The Life of Abagail Williams essays

The Life of Abagail Williams essays Hi, my name is Abagail Williams. You have probably heard of me from the Salem Witch Trials. I was twelve years old when the out break of witchcraft terrified the residents living in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Hundreds of people were accused, the majority forced to deteriorate in jail while their cases were studied and considered for trial. Accused witches were forced to confess to witchcraft, under the fear that if they did not, they would be executed. The trials were usually brutal and unfair with the doctrine, the charged were guilty before proven innocent, and the only option for their survival was to confess and name their charge. In reality, there never were any real witches in Salem, it all began with the lies and stories I told. You might ask yourself Why did this travesty of justice occur? Salem was the prime spot for an event of this capacity. The unfortunate combination of economic conditions, congregational strife, teenage boredom, and personal jealousies account for the spiraling accusations, trials, and executions that occurred in the spring and summer of 1692. The Salem Witch Trials was a dark time in American History. Neighbors became suspicious of one another. The testimonies of myself and other children put many to death. Many were brutally tortured until they confessed or died. It all started when Tituba, a slave of my uncles began secretly to tell the local girls (including Betty and myself) stories about evil curses and mysterious voodoo from her homeland. My cousin Betty, and I became restless. Betty complained of a burning fever, dashed noisily about the house, contorted of pain, and dove under furniture. I, however, was afflicted in a completely different method: I went into trance like states from which I could not (or would not) be awakened and went into fits that closely resembled epileptic seizures. ...