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Salem Witch Trial Research Paper

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Although the beginning of witchcraft cannot be dated, it was believed to be a very real thing by many, even arguably all civilizations. Throughout history many horrendous trials have been focused on witches/wizards. Historically one of the most well know trails was the one that took place in Salem. The Salem Witch Trails occurred in 1692, this conflict caused death, the downfall of a community, and diminished the trust of 100’s of people. Many religious beliefs, mixed with fear of witchcraft, and a lack of knowledge resulted in 200 accused and 19 permanently suffering.
In the 1600's many Puritans were establishing life in America. These people sought to ’purify’ the religion and saw many modern day things as blasphemy. Such things from homosexuality, …show more content…

However many people do not know what actually caused this hysteria. It was a result of the citizens being afraid of their community falling apart after an alleged witch named Tituba said she and many others were working for the devil. ”This induced panic and hysteria and quickly sparked a massive witch hunt. The fact is, although there were many other contributing factors, Tituba’s confession is the main reason why the Salem Witch Trials happened.” (The Salem Witch Trials: Facts & History.). Expanding on the causes themselves, Tituba’s comment was not the only reason, a much larger one was that a group of 8 young girls fell ill. They began showing what we now realizes were signs of a food related illness. Salem’s rye had caused the girls (which all lived near marshes) to gain these symptoms of what some saw as witchcraft. The rye can obtain a fungus called ergot which when ingested causes all the same symptoms the 8 girl’s had had. Mysteriously enough, the curses (symptoms) disappear in the summer when the crop began to dry out. But due to the lack of medical knowledge, the girls were pressured into incriminating women who were said to be witches (Salem Witch Trails). While there is no definitive cause for the trials, these are the most well backed, and accepted

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N) also brings up the possibility of a fungus called ergot triggering the hysteria of 1692. Ergot grows on cereal grains and can be poisonous which was a “common condition resulting from eating contaminated rye bread” back in the seventeen hundred´s. Ergot is believed to have affected the accusers by causing symptoms such as “crawling sensations, tingling in the fingers, vertigo and hallucinations”. To better understand how ergot played a role in the Salem witch hysteria, an additional document listing how much rye and other cereal grains were consumed during the year 1692 would help determine a

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The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. Many people were accused and many died. There are many theories of what caused the salem witch trials but the main cause of the salem witch trials was caused by mass hysteria. It is important to learn about this today so that the same problem does not repeat in history. In the book, “Witches! by Rosalyn Schanzer the madness began in February 1692 when 9-year-old Betty Parris and 11-year-old Abigail Williams began to twist and turn in the home of the Reverend Samuel Parris there was only one possible reason for it: witchcraft.

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Possible Medical Explanations to Explain the Afflicted Girls’ Behavior During the Salem Witch Trials in Salem Village, Massachusetts of 1692 Through 1693 Angela Weaver Kankakee Valley High School Possible Medical Explanations to Explain the Afflicted Girls’ Behavior During the Salem Witch Trials in Salem Village, Massachusetts of 1692 Through 1693 Angela Weaver Kankakee Valley High School Introduction Many are quick to judge the young afflicted girls of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 through 1693, proclaiming that the afflicted were just desperate for attention, but there may potentially be actual medical explanations in the logic behind this bewitchment. Medical experts have found possible explanations for the young girls’ behavior.

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The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. A group of young girls in the Salem Village claimed to be possessed by Satan and accused several other females of practicing witchcraft. The first convicted witch was Bridget Bishop, she was hung that June. Eighteen others followed Bishop to Salem’s Gallows Hill, while 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next several months.

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The Salem witch trials were a big event in American history, but no one knows for sure why they started. The people at the time could have been very tense and paranoid because of the weather, indian attacks, and because of the war that had occurred prior. The girls that started the accusations could have been sick from a disease or infection that causes tremors, hallucinations, and paranoia. At the same time, the girls in that time period were very repressed. Children, especially, were treated strictly at this time.

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Ultimately, I believe that the Salem Witch Trials’ main cause was mass hysteria and paranoia among the group. I can predict this, because in Exhibit A, Cotton Mather states, “ I will prove that Witchcraft exists. Those who deny it exists argue that they never saw any witches, therefore there are none.” I believe this is strong evidence supporting the over exaggeration of most people towards the trials and how hysterical people can become towards an unrealistic assumption like witches and witchcraft. Another piece of evidence supporting mass hysteria as the cause of the trials would be in Exhibit B, where Abigail Hobbs a 16 year old girls pleads guilty.

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The belief in magic and witchcrafts are not very popular these days, although some communities around the world, especially developing countries, are still believed to be practicing. Although, the practice of magic and witchcrafts and the belief in “supernatural’ world evolved along with human civilization, the answer to when it started is still unknown. It was 1692 when young girls started acting strange in Salem. The doctors could not find any medical explanations behind those acts and thus, concluded that they were bewitched. This incident led to the death of many innocent members within the community, “20 people and two dogs were already executed along with a person pressed to death under a pile of stones for refusing testimony.

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It turned family, friends, and neighbors against each other. Even though it didn’t last for a very long time, many things occurred in that short period of time. The Salem witch trials began because of a couple of young girls claiming to have been possessed by the devil. Essentially, what lead to the salem witch trials was an argument between goody glover and martha goodwin, a doctor's diagnosis of two other young girls, and the arrest of tituba, sarah

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Unexplained occurrences spread through the town, calling a religious perspective to be taken on the situation. Christians blamed those who faltered in the ways of Christian life, thus deeming them witches. Trials were held and people were hung, but what caused the Salem Witch Trials hysteria? The Salem Witch Trials hysteria

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The True Reason Why the Salem Witchcraft Trials Were so Devastating In January 1692, there was a huge event in American History, most people know this as the Salem Witchcraft Trials. In the predominantly Puritan village of Salem in Massachusetts Bay Colony, two women were accused of witchcraft, their names are Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams, the daughter and niece of minister Samuel Parris. To the community in the village they were acting strangely, vomiting, screaming, hallucinations, and convulsions.

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Some chain of events that happened was that the people of Salem started to panic about the news of them being witches. They began to fear because back then they did believe that witches were real. Tituba had mentioned that there were other witches around the neighborhood. So many people were being blamed that they were witches and they had to go on trial. Some people were becoming scared because they had no proof that those people they accused were witches.

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The Salem witch trials took place early 1692 to mid 1693 held in the Old Colony State, Massachusetts. The trials first took place due to a group of girls acting strange, which caused a scene in front of the town of Salem. The town doctor concluded that this was an act of witchcraft. At the time this was considered a great sin to the Puritan town, this ultimately led to the creation of the witch trials that America knows today. The history of the infamous trials explores cultural beliefs, societal, and political factors that contributed to the dark part of history that is called the Salem witch trials.

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The Causes of the Salem Witch Trials Much of modern America’s fear and infamous interest in witches has been derived most likely from the profound Salem Witch Trials. “The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft,” stated History.com authors. However, many historians still deliberate how such events occurred in the first place. Based on several presented documents, some conclusions suggest that there was a prominent cause to the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials. All in all, the cause of the Salem Witch Trials was the attempt of Salem citizens to either defend or create family

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The Salem Witch Trials The belief of witchcraft can be traced back centuries to as early as the 1300’s. The Salem Witch Trials occurred during 1690’s in which many members of Puritan communities were accused and convicted of witchcraft. These “witch trials” were most famously noted in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Many believe this town to be the starting point for the mass hysteria which spread to many other areas of New England.

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Tituba caused the witch hunt outrage in Salem. Tituba, the servant of Reverend Parris practiced black magic. She showed this practice to Reverend Parris’s curious daughter and niece.

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