Dbq Salem Witch Trials

"There are such strange people in the world, when a fly walks over their body, it must be witchcraft." Anna Roleffes said this quote during her trial after she was accused of witchcraft. It verifies that people were accused of being witches and wizards with very little and inconsistent evidence. However, more than 150 people were indicted, and 20 were executed. The chilling havoc spread during the winter of 1692 in Salem Village when a doctor "diagnosed" three ladies with peculiar visions and fits, with bewitchment. While the witch trials were said to get rid of witches, who were bewitching people and ruining lives, it was unfair and cruel because they killed 19 innocent men, women, and children, 144 people were thrown in jail under harsh

Ann Putnam, Jr., and the other troubled girls began experiencing identical symptoms. A few days after a doctor examined the three girls and said they were bewitched, they identified the people they thought had possessed them. Those individuals were Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osbourne. On March 1, 1692, the three women were arrested and questioned. Tituba confessed to being a witch when interrogated and said many other witches lived in Salem. This confession sparked mass hysteria and initiated a massive witch hunt in Salem. On March 31, Abigail claimed to have witnessed a group of witches having a sacrament day at a house in the village. She claimed to have seen them drinking blood and eating human flesh. According to court records, during Elizebeth Proctor and Sarah Cloyces's examination, Abigail said they told her that the flesh and blood they ate was hers. Abigail went on to accuse 57 more people of witchcraft. Even though she accused many victims, she only testified against 8. Abigail disappeared for an unknown reason after her last testimony on June 3. It is thought that her uncle sent her away with her cousin, Betty Paris, to prevent her from participating in the trials anymore. Of the people Williams accused or testified against 15 were executed, one was tortured to death, and the others either died in jail, were pardoned, were found not guilty, escaped jail, or evaded arrest altogether. Neither Abigail Williams nor Betty Parris ever apologized for their roles in the Salem Witch Trials. Ann Putnam Jr. was the only one to apologize in 1706 out of the three troubled