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Between the month of June 10 and September 22, 1692, the Salem witch trial which took place in Salem Massachusetts, claimed 20 residents life’s from Salem. This event shook the American History and left historians with one question decades after, what caused the Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692? In a Christian community this must have seemed strange, but superstition causing religious role to intervene and also social/economic class fueled the witch hunt. The Salem witch trial of 1692 all started when two young girls (Betty Parris and Abigail Williams) in Salem village Massachusetts claimed to have been possessed by the devil, accusing three women who had possessed them. As this hysteria continued, a special court was built just to hear
In the year of 1692, 130 people were persecuted in Salem, Massachusetts on claims of Witchery. 25 of them died. What could have happened in Salem to spark the infamous witch trials of Salem? I believe it was caused by paranoia, attention seekers, and unneighborly conflicts.
Imagine being a wealthy 45-year-old woman in 1692 being accused of being a witch. The Salem Witch trials were caused by jealousy, fear, and lying. People believed that the devil was real and that one of his tricks was to enter a normal person 's body and turn that person into a witch. This caused many deaths and became a serious problem in 1692. First of all, jealousy was one of the causes of the Salem witch trials.
These techniques planted a seed for the belief that witchcraft was in Salem. The afflicted girls also experienced physical illnesses that the residents of Salem associated with witchcraft. They experienced uncontrollable muscle movements, a tingling sensation in the arms and legs, paranoia, stiffness, making strange noises, loss of consciousness, feeling dazed, and undergoing seizures (“Symptoms”). Dr. Quintinilla, a physician and researcher, “...was able to match the symptoms of people condemned as witches with associated neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as epilepsy and hysteria” (Quintanilla 1). The symptoms the girls were experiencing included loss of consciousness, anxiety, and uncontrollable muscle movements which have a strong connection to the physical symptoms of epilepsy (Epilepsy).
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were caused by a combination economic strain, resentment towards those of Salem Town, the Puritans strong belief in witches and the devil, and the confirmation of those accused for witchcraft. Economic strain was prevalent in the later half of the seventeenth century, with the average family farm size drastically decreasing. To add to this economic stress, the people of Salem Village were forced to pay taxes that went directly to Salem Town. This led the people of Salem Village to somewhat desire revenge on those of Salem Town. While this was occuring, people were begining to think that Satan was acting there Massachusetts colony.
Some neighbors would accuse each other, and a lot of people believe that they accused each other because they had disagreements about who owned what land. If this is true, then maybe it did not recur due to too many people were starting to not believe it. While many people may believe this speculation, there are numerous others who may find other theories more plausible. In conclusion, there are numerous theories for why the Salem Witch trials started.
The Salem witch trial was a time about accusing your fellow neighbor or being accused yourself, this all began in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. During this time many people were being accused of being a witch, a majority of the time it was because either someone truly believed that you were a witch and were reeking havoc or they were trying to find someone to take the blame if they were to being accused. So this leads us to question, what began the Salem Witch Trials? There were at least three causes of the Salem witch trials hysteria. These were Betty Parris and Abigail Williams story, Ergotism, and the acknowledgment of hysteria.
