his irrationality was common among both the people and authorities. People became so vehement that the trials became a means of expressing their beliefs. The trials were the outgrowth of their zealousness. It provided them with an outlet to maintain their views and to express their frustration over personal or familial misfortune. Instead of the trials stopping the hysteria, they increased it. They used the witch trials to regain and keep control. It is stated in Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth-Century New England that, "the function of the county court was to maintain social control" The authorities in the courts (judges) were so adamant in their beliefs that they made people change their testimony when they were on trial. The slave Tituba (fortune teller) realised this and gave testimony that would pleas the judges. Since she confessed her sins, her life was spared. The trials served to maintain social control. Besides fanaticism, repression of new ideas played a major role in the rise of the Salem witchcraft trials. The authorities used the fear of the trials to control the people and to suppress differing views and beliefs. The trials were a tool to control the people and to prevent change in the puritan lifestyle. It was imperative to the authorities that the ridged society remain unchanged. For example, anyone disparaging the lifestyle of the Puritan community would be accused of witchcraft. The Salem witches themselves believed that the devil’s spokesmen promised them release from the psychological and social rigidities of the times. They were also assured a prosperous life in New England. The accused witches believed that the devil sought to overthrow the Church. The Devil in Massachusetts states, "The devil’s spokesmen promised release from the psychological and social rigidities of theocracy, and a more abundant life in the new land. Once the church had been overthrown…’all would be well’." When this...
