Salem Witchcraft Trials in One Essay

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Later most people admitted that they had overreacted to the situation and even Cotton Mather confessed that "errors" had been made in handling this crisis. The chief judge William Stoughton came under attack for his overzealous response to the accusations which led to many innocent deaths and false convictions. He however refused to shoulder any blame for the situation. Samuel Parris also did not accept his role in triggering the hysteria.

Hoffer thus offers a very close and unique explanation of why witchcraft trials ever took place in Salem. He blames the early fragile American law which had no right to counsel clause and which did not offer protection against self-incrimination. Massachusetts had wanted to develop an inexpensive and speedy justice system which only led to more problems as judge played the dominant role and in the case of witchcraft trials, it was the judge freely handing out convictions and sentences.

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In Salem, the witchcraft trials were thus "dominated not by book law, . . . But by folk beliefs shared by the judges, jurors, witnesses, and even the accused."

These trials, though highly unfortunate, were still important in altering the way people looked at the justice system and its delivery. Thus these trials "have become a metaphor for miscarriage of justice, superstition, and credulity. Mere mention of them calls up the specter of unprovable aspersions, the presumption of guilt, and the destruction of family and community." For this reason, both federal and state justice system today stresses the importance of fair trial. In some way those innocent people killed in the witchcraft hysteria did not die in vain.

REFERENCE

Hoffer, Peter Charles, The Salem Witchcraft Cases: A Legal History. Univ. Press of Kansas (1997)

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