Final answer:
Without specific context, it's challenging to provide an accurate answer to why Parris wanted to postpone the hangings; historical motivations can range from doubts about the accused to a desire for a fair trial. Historical cases illustrate the complexities of justice and the evolution of legal rights and representation. Option a) is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question posed relates to the motivations of a character named Parris in the context of postponing hangings. However, without specific context or reference to a particular historical event or text, it's challenging to provide an accurate answer. In a general historical sense, motivations for postponing hangings could include doubts about the guilt of the accused (doubts about the accused), a belief in their innocence, a desire for a fair and just trial, or attempts to delay swift justice that may be perceived as unjust or precipitous.
Looking at several historical examples, John Adams defended the British soldiers implicated in the Boston Massacre, securing acquittals for most by arguing for their right to a fair trial. Meanwhile, the Scottsboro case highlighted the systemic injustices of the American legal system, where fair trials and adequate legal representation were denied, particularly to Black defendants, laying groundwork for the civil rights movement. Lastly, the Salem witch trials and other historical witch hunts show a complex interplay of societal fears, justice, and eventual recognition of mistakes made in the rush to judgment.