The House of the Seven Gables

       When we hear someone mention the town of Salem we immediately think of witches. It is only natural that we think of this for it was part of one the most talked about parts of history. The first person to be accused of witchcraft and have trial was Bridget Bishop. As many of the other cases she was accused by many that claimed to see her transform into a cat or walk with the Devil. Her trail was on June 2, 1692. Her body was inspected for cuts because many said that she would have these marks because her victims managed to injure her.

       Another interesting case was probably the first case that was caused by someone being mentally insane and not actually possessed by Satan. Dorothy Talbye was this person. She killed her daughter and was therefore executed. Many believed she was possessed but she was still charged like a common criminal.

      Puritans were the people that were doing the persecuting and being persecuted. This religion was one of the first religions to exist in America. Many priests performed exorcisms. These people believed in demonic forces. Some people believe that Puritanism is what has provided a firm  foundation for American democracy. Many think that puritans were a little extreme in the way that they though and worshiped. They believe in absolute sovereignty of God, total depravity of man, and the complete dependence of human beings on divine grace for salvation, and they stress the importance of personal religious experience.

     In Nathaniel Hawthorne's book The House of the Seven Gables he explains that the house was built after an alleged wizard, that had his own home in that spot, was hanged for witchcraft. Hawthorne got the inspiration from the house by the same name located in Salem. It is clear that he used Salem's infamous witch hunt history to start the story of the how the house came about. The House is also known as the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion and it was built in 1668. It is one of the houses from the 17^th that is still standing. It was built with a type of wood brought by the Puritans to New England.

     Although religion is not supposed play a role in government it does have a little influence. Murder, you can say, is prohibited and its is also one of the Ten Commandments. But unlike the Puritan religion where murder automatically would have resulted in the murderer's death, in our society depending on the severity of the murder, each murderer can get a different sentencing. Capital punishment may be given to someone but in some states it is no longer an option.