Changes

In 1692, the [[Salem Witch Trials]] began.  There was a panic that some teenage girls were practicing witchcraft.  Girls were prosecuted for this.  Some were convicted and then executed.  The authorities thought that these criminal prosecutions would help expose the ways of the devil for the benefit of everyone.  Then someone observed that killing all these people may itself the work of the devil.  Finally one of the accused said that the wife of the governor was also a witch.  Then the authorities put a stop to the prosecutions and freed everyone who was still alive.  The whole episode was an embarrassment to the [[Puritan]]s in charge, and has been cited ever since as an excess of religious authority in civil life.  But this episode did not directly weaken [[Puritan]] authority.  Instead, it was success and prosperity, and books like The Scarlet Letter (published in 1850 to criticize morality in Puritan Boston in the 1600s), that caused people to turn away from the strict Puritan life.  Today Boston and Massachusetts are the most liberal areas in the nation, directly opposite to what it was in the 1600s.

In 1692, the [[Salem Witch Trials]] began.  There was a panic that some teenage girls were practicing witchcraft.  Girls were prosecuted for this.  Some were convicted and then executed.  The authorities thought that these criminal prosecutions would help expose the ways of the devil for the benefit of everyone.  Then someone observed that killing all these people may itself the work of the devil.  Finally one of the accused said that the wife of the governor was also a witch.  Then the authorities put a stop to the prosecutions and freed everyone who was still alive.  The whole episode was an embarrassment to the [[Puritan]]s in charge, and has been cited ever since as an excess of religious authority in civil life.  But this episode did not directly weaken [[Puritan]] authority.  Instead, it was success and prosperity, and books like The Scarlet Letter (published in 1850 to criticize morality in Puritan Boston in the 1600s), that caused people to turn away from the strict Puritan life.  Today Boston and Massachusetts are the most liberal areas in the nation, directly opposite to what it was in the 1600s.

1700-1750:  [[salutary neglect]].  Colonies during this time were very different from each other.  The same is true today with respect to homeschooling.  If we were holding this class just 50 miles west in Pennsylvania, each of us would have to register each year with our school district, take tests, and follow a state curriculum.  But we do not have to do any of that in New Jersey.

1700-1750:  [[salutary neglect]].  Colonies during this time were very different from each other.  The same is true today with respect to homeschooling.  If we were holding this class just 50 miles west in Pennsylvania, each of us would have to register each year with our school district, take tests, and follow a state curriculum.  But we do not have to do any of that in New Jersey.

The trial also established an important power of the jury to ignore the law and hold in favor of a defendant even though the law says he is guilty.  This is known as “jury nullification”.

The trial also established an important power of the jury to ignore the law and hold in favor of a defendant even though the law says he is guilty.  This is known as “jury nullification”.

[[Debate]]: Do you think a jury should be able to ignore the law in order to find a defendant “not guilty”?

'''Debate''': Do you think a jury should be able to ignore the law in order to find a defendant “not guilty”?

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'''1730-1740:  The Great Awakening''':

'''1730-1740:  The Great Awakening''':