Life before the infamous Salem Witch Trials was very mundane and normal. The village and society was based and founded on the Puritan religion. The people had a very set lifestyle. They were taught to work and pray. When they weren't working, they were praying.
There were a number of religious factors that contributed to the Salem Witch Trials. A few of these factors are the influence of the strict Puritan lifestyle and the belief of the presence of the Devil in the village. The Puritan lifestyle was influenced by the church and Puritan beliefs. Church was the building block of the Puritan society. Puritan laws were very strict and the society was expected to follow them. The society believed that whoever wasn't following the Puritan way of life were sinners and they should be punished. The
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They believed that God would protect them. So, when things became difficult, they could easily blame it on the Devil and the “witches” that were carrying out his work. The Puritans believed that the Devil chose the weakest of the village, such as women and children, to do his work.
The Salem Witchcraft Trials began January 1692, when two girls, Betty Paris and Abigail Williams, began to have fits and convulsions. They were seen by a doctor and the only reasonable diagnosis was bewitchment. By the end of February, two other girls, Ann Putnam and Elizabeth Hubbard became ill. Ann Putnam and Elizabeth Hubbard accused Sarah Good, Tituba, and Sarah Osbournes spirits of hurting them. Others that were afflicted were Elizabeth Booth, Sarah Churchill, Susanna Sheldon, MaryWalcottt, and Mary Warren. Elizabeth Booth testified that ghosts had come to her and accused John and Elizabeth Proctor of killing at least four people. She also made accusations against Wilmott Redd and Giles Corey. Sarah Churchill was afflicted, but was also accused. When her symptoms declined, the other afflicted girls accused her of signing the Devil's book. She