ipl-logo

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

873 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Salem witch trials encyclopedia britannica

Salem, a place where innocent blood was shed. Salem in the time of 1692 was a small village in Massachusetts with a population of around 500 to 600 people. People were all shaken up and fearing evil in the town because of the Indian war and sickness taking place near the small sleepy town of salem. A few women were accused of witchcraft by young children in the town who had seen them gather in a group of 20 women chanting and supposedly “worshiping the devil”. The woman who was leading the ritual, Tituba a slave of a family who lived in the town was accused of being the leader of the bewitching. People believed this because women at the time were changing and becoming more independent. The culture of all the settlers was changing as well. This led people to truly believe that women, men and children were being bewitched by witches in salem. The Salem witch trials were a significant time in history because the …show more content…

In the spring of 1692 people all around salem were being hung for the belief of them practicing witchcraft. With a town of only around 500 people living there having 200 or more people being accused of being a witch was a very big deal. “People had begun acting weird and doing very strange things such as dancing and acting as if they were possessed by the devil himself”, no one knew how to explain these weird behaviors. Little girls accusing grown men and women of being witches and practicing the devil’s work, harming innocents in the community. Believing that they watched a group of women perform a satanic ritual. That scared the town forcing them to take action and start hammering down on all the people who showed the slightest sign of being a witch. The women being accused were considered less in the community. Women were more targeted because they were seen as weak and they could easily fall into the devil’s grasp (Adam and Eve in the

Show More
Related
319 Words | 2 Pages

Did you know that more women were accused of being a witch than men. People In Salem, Massachusetts were involved. There was a high number of people being accused of a witchcraft in 1692. Evidence suggests that the Salem Witch trials happened because single women were jealous that they didn't have a husband. Salem Witch Trial in Salem Massachusetts, 1692

Read More
144 Words | 1 Pages

A diverse array of historiographical arguments concerning the preliminary causes of the Salem Witch Trials have emerged subsequently to their occurrences, clashing along a vastly debatable spectrum of economic, social, and political influences (Brinkley, 2014, 74). Escalating accusations backed by miniscule evidence reaped terror among the Salem community. No one was truly immune to an accusation, and being accused had a high probability of ruining one's reputation for the remainder of their lives. Conversely to the linear notion of believing a singular cause was responsible for the atrocities among the Salem community, an intertwined network of various tensions set the anemic foundation for a monstrosity of inhumane punishment and hollow allegation

Read More
157 Words | 1 Pages

In addition, one cause of the Salem Witch Trial hysteria was sexism. Evidence of this is from the Salem Court Records where out of 20 people executed for witchcraft 14 were women and six were men(Doc A). This evidence shows that there were more women than men being executed and accused of witchcraft. The people were sexist against women because they weren’t as many men being executed and accused. The accusers, who were mostly women, were being sexist against other women that were being accused.

Read More
1532 Words | 7 Pages

As Whitney mentioned, the witch hunts occurred in the 17th century were due to the fears of women becoming “economically and psychological” independent, and threatening the male control of property and social order. Those women were viewed as “discontent” meaning the refusal of accepting their predetermined social status (Whitney 85). In contrast, men who had high authority and social status like the Putmans and Parris could purposely manipulate women and instigated the public resentment to falsely accuse, and cruelly eliminate their enemies such as Rebecca and other accused witches. Certainly, the girls and women in the Putman and Parris’s families who made the false accusations of witches and witchcraft were wielded by

Read More
984 Words | 4 Pages

They lied and manipulated the court into believing their stories. They did this for lots of reasons. One was because females were not allowed many rights let alone any power in their city. Through the witch trials and lies they gained power in Salem. Also, they were trying to win over lovers by accusing their wives and getting them hung.

Read More
757 Words | 4 Pages

In the Town of Salem, in Massachusetts, many people were being accused to be witches. Many accused, were lynched by the judge. Death's, day, by day. Girls, walking down the paths screaming that they are being tormented by witches, and cursing for no reason. Many innocent and guilty people were hung in the process.

Read More
473 Words | 2 Pages

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a dark chapter in the history of Massachusetts, with lasting impacts on the community and legal system. The causes of this hysteria can be traced back to a combination of religious fervor, social tensions, and political motivations. One key factor was the Puritan belief in the supernatural and the existence of witches. This strict religious mindset led to a heightened fear of witchcraft and suspicion towards anyone who deviated from societal norms. Additionally, the economic disparities among Salem villagers created jealousy and resentment, fueling accusations of witchcraft as a means of settling scores or gaining power.

Read More
746 Words | 3 Pages

Christianity was prevalent in the 1600’s and anyone who didn’t believe in God was seen as a heretic and put to death. In 1641 the colonists established a legal code and put witchcraft as the second one, the punishment for that, of course, was death. The Devil was highly feared and if there was word of somebody using witchcraft a big deal would be made out of it; as The Salem Witch Trials have proven. Women were mainly the ones who happened to be executed because they were also feared, if any woman had the same amount of power as a man she must’ve made a deal with the Devil. All of this made 1692 was an intricate time for the people of Salem Village, Massachusetts.

Read More
896 Words | 4 Pages

This was the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. This train of events would forever change the town of Salem; everyone would soon associate the colony as a “witch town”. The trials had changed the town, now the people of Salem would be wondering who would be accused next. The problem was no one knew, a startling statistic would haunt the town forever; 40 people were dead and

Read More
1389 Words | 6 Pages

Salem residents afflicted them together following wide accusations of individuals engaged in witchcraft. Following these incidents, several other middle-aged women and men including a four-year-old child were incriminated of witchcraft and arraigned in court for trail. Other people from the surrounding villages were also implicated in Satanic practices. After these incidents, a special court was convened in Salem Town to hear the cases of individuals who were accused of practicing witchcraft. Therefore, the women and men featured in Documents 14-75 were accused of witches after a group of young girls from Salem village claimed of being possessed by the

Read More
1124 Words | 5 Pages

The Salem witch trials were a big event in American history, but no one knows for sure why they started. The people at the time could have been very tense and paranoid because of the weather, indian attacks, and because of the war that had occurred prior. The girls that started the accusations could have been sick from a disease or infection that causes tremors, hallucinations, and paranoia. At the same time, the girls in that time period were very repressed. Children, especially, were treated strictly at this time.

Read More
624 Words | 3 Pages

The Salem Witch Trials accusing others of a feared crime showed definite evidence that mass hysteria was to blame. Salem was a religious settlement, following Puritan beliefs (Miller, 6). A large fear for everyone in Salem was the touch of the Devil (Miller, Arthur). According to Puritan beliefs, if a man or woman was touched by the Devil he would convince them to do witchcraft. Once word was mentioned the Devil had possibly touched Salem, the fear spread.

Read More
721 Words | 3 Pages

Bridget Bishop, a resident of Salem, was the first person to be tried as a witch. Surprisingly, Bishop was accused of witch craft by the highest number of witneses. After Bishop, more than two hundred people were tried of practicing witchcraft and twenty were executed. Many of these accusations arose from jealous, lower class members of society, especially towards women who had come into a great deal of land or wealth. Three young children by the names of Elizabeth, Abigail, and Ann were the first three people to be “harmed” by the witches.

Read More
435 Words | 2 Pages

Salem, Massachusetts, USA and occurred between February 1692 and May 1693. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned and even more accused; but not pursued by the authorities. 29 were convicted of witchcraft but only 19 were hanged. The best known trials were in the Court of Oyer and Terminer.

Read More
824 Words | 4 Pages

In January of 1692 a series of witch trials, caused by economical stress and fear of the devil, began in Salem. The Salem witch trials included executions that ended in devastation and the death of several men, women, and even children. The stress of the King William’s War in Europe caused people to flee to the closest place which was Massachusetts. With the overpopulating town the people ran out of occupations to offer and dwelling places. Christians and religious people believed that the devil used this time of stress to overtake their religious society.

Read More

More about Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document