Salem Witch Trials During Ww2

Far too often in history, a person’s negative or evil views have influenced others to commit terrible atrocities. In the 1930s, Adolph Hitler hated the Jews and blamed them for the declining economy, high unemployment rate, and other ills in the world. Because he was a master orator, he easily convinced the German citizens to agree with his views, including the belief that Jewish people should be punished, causing their mass execution during World War II. In recent years, leaders of various terrorist cells have used similar tactics of vengeance, brotherhood, and patriotism, recruiting impressionable young adults, promising eternal salvation as a reward for torture, murder, and even suicide. Closer to home, in massachusetts during

Whether out of jealousy or boredom, single females under the age 20 claimed to be possessed by the devil or under the spell of witchcraft (Demos). Because girls were confined to their homes and under the tutelage of other women, maybe they wanted to blame these women for their powerless positions. The age, gender, and marital status of those being accused were also significant. According to the Salem Court Records and John Demos, married or widowed women over the age of 40 were the targets of such accusations. Young girls accused one older woman of witchcraft, but the executions escalated each month as the court met to hear each case (Salem Court Records). By the end of the trials, 19 men and women had been hanged for the crime of witchcraft without any evidence apart from the words of the young girls (Salem Court Records). Whatever the initial reason for making the first accusation, the girls may have enjoyed the power they felt when the adults believed them and acted upon their words. The girls may have also been jealous that these older women had more experiences than they had and wanted to see them suffer, arousing their desire perhaps for even more time in the

During the 1691 hysteria, the accusers generally lived in the Western half of Salem Village, while the defenders lived in the Eastern half (map of Salem Village). Those who lived in the Eastern half was more affluent, with better land and more political power, while those living in the Western half had poorer land and less political power (Boyer). The people of the Western half could have been jealous of the wealth and influence possessed by the people of the Eastern half, leading the Westerners to accuse the Easterners of witchcraft. As Westerners accused Easterners of witchcraft, Easterners were likely to defend themselves and their neighbors, explaining the many defenders who lived on the Eastern half of Salem Village. There were also many more accused witches living on the Eastern half of Salem Village than living on the Western half (map of Salem Village). When one is accused of being a witch, their land and reputation are lost. Accusing Easterners of witchcraft, therefore, was a simple way for Westerners to decrease the wealth and reputation of the Easterners that the Westerners were so jealous