~Crime and Punishment~

~Puritan Justice~

The Puritans were truly devout Christians who set out to establish a colony

that would represent the true and proper manner in which Christianity should be

carried out. Puritans had some beliefs which had major affects on the basic

idea of a law. One belief was that each person was a war zone for God and the

devil, forever fighting between Gods will and the devils temptations. Another

belief is that people were born evil, and could only be forgiven through a

lifetime of proper Christianity. Puritan laws came into effect throughout New

England, since the colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and

New Hampshire were founded by Puritans. Some examples of Puritan laws were...

The church believed it was illegal to enjoy any form of entertainment that

might distract ones thoughts from God, so most forms of entertainment were

prohibited. Also, was any form of idleness or laziness. Beach combing was

illegal. Also, duck hunting was usually illegal since if the hunter was a bad

shot, he would be wasting resources and time.

Puritan laws were often tied to the Bible in some way. Since long hair was

considered inappropriate by Biblical interpretation, you would need to make

frequent trips to the barber to stay out of trouble. Swearing, sleeping

during sermons, and skipping church were also punishable.

The Puritans believed that punishment should be humiliating. The most common

New England punishment were the stocks and pillory. Stocks were heavy wooden

frames with holes that held the guilty persons ankles and sometimes wrists.

The pillory was similar, but was designed so the person held in it would be

in a standing position with his or her head and wrists secured. Usually the

pillory was reserved for members of the community with high social standing,

as opposed to the stocks, which were used for lower class individuals.

Usually, the stocks were accompanied by verbal abuse and rotten foods being

thrown at you.

Another form of public humiliation would be to have the criminal wear a large

letter on their clothing. The letters would stand for the crime committed. A

person with a T was a thief, with a D was charged with public drunkenness,

and so on.

Another form of punishment was the ducking stool. Reserved for women who

gossiped or scolded their husbands, it was a teeter-totter like device, which

had a stool attached to it where the woman would be tied. The woman would

then be dunked in a lake or river, with the number of dunks depending on the

judges ruling.

Other, more brutal forms of punishment included whipping. Usually twenty to

forty lashes were common, with one case of 117 lashes in the record book.

The punishment did not stop with whipping. A hot awl was pierced through the

tongue for a person who spoke against the religion. Sometimes ears were cut

off. Occasionally, instead of just wearing a letter, the letter was branded

onto their forehead or other body parts.

Execution was also a form of punishment in the colonies. Hanging was the most

common form of execution, although burning at the stake was also used. One case in New

York caused for the men to be "drawn and quartered," meaning they were dismembered and

brutally mutilated as they were executed.

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