“Regard not those who have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.”(Leviticus 19:31) The Salem witch trials took place in Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1692-1693. It started with several girls who went too far with their fun and games and ended up getting nineteen people killed. The girls were not only responsible for all the horrors that occurred though, magistrates and reverends fell for their foul, and yet others who knew the truth were too scared to stand up (Staff, 2011). Betty Parris, who was only nine, and Abigail Williams, who was eleven, started the whole thing with their unusual fits and screaming. Nobody knew what was wrong, but when a doctor, William Griggs, announced that they were afflicted. Things started to go wrong. …show more content…
There are a lot of things that could have led up to it like the recent small pox outbreak and threatening Indian raids on the outskirts of town. Other theories include the thought of the coming Doomsday and reports of Spaniards pirating English ships (Rinaldi, 1992). “The harsh realities of life in the rural Puritan community of Salem Village at the time included the after-effects of a British with France in the American colonies in 1689” (Staff, 2011). There were some smaller things going on that also could have built up to the trials like people fighting over cattle grazing rights, property rights, and class distinctions. In general Salem Village was not content. “Fear and distrust are what caused this witchcraft menace in Salem. Fear renders foolish, emotions that take over, and leaves us grappling with illusion.” Love was also another factor that was lacking in Salem. Parents couldn’t hug their kids and the puritans had to go from childhood to adulthood with no teenage years in between. Some sources show that amusement and entertainment were forbidden and this could have been why the girls “had a little fun” (Rinaldi,