How Did The Salem Witch Trials Shape The American Social Conscience

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. More specifically than just discussing the trials, I will be discussing what roles that religion, current events, and outside influences played in causing the trials to begin.

The religion, and overall majority, behind the madness and chaos of the witch trials were the Puritans. The Puritans, who thought of themselves as as the “social

For instance, King William’s War against the Wabanaki Indians tore into several locations with high Protestant populations, such as New York, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. With such a high Protestant headcount, Protestant refugees were sent to several places, such as Salem Village and the area surrounding it. In fact, about three-fourths of the Protestants in Salem were refugees. The arrival of first the Protestants, and then the Quakers (who were banished from England in the late 17th century) put a great strain on both Puritan resources and tempers. This combination of hardship and tension escalated until an order from England stated that a death penalty had been placed on all Quakers. After the Salem Witch Trials, however, the penalty was lifted, allowing the Quakers to become wealthy and successful. Even with this success, however, the Quakers were still subjected to criticism and

In fact, it was the 1950 Communist Spy hunt. The leader of this “Witch Hunt” was Senator Joe McCarthy. His system of belief was known as McCarthyism, which not only hated Communism and any of its supporters, but was also against homosexuality and gay marriages. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller the setting of the Salem Witch Trials was a metaphor for McCarthyism, leading to each to be synonymous to one another. Luckily for the accused in the spy hunt, they could not be executed, as a trial now needs evidence, and the trial must be fair, with an impartial jury. Besides, witchcraft is no longer a crime, therefore no one can be tried for it in the first