Accused Witch Dbq Essay

The Accused Witches of 1692

The year of 1692, accused witches were being hung left and right. About 134 people were accused of being a witch or wizard, these hangings mainly occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. What caused the exaggerated behavior of 1692? The Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692 could have been caused by the puritans religion, acting or lying, and ergot poisoning. One possible cause of the Salem witch trial could have been the cause of religion because the ministers and church leaders had to let everyone know about witchcraft and that they needed to end it. In Document C Cotton mather, Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft and possessions, Boston, 1689 states, “These evil spirits are around… army of evil spirits under

As stated in Document G Charles W. Upham, Salem Witchcraft, Boston, 1867 “...It was perhaps their original design to gratify a love of notoriety or of mischief by creating… excitement in their neighborhood… They soon however, became intoxicated by the terrible success of their imposture, and were caught in their own snare… It is dreadful to reflect upon the enormity of their wickedness… there can be no doubt that they were great actors.” These two girls are causing a ton of conflict within their town by pretending to show signs of witches. In Document H James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle, After the Fact, 1982 “ ...no doubt the girls shaped their performances, at least instinctively, to the expectations of the community.” The two girls are taking what they know and heard about witches and are acting or lying being witches to create havoc in the town this is one of the causes of the hysteria of

“These include crawling sensations in the skin, tingling in the fingers, vertigo,...hallucinations,... mania, melancholia, psychosis, and delirium. All of these symptoms are alluded to in the Salem witchcraft records.” The fact that the fungus can make you hallucinate and was extremely popular and includes strange behavior, this could be to some people the signs of a witch. In Document N Linda Caporael, “Ergotism: the Satan Loosed in Salem?” Science, April 2, 1976. “The children 's symptoms appeared in December 1691… Two afflicted girls, the daughter and niece of Samuel Parris, ( a minister) … Two thirds of Parris’ salary was paid in provisions…” The fungus was found in rye bread and if you ate it you would get ergot poisoning and you would get the symptoms and would be accused of being a witch. The afflicted girls lived with people who owned that grain that had the fungus so if they ate it it would cause the