Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

Have you ever seen or experienced something you can’t quite explain? Have you ever thought that maybe there were forces beyond most people’s comprehension? These things and more are very real, as many have experienced first-hand contact with them. One of the mysteries surrounding these ethereal forces and beings is the infamous Salem Witch Trials. The hysteria in Salem during the winter of 1691-92 is not unknown, but there are several things unknown about the events that took place. All the facts collected point to one thing: The real cause of the witch hysteria was the juvenile immaturity of a few young girls.

The Salem Witch Trials were a period of hysteria and suspicion all through a small area surrounding Salem Village in Massachusetts

However, it does make sense. The girls had only started having fits after they played at divination (Guiley, 2009). One of the girls said they had seen a coffin during one of their little divination parties. Divination isn’t something to be played with; It’s serious business. The first accused witches were all social outcasts; Tituba Indian (slave of Reverend Parris), Sarah Good (a poor beggar who went door to door asking for food), and Sarah Osborne (a sick, elderly woman) (Wilson, 1997). As they started accusing witches, Ann Putnam Jr. cried out against Martha Corey, who her mother (Ann Putnam Sr.) didn’t like. Bridget Bishop, another accused witch (and the first to be executed), was disliked by several people and was widowed thrice. It is also noted that a lot of people sought to get rid of political or social rivals by accusing them of witchcraft (Guiley,

First off, something that links with all three of these points: People often accused social and political rivals of witchcraft (Guiley, 2009). This caused most accusations to be invalid in anyone’s eyes these days, but for some reason, it was believable at the time. Ann Putnam Jr. was pressured by her mother not once, but twice, to cry out against someone she didn’t like. Ann Putnam Sr. was a very mean-spirited individual and really didn’t like very many people. Also, had there been more sensible people judging at the time, the hysteria would have ended fairly quickly (Guiley, 2009). As Rosemary Guiley said in Witches and Wiccans, regarding the case of Rebecca Nurse, a woman with a spotless reputation, “...had cooler heads prevailed, the entire hysteria would have ended right there.” (Guiley, 2009) She was right; nowadays, there wouldn’t be nearly enough evidence to convict Nurse, and she wouldn’t have been