The foundation of angst and trepidation during the Witch Trials in 1692 Salem and the Red Scare of 1950’s America was not exceptionally impacted by substantial reasons, but by the mentality of the self-perceived conclusions the citizens brought forth during the two time periods, thus leading to a series of mass hysteria.
Prior to the events that happened in 1692, Britain imposed a new charter in which they forced the Massachusetts Bay Colony to accept. The charter united Plymouth and Maine to form a new colony – the Massachusetts colony, and stated that church membership was no longer required for voting, for the colonists had contravened several of the charter’s rules which included basing laws on religious affiliations, for the Puritans
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There was agitation for what was to come for the colony; everything was strained in aspects of the government, and to add to that, witches were perceived, consequently heightening the hysteria. The colonists became to believe that the devil was accountable for all the hardships they faced. [] Tensions within the colony were so severe that in 1692, Salem was basically dry kindling waiting for a spark to ignite it. The spark was the first appearance of witchcraft in the colony, which began “in Salem… in January of 1692 with a group of young girls” (Brooks). The girls went through the typical states of hysteria, “starting with a preliminary phase of anxious self-reflection or worrying about their “sins”, which led to the onset phase, which is characterized by fainting, wailing, and broken speech. These symptoms intensified when people became alarmed at the strange behavior of the girls, who then began to have visions of the witches” (Saari 43). These girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused three women as the witches, identified as Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne, whom were all “easy targets for the accusation of witchcraft” (Brooks). In fact whilst on trial, Tituba confessed that she was a witch working for the Devil.