Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Salem Witch Trials - Research Paper Example The causes of Salem Witch Trials resides in why were the girls strangely behaving. According to the theory of Mary Beth Norton, the girls made the acquisitions and were behaving strangely because they were suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and this was because of wars that occurred between the Puritans and American Indians (Goss 2008, p.63). The first individual, Tituba who was accused of witchcraft was a American Indian and due to a grudge held by the puritans against the American Indians, she was accused as a practitioner of witchcraft. Another explanation of the strange behaviors of the girls was provided by Linnda R. Caporael, she asserts that those who were believed to experience strange behavior were experiencing ergotism, which is a disease due to eating of bread that has been contaminated with ergot (Hil 2009, p.257). Individuals suffering from this disease act strangely, for example: they may experience crawling sensation in their skin and even may experie nce headaches. These were the symptoms exhibited by those who were considered to be possessed. Events The issue experienced by Salem took off as two young girls went to a slave Tituba to get their future sweet hearts predicted. To predict the future Tituba used a trick in which a white egg is drowned in a water glass. While the trick was taking place, one of the two young females saw a coffin. After this event, both girls started exhibit strange behaviors such as hiding beneath chairs and using ridiculous words. The happening of these events were then noticed by the Reverend Parris and he asserted that these events were taking place as the girls were possessed by devils. The similar behaviors were exhibited by several young females and due to pressure applied by adults of that area, the girls accused that Tituba and other white women were practicing witchcraft on them. Due to this, the accused were shifted to a jail in region of Boston where Tibuta accepted that she was practicing w itchcraft. During the month of March similar behavior was exhibited by an adult and the number of accusations increased. During the three months of March, April and 50% of May the count of those accused increased and they were all shifted to jails. Later on June 2 special court proceedings took place after which on June 10th, Bridget Bishop was hanged to death and later on July 19th five more accused individuals were hanged and then on September 22nd, eight more of them were hanged (Goss 2008, p.181). Later the trails came to a stop under the order of Governor Phips as his own wife was recognized as a witch. Consequences The main consequences of the special court proceedings that took place as a result of accusations was the hanging and corporal punishment of several individuals who were completely innocent. Individuals who did not practice religion and visited churches were accused for livestock death and ill health that was spreading all over Salem. The second major consequence wa s the imprisonment of over 200 individuals along with those who were hanged to death for being accused of practicing witchcraft. These individuals were simply imprisoned on the basis of evidence that was spectral in nature. Property of these individuals was seized by the town and their families had to

Race o racism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Race o racism - Research Paper Example The marathon race will feature numerous other activities apart from running. These include an avenue to interact among the participants and share ideas. It will also be a family affair where the children will be educated on the importance of stopping racism. The proceeds from the marathon will help the affected racism victims around the world through the organizations planning. This agency has numerous branches all over America and all over the world. The main theme of the marathon is creating awareness on racism. Through the marathon, people will also appreciate the importance of alleviating racism since it has numerous impacts to a society. To highlight on the impacts, racism cause disintegration in a society. The disunity of the society affects numerous other activities of the society especially the developmental projects. Societies cannot develop well since the members do not appreciate each other’s role and position based on racism. It is in this respect that the society lags behind in terms of development. Through having joint public initiatives like this marathon, everyone in the society understand the importance of forgetting the racial differences and working together as one people. This marathon, therefore, is necessary to attend for individuals who seek to debunk the racism problem in the society. In many instances, an individual can be faced with a situation involving racial prejudice. This can be at the workplace, school or even at the church. When the individual is judged base on their race, they get psychological torture. They might feel that they have no place in the society and in some cases commit suicide. The case of racial segregation also develops hatred among different people of the society. The individuals start judging others on ethnic lines. From that perspective, the hatred is likely to develop into conflict. The conflict can further escalate to unprecedented levels. Affect this means that not only will the individuals involved but the whole community as a whole. Through the marathon, you will get to understand how to evade such situations. This would be an available activity for individuals who do not want to participate in the race. Racism also causes uncertainty among the members of a society. Everyone lives not sure of the other persons intention towards them they might feel that any action an individual does is directed to them. The state on uncertainty is not appropriate for the social health of the society (Jackson et al 15). The members do not interact freely and in a mutual interest way. It is in line with this that the race is purposed to bring together members from different races. Participants will get the chance to overcome their racial differences and compete in the marathon. The interaction among these members is a vital step to achieve a racism free country. Through the marathon, the participants will get the chance to prove their competency outside the realm of racism. For the participants who do not wish to participate in the race, various activities are also available to suit their needs on understanding racism. There would be centers where talks are held about racism. Similarly, there would be discussions on racism and its effects. The participants in these discussions are also expected to give some of the possible solutions to racism. The International Agency against Racism hopes that, through this marathon, everyone will have a