Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

The idea of witches and witchcraft as a whole dates back thousands of years ago when the old Testament’s book of exodus declared witches as messengers of the devil himself. In many cultures witches have been blamed for the horrible actions of mankind and the misfortunes for which no cause could be identified. When no other explanation for famine and disease could be found, witches were there to be falsely persecuted. One of the most well known accounts of witchcraft first took place in 1691 and the chaos that ensued has made it one of the most recognizable periods of U.S.history. Salem Massachusetts is known to this very day for its infamous trials in which towns people accused their neighbors of witchcraft for personal gain and revenge .

The villagers of Salem were viewed as simple people who enjoyed no true pleasures out of fear of being labeled as a sinner. Underneath the surface, individuals became bored and sought to bring excitement to their lives in secret. A depression truly set in throughout Salem during the winter of 1691. It was a bitter cold winter forcing men and women into their homes for weeks at a time. It was during these times when the villagers especially the younger girls grew needy for amusement and attention. The village minister’s daughter Betty along with her cousin Abigail were among these girls and together they brought about the start of the Salem Witch trial. Minister Samuel Parris raised the two girls on strict religious teachings with the help of their slave Tituba. Tituba was purchased by the parris family during their time in Barbados and she was known by the girls of salem for her stories of magic and powerful spirits. The girls often begged Tituba to teach them fortune telling and magical spells, even though they were well aware of the consequences. Witchcraft was a crime in Salem village punishable by death and so Tituba agreed to teach them in secret. “Surely,no real harm could come from this - or could it” (Landau

The trials “had taken up too much of the villagers’ time and energy. Farms and business suffered” (Landau). Many families had now been broken and children were left orphaned. By the time the trials had ended over two hundred villagers were accused of practicing witchcraft. Out of the two hundred villagers only 20 were actually executed. One man in particular refused his own trial and was killed by having heavy stones pressed against his chest. Some of the accused also died in jail while awaiting trial. Even two dogs were executed after a few villagers believed them to be witches. “Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted”(Blumberg). Over 250 years later Massachusetts apologized for the injustices that took place in Salem village Many theories exist as to why the young girls of Salem Village did what they did. Some believed that they suffered from hysteria and mental illness while others believed that the girls were poisoned by Ergot. “They Say the girls pretended to be bewitched just to get attention and feel important.” (Fredin 37). Salem was not filled with witches, it was in fact filled with greedy men, paranoid women, and inquisitive children. The Pruitants let false ideas corrupt their society and this in turn brought on the downfall of Salem