Puritanism & the Salem Witch Trials In Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1692 hysteria broke out. This was known as the infamous Salem Witch Trials. It started when a group of adolescent girls began to have unusual outbursts – contortions and screaming – who claimed to be possessed by the devil. They accused various local women for “bewitching” them. The Salem witch trials are closely associated with Puritanism. The Puritans were a religious group that believed their purpose was to “purify” the church and society by completely devoting themselves to God. During the 17th century, the characteristics of Puritanism and the power of suggestion had a great impact on the Salem witch trials. Puritans revolved their everyday life around religion. They believed that the devil was a real threat and could be “lurking” around every corner. During this time, the Puritans encountered the Indians, a group much unlike them. They feared that their neighboring tribes would attack at anytime. They associated the Indians with the devil. Tension began to rise when the Salem girls had their spells. The villagers had no explanation for the events other than it had to be the work of the devil. …show more content…
An individual’s reputation and honesty was seen as something of great importance. Also, the Puritans knew it was a sin to lie. So when it became time to present the case of witchcraft, the judges believed what the adolescent girls said, even if there was no physical evidence. All of the evidence presented was spectral evidence, a vision or testimony about dreams. The judges believed that terminating the witches was the best solution because they were having “cahoots” with the devil. Also, the “blame game” began when more and more girls began to reveal who was bewitching