The Source Of Mass Hysteria During The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials, occurring between the years of 1692 and 1693, consisted of persecutions, arrests, and hysteria through the village of Salem, Massachusetts. In determining the source of the mass hysteria during these trials, it is necessary to look from a societal point of view. Religiously, tensions began to form and alter the village in ways that were for and against their beliefs. Changing morals of the village brought forth ideologies that were based with selfish intentions. Social structures altered to weaken and divide the town and its people. Due to the societal morals and varying religious beliefs, the social structures of Salem, Massachusetts transformed into a haven of mass hysteria. During 1691, Massachusetts was a colony that was combined and established with a foundation of religion. Puritans are known to have strict beliefs that form ideas such as predestination, high standards, and witchcraft. Using those

Yes, these things did occur throughout the village and other colonies. However, the disagreements often led to the dislike of a person, family or encouraged competition. When it came to the Salem Witch Trials, economic tensions influenced the change in morals, rather than the spread of hysteria. Moral, social, and religious views all had a domino effect on each other, worsening the hysteria every time they were brought up. The Salem Witch Trials created mass hysteria, just as the Red Scare did almost three centuries later, in the 1950s. Joseph McCarthy, a United States senator, as well as other citizens, began posing false accusations of communists in the country and government. Since the fear of communism during the Cold War was so high, mass hysteria extended through the United States and its government, like the Salem Witch Trials and the village of Salem,