Why Did Salem Experience Mass Hysteria In 1692

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Why did Salem experience Mass Hysteria in 1692? The Salem Witch Hysteria (SWH) was a major event that occurred from 1692-1693. The event comprised of widespread hysteria that many witches were working with the devil to destroy the puritans. It started when various young girls began to fall on the ground into convulsions and fits, screaming the names of various people and accusing seemingly random people of practising witchcraft. There are many theories about how the hysteria may have started, ranging from boredom in the girls to hallucinogenic pods in wheat. This next section will be devoted to a run down of the most common theories and how feasible they are. They will be listed in order of most to least feasible. Number One: Stifling Social