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These folks were considered witches by the people because they were believed to have been sent from the devil. Therefore, the Salem Witch Trials was formed. Rain Hiss and Larry Gray explain the causes and effects of the trials in depth. The “Salem Witch Crisis,” written by Rain Hiss, examines the evidence of the catastrophe, in the late 1 sass. Similarly, Larry Gray, who wrote “Under an Evil Hand,” clearly states the events of the Salem Witch Trials. Both authors thoroughly scrutinizes the occasions that took place before, during, and after the devastating trials.
Larry Gray informs that the actions of Betty Paris and Abigail Williams sent an uprising of suspicions throughout the village. More children and adults started accusing innocent individuals of having access of witchcraft. Villages in the New World started fearing witchcraft messing with their homes due to beliefs transported from New England. Furthermore, ordinary folk worried that their crops would be ruined by witches or their family would be made ill. Also, Cotton Matter along with his colleagues believed that the “witches” were going to overthrow Christianity.
Everyone started to be certain of the devil focusing on people with financial difficulties and marriage struggles. This was because Satan would offer them happiness as long as he was granted permission to use their body for evil deeds. On the other hand, one lady, Tuba, was brave enough to admit to her witchcraft ways; she said the devil tricked her, and she yearns for help to get rid of the evil inside of her. Of course, the people wanted to help this ‘damsel in distress,’ so she avoided her death sentence. However, she was the only one who stood up.
These accusations lasted for any months because people feared the use of magic around the town, so they decided to wipe out the odd folks. These actions were further developed when Reverend Samuel Paris announced that witches could be found within the walls Of the church. This led the people to turn on one another in panic that their neighbor held this forbidden power. About one person every day for two months was accused of being a witch. The number of indictments increased every day, along with the amount of concern the towns people had.
Church members and even people, who were apart of the government, were Ewing charged with witch-like capabilities. When Governor Phips returned to Boston, he banned all of the witchcraft accusations due to his disappointment that his own wife was suspected. However, this did not stop the people from fearing the power of the devil. This act went over for two decades until the trials took notice oftener errors, and Reverend Samuel Paris apologized to the family’s, who suffered greatly over the years. This was the end to the Salem Witch Trials. Rain Hiss portrays that after the end of the Trials, the Puritans set aside evidence of the situation.
To begin with, Cotton Matter produced a speech about witchcraft in Boston. He announced that Scripture references witchcraft. Also, numerous amounts of people have witnessed the acts of witchcraft. Therefore, these two reasons prove that the powers of witches exist. This is one form of evidence that was left from the trials. Matter forced the crowd to completely trust in his words, making him a significant part in the allegation of witches. Another piece of evidence includes Abigail Hobbs testimony to the judge. She proclaims that she has seen sights, which frighten her. She testifies that the Devil has been in her vision one time.
She reveals that Satan wanted to compel her into being a witch and make a covenant with him. This further identifies the use of witchcraft in the time period. Furthermore, a large group of individuals were accused in killed during the sass due to the trials, so a chart shows the decrease in population due to these executions. On the final piece of evidence, a map shows where the accusers lived along with the accused witches. It is known that the folks in Salem Village were forced to pay taxes to Salem Town, so when it came time for the trials, the people in the village accused the individuals in the town.
The villagers envied the higher class in the town, leading them to sentence the others to their death. Even though these are separate documents of information, they have their similarities when it comes to the Salem Witch Trials. For example, they both thoroughly examine the events of the cases. Similarly, both of the documents describe how the trials were brought about and why they happened. However, “Under an Evil Hand” gives more details about what happened during this time erred, and the “Salem Witch Crisis” expresses more of the evidence found from the catastrophe.