Question
It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person be condemned.
—Harvard President Increase Mather, reacting to the Salem Witch Trails in 1692
Increase Mather was an important Puritan leader in the late 1600s. What does Mather's comment suggest about the significance of the Salem Witch Trials?
A.
They led Puritan leaders to question whether witches really existed.
B.
They convinced Puritans that public trials should be banned.
C.
They led Puritan leaders to question whether such trials were just.
D.
They convinced Puritans that most witches were harmless.
—Harvard President Increase Mather, reacting to the Salem Witch Trails in 1692
Increase Mather was an important Puritan leader in the late 1600s. What does Mather's comment suggest about the significance of the Salem Witch Trials?
A.
They led Puritan leaders to question whether witches really existed.
B.
They convinced Puritans that public trials should be banned.
C.
They led Puritan leaders to question whether such trials were just.
D.
They convinced Puritans that most witches were harmless.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
C. They led Puritan leaders to question whether such trials were just.
Increase Mather’s comment emphasizes the importance of protecting the innocent and suggests a moral dilemma regarding the fairness of the trials, highlighting concern for justice over the persecution of alleged witches. This indicates that even influential Puritan leaders were beginning to question the legitimacy and righteousness of the witch trials.
Increase Mather’s comment emphasizes the importance of protecting the innocent and suggests a moral dilemma regarding the fairness of the trials, highlighting concern for justice over the persecution of alleged witches. This indicates that even influential Puritan leaders were beginning to question the legitimacy and righteousness of the witch trials.