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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

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The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692, after a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and then accused several different people of witchcraft. This event spread through mass hysteria that impacted history in many ways. While this event is very well known, the true details of what happened are not widely known. The false information spread from the trials has made this event something of a spread of paranoia and injustice. Understanding what truly happened during this time is important. The Salem Witch Trials lasted from 1692 to 1693 and shrouded Salem and various neighboring communities in paranoia. These trials resulted in the death of 20 and the vilification of 200 others based on nothing but a few claims. With already …show more content…

Some of the main accusers include Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewis, and Mary Warren. After the trial, some accusers apologized, but a lot of them moved on without another word. The Salem events show us that justice can be fragile when people are in a panic. This shows why it’s vital to always stick to fairness and due process. The Salem Witch Trials are often misunderstood due to various misconceptions that have spread over time. One of the biggest misconceptions is that only women are accused. While it is true it was primarily women accused of witchcraft, men were also targeted during the trials. Another misconception is that the chosen act of execution was being burned at the stake. In reality, none of the accused of the Salem Witch Trials were ever burned alive. The town's chosen method of execution was by hanging. It is also commonly believed that actual witchcraft was used in Salem during the trials. There was little to no evidence that any of the accused practiced witchcraft. The accusations were almost entirely based on personal suspicions, superstition, and societal

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The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 and ended in 1711. The Salem Witch Trials were the period of the Puritan religion’s belief in witches in Salem, Massachusetts. The trials started with Betty Parris and her orphaned cousin Abigail Williams, when the girls began to contort their bodies, crouch beneath furniture and speak words that don’t make sense. When the girls were diagnosed as bewitched, it led to the witchhunt called the Salem Witch Trials. In Rosalyn Schanzer’s Witches!

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The Salem Witch Trials began during the year of 1692, in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts. The event that sparked the trials occurred when a group of girls claimed to be enthralled by the devil and accused numerous other women of experimenting with witchcraft. As an upsurge of frenzy trickled throughout the town of Salem, a special group assembled in Salem to put their input in the cases. Based on statistics from an article it states, ”the first convicted witch was hanged. Eighteen others followed, while some 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next several months By September 1692, the hysteria had begun to abate and public opinion turned against the trials.”

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Much like many people of today, the accusers and accused of the Salem Witch Trials also lied. Whether it was for financial gain, out of jealousy and spite, or to just stay alive, the people of these trials pretended to be, and see, witches. People were accused of being witches for economic gain. Salem

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Salem Witch Trials According to Blumberg, the Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft- the Devil’s magic- and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted. Since then, the story of the trials has become synonymous with paranoia and injustice, and it continues to beguile the popular imagination more than 300 years later.

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Over the next few months everything went mad, a court was made for the witches, people were hung and killed. But then the Governor stopped from new arrest to happen and let go of the accused witches and eventually got the witches out of jail. But even though this stopped further pain and suffering, it had already caused so much damage to the area. This trial haunted the area for years and the people so much that people even know what the Salem Trials were

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