Early in the 1690s, a wave of hysteria and paranoia swept over Salem, Massachusetts, and resulted in the Salem Witch Trials, one of the most significant events in American history. In a community engulfed in doubt and religious passion, accusations of witchcraft drove families apart through mistrust and terror. The firmly rooted belief in the supernatural and the devil’s involvement in daily life is one of the leading causes of the hysteria. Accusations of witchcraft were able to flourish because of Puritan belief and the rigidly regulated society of the period. There was an atmosphere of distrust and paranoia because of the dread of the unknown, and the desire to purge the evil from the community; even the most innocent behaviors could be interpreted as proof of witchcraft. In this gloomy era, socially …show more content…
America had developed recently, and the adverse effects of that development were what sparked the panic. These attacks were mainly directed at women, particularly those who had inherited property and opposed Salem’s patriarchal system. Girls from the area began experiencing mysterious fits, and socially marginalized women were accused of witchcraft. Other women in the community who voiced doubts about the accusations or who reacted to them in ways regarded improper or inappropriate were involved in the accusations after the initial arrests. The social influence of the local religious authorities was strengthened by this particular moral panic, as witchcraft was seen as a threat to Christian ideals, laws, and order. When two girls, aged nine and eleven, became ill with an unexplained illness, allegations in Salem started. A doctor decided after approximately a month that it appeared to be witchcraft. More people got involved in the trials as the witch panic expanded throughout the area, including