The Salem Witch Trials; Madness or Logic In Stacey Schiff’s, List of 5 Possible Causes of the Salem Witch Trials and Shah Faiza’s, THE WITCHES OF SALEM; Diabolical doings in a Puritan village, discuss in their articles what has been debated by so many historians for years, the causes of the Salem Witch trials. Schiff and the Faiza, purpose is to argue the possible religious, scientific, communal, and sociological reasons on why the trials occurred. All while making word by word in the writer’s testimony as if they were there through emotion and just stating simply the facts and theories. They adopt the hectic tone in order to convey to the readers the significance, tragedy, logic, loss, and possible madness behind these life changing events,
Touching tests were completed by asking the defendants to touch the affiliated person to see if their touch was a touch of the witches. Defendants’ bodies were also examined for “witch’s marks” such as moles. Many protections that are allowed in today’s modern courts such as legal counsel and being able to have someone testify on their behalf were not allowed during the Salem trials. However the witches were able to speak for themselves, present evidence, and cross examine their accusers
Most accused witches seemed doomed from the start because the people who questioned the witches had already predetermined what they thought was the verdict. "Only one suspect was brought into the room at a time, but even before the defendants spoke a single word, it was obvious that the magistrates thought all three of them were witches" (Schanzer 32). Even when the defendant got any sort of protection, the judges overlooked the real evidence and continued to believe the fake stuff. " Only one person came forth to defend Good. When one of the girls accused Good of stabbing her with a knife and produced a broken knife tip to prove it, a man came forward showing that it was his knife from which the tip had been broken in the presence of the accusing girl.
5. Evidently from the documents, the most frequently recurring phenomena the accusers felt was the witch 's presence awakening them in their slumber and in some cases said to be sitting on their chests choking them. The bewitchment of animals and creatures being another apparent part of testimonies. For instance, John Louder states "And some tyme after that I being not very well stayed at whome on a Lords day and on the after noon of s 'd day the dores being shutt I did see a black pig in the Roome Comeing towards mee soe I went towards itt to kick it and it vanished away,"(Bridget Bishop,TSB-4,11).
Have you ever seen a government accuse a person of a crime he or she did not commit? Well, one of the best examples of this is in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. In this town in 1692, the courts not only wrongfully accused one person with sufficient evidence, but wrongfully accused 150 people of witchcraft. Furthermore, these people were accused without any scientific evidence. Even more terrible, though, is that 19 of these people were executed for this reason.
Hysteria was a reason behind the trials, which caused the death and accusations of many innocent people. Many of the townspeople believed in evil spirits and demons. First, an event occurred in the early 1690s that started up the trials in Salem. A group of young girls got around a bowl and performed some magical rites that they learned from their slave, Tituba (“Salem Witch,” Gale).
The Accused Witches of 1692 The year of 1692, accused witches were being hung left and right. About 134 people were accused of being a witch or wizard, these hangings mainly occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. What caused the exaggerated behavior of 1692? The Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692 could have been caused by the puritans religion, acting or lying, and ergot poisoning. One possible cause of the Salem witch trial could have been the cause of religion because the ministers and church leaders had to let everyone know about witchcraft and that they needed to end it.
First and foremost, In salem people start to go insane, others are thinking the devil has made its way to Salem. Putnam stated “This is a notorious sign of witchcraft afoot, a prodigious sign!” (15). It proves
There was never any solid evidence to prove that these women were actually witches or practicing witchcraft. The evidence that was used included dreams and visions which cannot be established as hard evidence. The only ones who could validate the evidence of these visions were the ones that were afflicted; there were no true witnesses throughout the trials. No one could prove that the women who were accused were the ones afflicting the two young girls. This however goes back to an earlier point that in the 1600s there was not much knowledge on mental illnesses such as the ones
Mental Illness in Salem Witch Trials Introduction Witchcraft is the practice of magic and the use of spells and the invocation of spirits. According to Salem Witch Trials, 2015, the Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts claimed to have been bewitched by several adults in the town. More than 150 people were accused and hung, including men, women, and children (Salem Witch Trials, 2015). There were three girls in particular that sparked the trials: Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, and Ann Putnam. Also stated in Salem Witch Trials, their behaviors changed drastically; they began to hallucinate, shout in church, have fits, not eat, not wake up, attempt to fly, and feel as if they
The article titled “Witch Trials: 4 Real Medical Illnesses That Were Mistaken For Witchcraft And The Devil” written by Elana Glowatz described four illness that show symptoms similar to ones present in accused witches. Under the section titled “Mental Illness”, a finding published by the National Institute of Health said that many of the convicted witches or people allegedly possessed by witchcraft most likely displayed visible mental distress. Basically, symptoms of mental illness were present in the accused witches. There are specific possible disorders that could have symptoms similar to those present in circumstances concerning witchcraft including epilepsy, ergot poisoning, encephalitis lethargica, and mental illnesses like schizophrenia. (Glowatz).
Although, surely other causes may help explain the hysteria, for example, a common misconception that those with fits from illness were bewitched, to show the power of the town’s government in the slightest of situations, and etc. However, the most powerful argument was that ergot caused the “signs” of a witch and the Putmans’ western part of the village used that as a way to falsely accuse those infected with ergot. The three main convincing reasons for the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria, like the ergot a parasitic fungus that was a big cause misclassification of “signs” of the bewitched, the Putman family’s motivation to reacquire their position in the village, and the Puritans’ duty to not let a witch suffer to live. The Salem Witch Trial Hysteria
The people in wich where accused were sentenced to hang if they did not confess, or they would be killed. “You have confessed yourself to witchcraft, and that speaks a wish to come to Heaven 's side. And we will bless you, Tituba.” (Miller ActI) During the play, there is not just one person or thing that could be pointed responsible for the end result.
“I suppose I have found it easier to identify with the characters who verge upon hysteria, who were frightened of life, who were desperate to reach out to another person. But these seemingly fragile people are the strong people really.” (Williams) There was an actual problem with the amount of hysteria in Salem,
(Andrew) The touch test, an evildoer (someone who had fits or spells) would be touched by an accused witch. If the evildoer reacted then the person was a witch, if not they were innocent. The devil’s mark test was a search on the witch’s body for any unsightly blemishes that indicated a pact with the devil. “The blemishes included any moles, scars, or anything else that was labeled unsightly”.
