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A diverse array of historiographical arguments concerning the preliminary causes of the Salem Witch Trials have emerged subsequently to their occurrences, clashing along a vastly debatable spectrum of economic, social, and political influences (Brinkley, 2014, 74). Escalating accusations backed by miniscule evidence reaped terror among the Salem community. No one was truly immune to an accusation, and being accused had a high probability of ruining one's reputation for the remainder of their lives. Conversely to the linear notion of believing a singular cause was responsible for the atrocities among the Salem community, an intertwined network of various tensions set the anemic foundation for a monstrosity of inhumane punishment and hollow allegation
Franklin D. Roosevelt once stated “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” this is extremely apparent in the play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller that depicts the events that took place during the salem witch trials. These events in American history had countless similarities that led to the persecution of many innocent individuals. Arthur Miller effectively demonstrates this concept in his play The Crucible by drawing parallels between the witch trials of the 1690’s and the “The Great Fear” of the 1950’s. The Salem Witch Trials and the “The Great Fear” were both the product of fear, hysteria, and false accusations.
INTRODUCTION: During the late 17th century, there were many accusations of witchcraft within the thirteen colonies. Many men and women of all ages and authority were accused of witchcraft. When the British were colonizing North America, the traditions of witchcraft were supposedly taken to the new land with the colonists. The Salem Witch Trials taught people that they shouldn’t believe everything they are told and that people shouldn’t assume something without having specific research that can prove it.
Amidst a period of colonization and pilgrimage, mass hysteria took root in the Essex County of what is now Massachusetts, in two communities of Salem. The role of “witch” was taken on by a mass of people, many of whom had been profiled as malevolent through underlying societal prejudices. Through an examination of Dorcas Hoar's case, we gain insight into the complex web of fear that characterized this chapter in history and drove so many to accuse their neighbors. While each trial was different, the trials of Dorcas Hoar work to uncover the aspects of an afflicted woman whose end was predetermined by her unconscious adherence to what John Demos ascribed to be the driving forces of witchcraft accusation. Through an examination of historical
In Salem Village, Massachusetts 1662, two-hundred people became inaccurately accused, hundreds imprisoned, and twenty-four executed. What historical event caused this? In the fall of 1661, nine girls began exhibiting possession like symptoms and the situation seemed to have only one explanation, witchcraft; however, the symptoms they experienced caught the eyes of historians and resembles a disease known today as Ergotism. The start of the accusations began in Autumn of 1661, nearly one year after the Puritans moved to the New World after living in England. They moved to what present day Americans call Massachusetts, in search of religious freedom from the Roman Catholic Church; the Puritans sought to build a holy city, or a city on the
Nineteen men and women hung from the tree of destruction, for they were the ornaments of hysteria. New England was supposed to be a land of opportunity for the Puritans. During the summer of 1692, Salem Village proved to a wretched example of this; twenty people were falsely accused of witchcraft and were accordingly jailed and executed. Salem’s infamy has bewildered many, for nobody truly knows in entirety what caused the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Clearly, there were a few possible causes of the hysteria; however, envious, young, single women; sexism; and lying little girls stand out as the main causes.
In this essay, I will be discussing one of the most infamous cases of mass hysteria ever recorded in our nation, the Salem Witch Trials. This tragedy led to 19 hangings and one man being pressed to death in colonial Massachusetts. However, while it was so horrible and gruesome, it had a few national benefits. The most well-known benefit is that it helped completely reshape the American social conscience.
What Caused The Salem Witch Trial Hysteria Of 1692? No-one is definite of what caused the trials, most seem to think of hallucinogens getting into the food, to plain old paranoia. But I think something else happened. From what I’ve learned from this mini-q, I can make quite the assumption. Puritan household chores were given to the young women of the household, due to the men working in the fields or doing labor-based jobs, so the maintaining of the house was left to the women.
Much of what happens in Salem still resembles some things we see in society today. The word of one man can change people’s ideas and images of another without conclusive evidence. What people fear the most can sometimes bind us together, even if it is not
Hardly any occasion has charmed the creative mind and mixed discussion quite like the Salem witch trials of 1692. As shadows moved upon the Salem scene, neurosis grasped the hearts of the Puritan people, prompting the oppression of the people blamed for rehearsing black magic. However, amid the mayhem and craziness, an inquiry continues: What truly fueled this dark chapter in American history? Delving beyond the surface, this essay contends that the sinister brew fueling the lies with the girls who testified at the heart of the storm, their motivations were far from pure, falsifying their truth. The afflicted girls, such as Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam Jr., acted out during the trials due to peer pressure, and a desire for attention and
In Salem, Massachusetts, Puritans were strong believers in the Bible. The Bible states, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” The Puritans beliefs led to them accusing 20 innocent people of being a witch, this resulted in their deaths in 1692. Even though the Puritans couldn’t see it at the time, their accusations were really based off jealousy, lies, and Salem being divided into two parts. One cause of the Salem witch trial hysteria was jealousy.
#1 New York Times Bestselling author Vi Keeland once stated, “Fear does not stop death, it stops life.” A boundless collection of interpretations represent Keeland’s quotation. Yet, only one remains relevant to the topic at hand: in the events that led to the witch trials of 1692, fear posed as a major barricade in Salem Village, Massachusetts, hindering the Puritans’ ability to pursue everyday life. The Salem Witch Trials are one of our nation’s most compellingly intricate, though tragic, phenomenons. Immersed in a dangerously-religious, hysterical atmosphere, a group of young, attention-seeking girls behaved as if cursed by a demonic spirit.
What is a witch? A witch is a person who practices magic as part of a religion. In 1692, mass hysteria broke out in Salem, Massachusetts. A group of girls came together and said they had been possessed by the devil. Together the group of girls accused many women in their town of practicing witchcraft.
In today’s society, a person is crazy if he or she talks about witchcraft. People do not accept the information about witchcraft now. When it was the year of 1692, hearing and talking about witches was common. In the spring of 1692, a witch hysteria broke out in a small village of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
During the hysteria of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, many people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Therefore, their reputation, was ruined. Other people committed many sins in order to keep their reputation clean in town. For instance, some characters had to lie, fight, and accuse other people of witchcraft which could get the individual out of trouble and keep their hands clean. when a person got accused of being a witch, the person’s reputation would get ruined and the person would go to jail or be hanged.