Cite evidence from the text to support your answer. What do experiments usually seek to do? Then came out of the House a grave tall Man carrying the Holy Writ before the supposed Wizard, &c. (as solemnly as the Sword-bearer of London before the Lord Mayor) the Wizard was first put in the Scale, and over him was read a Chapter out of the Books of Moses, and then the Bible was put in the other Scale, (which being kept down before) was immediately let go; but to the great Surprize of the Spectators, Flesh and Bones came down plump, and outweighed that great good Book by abundance. brief summary. His skepticism about witchcraft and witchcraft trials In the Witch Trial of Mount Holly, Franklin reveals what? The officials fail, and Fuller ends up serving science at Christ Church College. Rationalism / First, the four were given the test of the scales, in which they would be weighed compared to the Bible; if they weighed less, they were clearly possessed or guilty of witchcraft, but if they weighed more than the Bible, they were innocent (for that moment at least). Gender played a very important role in the witch hunts that took place in Early-Modern Europe as well as in Salem. How does Franklin establish it? All four weighed more (the text details their Lumps of Mortality severally were too heavy for Moses and all the Prophets and Apostles) and so everyone moved to the next test: Trial by Water. Burlington, Oct. 12. Perhaps I should explore your sources. The trials began after a group of girls claimed that they were possessed by the devil. Archives. After the Scrutiny was over, a huge great Bible belonging to the Justice of the Place was provided, and a Lane through the Populace was made from the Justices House to the Scales, which were fixed on a Gallows erected for that Purpose opposite to the House, that the Justices Wife and the rest of the Ladies might see the Trial, without coming amongst the Mob; and after the Manner of Moorfields, a large Ring was also made. Very good article about the sexism during the witch trials. Before, I used to play games, this is a fun game for entertainment, but now I will follow you, read your articles will have more knowledge. 6. The story begins with approximately 300 people gathered together to see the trial of two witches, a man and a women, whom have been accused of, . It was written in the late 17th century, and is about faeries and their ways. you, read your articles will have more knowledge. Catherine The Great? Pennsylvania Gazette October 22, 1730 Burlington, Oct. 12. It seems the Accused had been charged with making their Neighbours Sheep dance in an uncommon Manner, and with causing Hogs to speak, and sing Psalms, &c. to the great Terror and Amazement of the Kings good and peaceable Subjects in this Province; and the Accusers being very positive that if the Accused were weighed in Scales against a Bible, the Bible would prove too heavy for them; or that, if they were bound and put into the River, they would swim; the said Accused desirous to make their Innocence appear, voluntarily offered to undergo the said Trials, if 2 of the most violent of their Accusers would be tried with them. During this time period, witch trials were not uncommon. Several local women were accused of witchcraft and this began the wave of hysteria that would forever haunt Salem and leave a painful legacy for a long time to come. They also did not fit easily into society, especially within Salem. In the first two chapters, the book introduces its readers to a brief history of witchcraft trials, including how they began in Europe and followed colonists to the New World. Not heresy against God or the bible mind you, but heresy against the church for belief in the bible. Cch k chuyn ca phim n qu cng rt tinh t, kho lo, mang n cm gic li cun, hp dn v khng lm ngi xem cm thy chn nn d c nhng phn on tr truyn hi l th 1 to. The rules of the trial dictated that if they floated they were guilty, but if they sank they were innocent. But, what would you do if all your efforts to align energy were thwarted? Women were more apt to view their sins as having been in obedience to Satan and against God, no matter how ordinary the sin may be. If they sunk, they were innocent, and if they drowned, they were guilty. How does Franklin portray the people of Mount Holly? Also, social ostracism being associated with witchcraft was not unique to Salem, for it was present at the execution of the elderly Katherine Grady in Virginia. He makes this apparent in the last paragraph where he states, The more thinking Part of the Spectators were of Opinion, that any Person so bound and placd in the Water (unless they were mere Skin and Bones) would swim till their Breath was gone, and their Lungs filld with Water. He makes it sound as if the people were finally coming to their senses, knowing that these trials were pointless and couldnt prove anything. [14] The more thinking Part of the Spectators were of Opinion, that any Person so bound and placd in the Water (unless they were mere Skin and Bones) would swim till their Breath was gone, and their Lungs filld with Water. The article, presented as local news, is a literary hoax, similar to two others Franklin published in the Gazette. The question at hand is whether or not these convictions came unwarranted and if not, why? 13. I wrote about the Mount Holly as well, and I did not know that the essay was unnamed until the eighteenth century. Through its grants program, the NHPRC supports a wide range of activities to They control us! They were now responsible for educating the boys who would soon be the heads of their own households. Revivalism / A contemporary publication, The Gentleman's Gazette, reported it to its readers as fact. In the 1600s rumors of witchcraft spread throughout England and even more so in New England. Franklin . at Mount-Holly, about 8 Miles from this Place, near 300 People were gathered together to see an Experiment or two tried on some Persons accused of Witchcraft. It describes the division of the community and how that led to the point of institutional, demographic, and economic polarization (p.50). I really enjoy stories like this. [12] Upon which she declared, That she believed the Accused had bewitched her to make her so light, and that she would be duckd again a Hundred Times, but she would duck the Devil out of her. Though the story is probably a fraud, it is not without significance. If it outweighs them, they are witches; if they outweigh it, they are not. The short essay details exactly what its title suggests: a witch trial held in Mount Holly (however, according to America in Class, a historical organization, the piece was initially untitled; its name was later bestowed by an eighteenth-century editor who gave it the appropriate heading). Third, there is the strong element of satire and broad farce in The Pennsylvania Gazette story. 1746. In a witch trial the accused were weighed against a huge bible; it was believed that the word of God could out weigh an "evil" being. Which of the following literary devices does Franklin use to develop his satire? Oh also, the Roman Catholic Church put many (estimated to be in the millions) Christians to death for the crime of heresy and witchcraft. What function does it play in the story? The Australian Classification website comprises information for general public and industry about the classification of films, games and publications. The black and white image near the title The Weaker Sex shows a baby appearing to come from the flames. With it he undermines the seriousness of the scale trial. One often thinks of the idealized image of the Victorian woman being a heavy burden for a real person to bear, but fitting it into the historical context that this followed a time when women were just generally under a cloud for being inherently evil and weak, the Victorians make more sense. As officials try to get the corpse out of town, they must fend off a mob and then a determined band of gownsmen, Oxford medical students, who want to carry Fuller off for dissection. It is not surprising due to womens belief in inherent evilness that they could more easily imagine that other women were equally damned. For that reason, women more easily accused other women of witchcraft. So, take the statistics of violence against 'witches' with a grain of salt. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters. The Gentlemans Magazine, I (1731), 29, printed a brief account of the trial, based on the Gazette publication, which it accepted as fact. In "A Witch Trial at Mount Holly", Benjamin Franklin illustrates what for an uneducated interpreter could seem as a legit historical event engaging a series of witch trials that transpired in a specific period of time. The differing ideas regarding sin contributed to how each sex confessed or denied witchcraft accusations, which affected the way a person was viewed and ultimately the outcome of a trial. We respect nature and align energy. Even women who were no longer of childbearing age had a changed role within society. In fact, Karlsen pointed out that, nearly half the males [accused] were husbands, sons, or other male relatives of the accused women. Still, these men were a minority. These young women felt oppressed and unheard. When combined with the scientific revolution, witch-hunts became less prevalent until they stopped altogether. Lumps echoes plump and, like that word, suggests weight and heaviness. I also did not realize the connection to Silence Dogood, in which both essay belittle or make fun of others beliefs. As far as scholars have been able to determine, he was neither reporting on nor responding to an actual event, certainly not a witch trial. And I enjoyed reading your article. History / And if you think about it that game represents society and how it can corrupt your message. Rather, the fear of the Devils actions continued well into the 18th century, as exemplified by the use of witch pots in Holmdel New Jersey and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The inclusion of the accused in the tests makes the proceedings less a trial and more an absurd experiment in which scales and water are used to detect virtue and vice. [3] Accordingly the Time and Place was agreed on, and advertised about the Country; The Accusers were 1 Man and 1 Woman; and the Accused the same. Functioning rather like the punch line of a joke, it completely demolishes any pretense to seriousness that the trials may have claimed and suggests their true purpose as entertainment for the masses. The Pennsylvania Gazette, October 22, 1730, 2023 The History Carper The Accuser Man being thin and spare, with some Difficulty began to sink at last; but the rest every one of them swam very light upon the Water. A Sailor in the Flat jumpd out upon the Back of the Man accused, thinking to drive him down to the Bottom, but the Person bound, without any Help, came up some time before the other. This may be because of the lack of paragraphs in the essay; as it is presented in one large paragraph with no separation. As tensions dissipated, so did accusations. Women during this time period were expected to be quiet, submissive, and under a male head of the household. Note his careful description of each step. The first test required the accused witches to stand on a scale where they would be weighed against the bible. A Witch Trial at Mount Holly. Passivity and receptivity to Christs advances resided in mens (female) souls, but their bodiesand sense of themselvesremained masculine. What caused such hysteria of witchcraft in this small city?, The Salem Witch Trials has been a debatable topic for many historians enamored by its deviation from the normal as seen in Europe or other European Colonies in North America. It shows that, by 1730, an educated man like Franklin could attack belief in witches as laughingly old- fashioned. [9] The Accuser Man being thin and spare [bony], with some Difficulty began to sink at last; but the rest every one of them swam [floated] very light upon the Water. https://www.j9korea.com. She states although women and men who confessed to witchcraft outside of the Salem outbreak were punished most confessing women were taken at their word and executed, confessing men were almost all rebuked as liars. Even amongst similar cases of the accused, the punishments were much more severe and long-lasting for a woman than for a man. Women were often targeted due to their responsibilities surrounding tasks that dealt with the survival of the community, such as preparing food, being a midwife or lying in maid, and tending animals. The research being abundant, I could gather many opinions expressed about the Salem Witch Trials. All rights reserved. The accusers believed that if the Accused were weighed in Scales against a Bible, the Bible would prove too heavy for them. Twenty people were executed in Salem, and this gory excess helped to turn public opinion away from belief in witches. A 1929 Debate, The Marshall Plan Speech: Rhetoric and Diplomacy. Although mens bodies were seen as more difficult to tempt, this did not exempt all men. Blessed be! This being over, the Accusers and the rest of the Mob, not satisfied with this Experiment, would have the Trial by Water; accordingly a most solemn Procession was made to the Mill-pond; where both Accused and Accusers being strippd (saving only to the Women their Shifts) were bound Hand and Foot, and severally placed in the Water, lengthways, from the Side of a Barge or Flat, having for Security only a Rope about the Middle of each, which was held by some in the Flat.
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a witch trial at mount holly summary