Governor Phips and the Salem Witch Trials

The accusations and hysteria led the court to execute the accused witches without any strong evidence of witchcraft. In 1692, Governor Phips assembled with the court and decided the seven judges (Salem Witch Trials). The judges decided their punishments based on spectral evidence or dreams which weren’t strong evidence. The people who were accused had to defend themselves without any help (Simons). They weren’t given any help from the court and had to defend themselves on their own. The judges convicted people by using evidence that could be easily a false accusation, like appearance in dreams. Over 150 men and women were accused of being a witch (Salem Witch Trials). Many people on their accused others of being a witch to keep themselves safe which caused more people to go through the trials (Salem Witch Trials). The trials were held for a lot of people. They either had to confess or blame others which often caused innocent people to get convicted or be accused. Acts of rape of molesting were often related to satanism, so children were asked to point out people but they often lied to gain attention (Asirvatham). A lot of innocent people were accused by children since children were encouraged and rewarded to find rapists and molesters. All of these actions taken in the court shows how people can inhumane by not giving them a chance to prove themselves innocent. It also shows how people can easily blame others for attention. Many convicted people who pleaded innocent were given harsher punishments.

People were hanged without letting them defend themselves which is very inhumane. Bridget Bishop was the first defendant to be convicted on June 2. She was hanged on June 10 in a place called Gallows Hill in Salem Village (Salem Witch Trials). George Burroughs, who was a minister in the Salem Village was convicted because he was accused of being the witches’ ringleader (Salem Witch Trials). Giles, accused of witchcraft, he did not plead guilty which lead to harsher punishments. He was pressed under rocks for 2 days until he died (Salem Witch Trials). These people weren’t able to defend themselves and were hanged which is very cruel to them since a lot of accusations were false. Many lives of people were ruined because of being accused of witchcraft. When Giles stood up for himself he was given a harsher punishment which was unnecessary and inhumane to him. 8 People who were convicted because of witchcraft were hanged on September 22 (Salem Witch Trials). When the Governor Phips wife was accused of witchcraft, he ceased all the trials in Court of Oyer and Terminer. He established the Superior Court of Judicature that banned the use of any spectral evidence in the court. (Salem Witch Trials). When Governor Phips stopped the trials because of his wife, it showed how unfair he was to everyone else who was convicted.

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