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What Are The Domino Effects Of The Salem Witch Trials

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The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts during the late 17th century (1692 and 1693 to be specific). During this time, more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony provided compensation to the families of the convicted and admitted the trials were a mistake. To this day, the trials are commonly associated with paranoia and injustice, and have caught interest of many people more than 300 years later. However, the Trials casted a dark shadow on the surrounding Indian tribes-specifically the lives of the Wabanaki Indians. Although the Trials are commonly associated with effects on gender status and religion, but many fail to acknowledge the ramifications the Witch Trials had on the local tribes within the region of northern Massachusetts. The trials created this “domino effect” of destruction towards the Wabanaki. Various factors led up to the Salem witch trials during 1692, including feuds, economical differences, and teenage boredom. In Salem, there were two major families competing for control of the village, the Putnams and the Porters (Linder). The Salem Village (which was a smaller portion of Salem) was agriculture-based and desired independence from the main part of Salem, which was the center of sea trade and the time (Linder). In addition to this, many of the …show more content…

“The Salem witch trials.” http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/witch.htm. 2007. 18 November 2014. D, Elbert. “Puritans Face Defeat.” http://people.ucls.uchicago.edu/~snekros/Salem%20Journal/Hysteria/ElbertDLukeR.html. The Salem Journal. 2012. 18 November 2014. Linder, Douglas. “The Salem witch trials of 1692.” http://www/law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/trials/salem/SALEM.HTM. 2007. 18 November 2014. Pulsipher, Jenny Hale. “Dark Cloud Rising from the East: Indian Sovereignty and the Coming of King William’s War in New Enlgand.” The New England Quarterly, 80.4 (2007): 588-613.

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