Salem Witch Trials of 1692

The religious order that grew to be known as Quakerism had its roots in the writings of an Englishman named George Fox. First published in 1647, Fox spoke of his sense of the "Christ within" every human being. He did not espouse a particular theology, although his roots were firmly in Protestant Christianity, but concentrated instead on the search for the "inner light" found within all living souls. His followers began to be called Children of Light and Friends of Truth. Eventually, those who embraced Fox's writings came to be known as the Society of Friends.

The society adheres to four basic testimonies: simplicity, equality, peace, and community. Friends believe that these qualities are essential to the individual's ability to perceive the inner light. Simplicity prevents worldly distractions from coming between the believer and his or her

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llage pastor, Reverend Samuel Parris, "a man obsessed with the sinfulness he saw everywhere and with his own importance and status" (Hill 2). One of his daughters, Elizabeth, known as Betty, and his niece, Abigail, who lived with the family, began dabbling in amateur fortune telling, knowing that they were doing something of which Reverend Parris would not approve. The two girls began to have fits and see visions; Hill writes, "There can be no doubt that what beset [these girls] . . . was clinical hysteria, . . . [and] what its victims have in common is powerlessness" (20-21). Soon, they were joined by others, and the community began to look for an answer, something or someone to blame for what seemed to be an uncontrollable problem. Witches and possession by the devil were a natural suspect. Belief in witches was as common as belief in God, and forced confessions and punishment of suspected witches had a long history within the Christian church. Peter Charles Hoffer writes, "The Quaker . . . [were] ready targets, for was not 'quaking' akin to possession? In 1660, when Quakers faced death for persisting in their heresy, Massachusetts judges had told the defendants that their crime was, 'like witchcraft,' a rebellion against
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1474
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)