Tituba: The Reluctant Witch Of Salem
Bob Jones
Ms. Pose
AP U.S. History Set 2
15 October 2013
Tituba, the Forced to be Witch Whom is this so called “infamous” Tituba? Tituba is a woman born into Arawak Indian heritage and was captured and enslaved as a young child and was accuse of being a witch as well as making treaties with the Devil. Tituba was innocently accused by a group of young white girls for being involved and engaged with witchcraft and wizardry. Tituba was pressured immensely and later was forced upon her will to confess of being a witch. Tituba’s confessions of being a witch lead to a mass investigation across Salem, Massachusetts. These investigations cause great havoc and pandemonium through out the Puritan society. However, Tituba’s confessions were all lies for she is angelic and as kind-hearted as one could be. In Elaine G. Breslaw’s Tituba: Reluctant Witch of Salem: Devilish Indians and Puritan Fantasies, Tituba, described by Breslaw, has four compatible labels, however, the two labels that best inform us of the importance of Tituba as a historical figure is: American Indian and an outsider.
First, Tituba is a female descendant of the Arawaks. To be a part of such a magnificent lineage and history is something that most would be proud of. However, this is one of the sole causes that lead Tituba to her horrible death. Arawak culture is known to be significantly more peaceful than other Indian cultures and is known to have an iron belief in the supernatural. The fact that Indians and Negros have a firm belief in the supernatural was not an uncommon fact in the 16th and 17th Puritan society. Thus, when a group of girls whom were trying to take a glimpse of their futures and instead stumble upon a vision of their coffins, they accused of Tituba as a witch and her Indian husband John, as well. The white puritans around the time did not testify against this accusation due to the well-known fact of Indians being involved with supernatural doings. Samuel Parris, the white slave
Ms. Pose
AP U.S. History Set 2
15 October 2013
Tituba, the Forced to be Witch Whom is this so called “infamous” Tituba? Tituba is a woman born into Arawak Indian heritage and was captured and enslaved as a young child and was accuse of being a witch as well as making treaties with the Devil. Tituba was innocently accused by a group of young white girls for being involved and engaged with witchcraft and wizardry. Tituba was pressured immensely and later was forced upon her will to confess of being a witch. Tituba’s confessions of being a witch lead to a mass investigation across Salem, Massachusetts. These investigations cause great havoc and pandemonium through out the Puritan society. However, Tituba’s confessions were all lies for she is angelic and as kind-hearted as one could be. In Elaine G. Breslaw’s Tituba: Reluctant Witch of Salem: Devilish Indians and Puritan Fantasies, Tituba, described by Breslaw, has four compatible labels, however, the two labels that best inform us of the importance of Tituba as a historical figure is: American Indian and an outsider.
First, Tituba is a female descendant of the Arawaks. To be a part of such a magnificent lineage and history is something that most would be proud of. However, this is one of the sole causes that lead Tituba to her horrible death. Arawak culture is known to be significantly more peaceful than other Indian cultures and is known to have an iron belief in the supernatural. The fact that Indians and Negros have a firm belief in the supernatural was not an uncommon fact in the 16th and 17th Puritan society. Thus, when a group of girls whom were trying to take a glimpse of their futures and instead stumble upon a vision of their coffins, they accused of Tituba as a witch and her Indian husband John, as well. The white puritans around the time did not testify against this accusation due to the well-known fact of Indians being involved with supernatural doings. Samuel Parris, the white slave