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Witch Trials

If someone was accused of being a witch they were subject to a trial. However, this trial was anything but fair, as spiritual evidence was allowed. As the accused would say or do anything, the little girls often responsible for accusing them would mimic their every move in order to convince others that the accused is possessing them. If the accused confesses to being a witch and conferring with the devil, they would be allowed to live to repent for their sins. This was the only guaranteed way to live, forcing many to confess despite not being guilty.

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Puritans

Those who had composed the population of Salem were Puritans. Puritans had beliefs in things such as theocracies and Calvinism. Needless to say, these Puritans were very religious. It is because of these beliefs that whenever they would witness something abnormal, it would be deemed as the work of the devil. Due to this conception, when the little girls started acting out, they thought it was the work of the devil, not kids just messing around.

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Theocracy

A theocracy is a form of government in which God himself is the ruler of a group of people. The Puritans of Salem believed in not just God, but also theocracy. Their theocracy might just be one of the reasons as to why spiritual evidence was allowed inside of their court. This belief and desire to please the greater will made the Puritans seek the 'good' in their communities, and weed out the bad. To them, the bad included anything with relation to the devil, which happens to include witches.

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Calvinism

Calvinism, formed and carried out by John Calvin and his successors was a system based on God and the idea of predestination. Predestination being the idea that upon being born, one would be destined for heaven or hell, no matter what they do. The only way to know whether or not you were going to heaven or hell was to have an experience of grace. Calvinism also displays the general idea that witches are evil and are associated with the devil. Due to these beliefs in grace and God, Calvinism often goes hand in hand with a Theocracy. Naturally, the theocratic Puritans were very strong believers in the ideals of Calvinism.

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City Upon a Hill

The phrase "City Upon a hill" refers to the idea that a certain town or city would be a utopia to lead as an example as the ideal town or city. A Massachusetts bay Colony, known as Salem would be thought of by the Puritans who founded it as a City upon a hill. However, their idea of 'ideal' was very religious and based on the beliefs of Calvinism. They also to no surprise believed that the ideal form of government was a theocracy. Thus when they heard the idea of witches living in their town, they felt it to be their duty from god to weed out all of them.