The Salem Witch Trials By Emerson W. Baker

The Salem Witch trials, which took place in Massachusetts between the years of 1692 and 1693, have long been viewed as a mystery due to the sudden erratic behaviors and harsh punishments placed on those who were tried as “witches”. During the Salem Witch Trials, over two-hundred people were arrested for showing signs of witchcraft, which included biting, scratching, and screaming. Of the two-hundred who were arrested, nineteen were hanged and one was stoned to death. As Emerson W. Baker – an archaeologist who specializes in the study of the Salem Witch Trials – explained, the witch trials were caused by a “perfect storm” of three main problems. The main causes of the Salem Witch Trials was the harsh winter weather and political issues.

The cold winters were hard on the colonists as they struggled to provide for their families. Being without the necessities struck fear in the colonists, causing them to look for scapegoats to blame the natural disasters on. The Christians in Salem already readily believed the notion that the Devil was always looking for ways to damage their lives. They believed that the Devil sent witches to do the dirty work and that the witches were currently living amongst them. On the other side of the spectrum, the lack of food and abundance of economic problems were causing many people to undergo a psychological disorder known as mass hysteria. Mass hysteria causes groups of people to participate in strange behaviors, which is most often caused by stress. The hysteria swept through the town of Salem affecting mainly teenage girls and a few men. Colonists affected by the disorder became ill and started acting out by screaming, scratching and biting themselves, changing gender norms, and having violent spasms. Those who were thought to be affected by this witchcraft were asked to name their tormentors. They commonly would name off slaves, older women who were wrinkly and ragged looking, or those who they had previous conflicts with. These “tormenters” became the perfect scapegoats for the colonists. Salem found their

Political issues also played a part in the perfect storm of problems that started the Salem Witch Trials. In Salem, Massachusetts, there were two main groups of people. There were those who lived in Salem Village and those who lived in Salem Town. Those who lived in Salem Village were mainly farmers who did not make a significant amount of money. The village was mainly a rural area, filled with farmland. Salem Town, on the other hand, was home to the more prosperous colonists with most of its land located along the sea. Naturally, the two divisions often dealt with conflict. Salem Village wanted to separate from Salem Town due to the town trying to control the prices of the village’s crops. Salem Village finally separated and by 1674 they had their own church and minister. Their new minister, Reverend Samuel Parris, found himself in the middle of Salem Village drama almost immediately. His daughter, Betty Parris, and his niece were the first two suspects accused of being under the influence of a “tormentor”. They began throwing violent fits and having convulsions which went on for a significant amount of time. The doctors tried for months to figure out what the problem was but they could not come to any conclusions. Finally, a doctor told the family that the girls must be under a spell. They went under trial and said that they were being bewitched by three different