Who Was Responsible For The Salem Witch Trials

Did you know that historians believe that the reason why the girls (accusers) had “fits” was because of bacteria in their rye bread that may have caused hallucinations? The Salem Witch Trials occurred from 1692 to 1693. During the trials, twenty people were executed: nineteen hanged and one pressed to death. The reasons for the deaths of these moral Puritans were the absence of life outside of church, fear, and strict interpretation of the Bible. The lack of entertainment in the Puritan society is responsible for the witch trials. Abigail and the girls went out dancing in the woods with Tituba and was caught by Abigail’s uncle Reverend Parris. When they were caught, they were frightened so they pretended to be sick to avoid punishment. For instance, Ruth “… never [woke] up in the morning but her eyes are open” (Miller 13). Betty was “…was frightened and ‘fainted’” (Miller 10). Some may say that Abigail is responsible for the trials because of her manipulative behavior, but she was only acting in this manner because she feared the consequences of being caught lying and dancing.

During this time period, the Great Awakening occurred where ministers preached about the consequences they would face if he or she did not repent their sins. For instance, the Reverend Parris asked Reverend Hale to come to Salem because he has “…experience in all demonic arts” (Miller 14). John Proctor irregularly attends church because “… [Reverend Parris] only preaches hellfire and bloody damnation” (Miller 28). Some may say that Reverend Hale is responsible for the trials because after he is praised for making Tituba “confess” to witchcraft, he receives approbation and he becomes rather power-hungry and he uses that to prosecute the