American literature is important today because it helps us learn from the mistakes of the past. For example, in the story of Sarah Good, we see how people were wrongly accused of something so ridiculous that many lost their lives because of it. Sarah Good was condemned in 1692 by two young women, Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris, for causing them to act strangely. This is how the story unfolds for more than 200 people. They were all accused with little to no evidence and then murdered for no reason. After all this, many would think that the government would have changed its ways, but that is still the case today. A study by Samuel Gross and colleagues shows that there is a 4.1% error rate for those on death row. If these people are lucky their sentence is reduced to life in prison, but for others they die knowing they should be free and that is simply wrong. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay During the Salem Witch Trials, there were only a few things you could do to completely prove your innocence. One of them was that the accused had to read the scriptures aloud and if he could not, he was a witch. Sarah Good, who was completely uneducated and could not read, was tested like this. Having no reading skills, Sarah Good was unable to read the scriptures and was found guilty on the spot. All this shows us that the government was too easily influenced and persuaded by those who accused innocent people without reason. During the witch trials, the government was given little to no evidence and it always seemed like they would always side with those who accused someone of something so ridiculous. They relied solely on what the children and other unreliable sources said. Today, the government is looking more into these cases. If this hadn't happened back then, perhaps today our government would care a lot less about certain types of cases it receives. At that time, the government did not care to thoroughly examine cases involving witches because they were all so scared and convinced that witches actually existed that they would have believed anyone to be a witch. Their own families and friends would turn against each other to avoid being accused of being witches. Sarah's husband even testified against Sarah saying that she had a mole on her back that interpreted as a witch's mark. Many had to watch family and friends die because they were wrongly accused of something that was not true. In the past, the government had too much power, and many say the government still has too much power today. According to the annual Gallup Governance Survey, conducted September 6-10, between 51% and 60% of respondents believe the government is too powerful. The government is the most important deciding factor when it comes to major events, including the death penalty. During Sarah Good's trial, the government had the opportunity to save her and examine her case more thoroughly. Instead, they took what others said and decided it would be easier to put her to death. All they did was accuse her of being a witch, saying, "Sarah Good, don't you see now what you've done?" Why don't you tell us the truth? Why do you torment these poor children like this? It was their laziness and idiocy that led to death.