Why Did The Salem Witch Trials Begin And How Did It Progress Until The End?

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Suspicion and superstition can lead to many big problems and uncontrollable situations. Personal problems and inner conflict can only fan the flames when this happens. The Salem Witch Trials was a time when all of these four trouble-makers worked together. In 1692, a series of events took place that made the Trials go too far. People were accused, victimized, and killed on wrong accounts. The lives of many were in the hands of those who accused, confessed, and were tried. So how did the Witch Trials begin and how did it progress until the end? Before the Witch trials had even begun, there was constant talk about witchcraft and how it was associated to the devil. People gossiped about the evil side of magic and how it can destroy people and societies. Some believed that witchcraft caused diseases and big fits that spread over time. It is no surprise that the suspicion of dark magic could have spread to Salem, and fuelled later events. It is speculated that the witch trials started because of a family feud. Two rivalling families, the Putnam and the Porter, may have wanted to use the excuse of witchcraft as a means of harming their enemies. By accusing a person of witchcraft under …show more content…

At first, the accusations began when a small child, in 1692, named Betty Parris got a sudden sickness that could not be properly diagnosed by a doctor. It was reported that she had spasms of pain, fever, contorted herself into different weird positions, and had several fits. At the time, there wasn’t any proper way to investigate and find a cure. So the doctor claimed that her illness could have been the result of a supernatural means, or witchcraft. Soon after, Betty’s friends, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr., Mary Walcott, and Elizabeth Hubbard, and many other young girls all began showing the same symptoms as Betty. After these displays of madness, people started pressing them for answers. Who did this to the