a young woman being escorted to her execution because she has been accused of witchcraft. Looking at this work, it becomes clear that this alleged witch is a regular woman with a regular life. Her soft eyes suggest that she is innocent.†¦show more content†¦Once in the New World, John Winthrop established the Massachusetts Bay Colony (â€Å"The Puritans†). Within this self-governed colony, Puritans continued practicing such religious belief s as predestination—the idea that God has determined everyone’s fate since birth and their damnation or salvation cannot be changed (Campbell). Puritans later used this as justification for the execution of dozens of accused witches. Within this Puritan community, witch hysteria arose in 1692—the Salem Witch Trials. However, the common misconception is that many believed that the witch trials only took place in Salem. In fact, there were more people accused of witchcraft in other towns, such as Andover (Norton). In Salem, the witch crisis began when two young girls, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams, suffered from uncontrollable fits and violent behavior, which led to the suspicion of that these children were under Satan’s influence (Frost-Knappman). Paris and Williams accused three women of bewitching them- Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne- who were promptly arrested (Salem Witch Trials and Executions). From there, the witch madness spread wit hin the community. Tituba, a slave, confessed to witchcraft and pointed fingers at other women in the Salem community. Full of fear, the governor of Massachusetts, William Phips demanded trials to be issued for these witchcraft cases. As aShow MoreRelatedIsolation In The Scarlet Letter1220 Words   |  5 PagesIn the 17th century, Puritan society arose in New England as one that was governed by its religious views, and thus was a deterministic one. Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates this in his novel The Scarlet Letter, in which the characters Hester, Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Chillingworth are alienated by society. 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