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Witchcraft Theory: The Salem Witch Trials

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Witchcraft Theory Back in Puritan life, many women were accused of practicing witchcraft. Many people feel the Salem Witch Trials were a fraud, but they cannot decide if this fraud was due to ergot poisoning, certain townspeople influencing the teenagers to accuse people in order to gain land or economic prosperity, or boredom of the teenage girls. Although there are many theories on why girls of Salem accused others of witchcraft, I believe the Salem Witch Trials occurred because the teenage girls of Salem were bored due to the strict religious environment. The Salem Witch Trials began during the spring of 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts (History.com Staff). During this time, young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and …show more content…

While boys got to hunt, fish, and explore, girls did not get as much freedom (Shah). During this time girls were expected to do chores, housework, and bible study (Shah). One historical article states, “They were forbidden by their fathers to play games, since games were believed to invite in the devil” (Shah). The fact that these girls had such a restricted and boring life may have resulted in their reason to want to get involved in the supernatural and make life more interesting. Some argue ergot poisoning could be a possibility. During this time conditions were ideal for ergot (Lienhard). The victims of ergot might have suffered hallucinations, spasms, and cardiovascular troubles (Lienhard). This could explain why the girls acted out, but it seems unlikely that it would cause so much damage. It is clear the theory of acting out due to boredom has more evidence to back it up. Overall, it makes sense why during this time the girls’ dry and dull life resulted in their reason to spark such a mess for their entertainment. Any of the other theories do not make nearly enough scenes as this one. Not being able to do what you want and waking up knowing you’d spend your day cleaning around the house while your brother got to have fun fishing and hunting would make someone insane enough to do what these girls

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Throughout history there have been many instances where people were put in jail and even killed for no reason. Two examples of this would be The Salem Witch Trials and The Holocaust. These two events have their similarities and differences, but is ultimately the same situation. The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 in the town of Salem,Massachusetts (Miller,1124). It all started with a group of young girls(Miller,1124).

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Salem, 1692: those dateline may be Likewise unmistakable Similarly as any to american history. Fourteen ladies What's more five men, indicted from claiming witchcraft, were hanged, Furthermore you quit offering on that one more, a Mamoncillo who rejected will plead, might have been pounded on death, An day’s ride starting with Boston, On An Lesseps province of a minor British province — the fringe of the periphery, starting with those point of view of London, let from claiming Paris or canton. “The populace from claiming new England in 1692 might fit under Yankee stadium today,” Stacy Schiff composes. Furthermore yet those plague of witches that blockaded Salem Also its environs that quite a while need spawned more than 500 books, almost 1,000

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The Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692 may have been instigated by religious, social, geographic and even biological factors. During these trials, 134 people were condemned as witches and 19 were hanged. These statistics also include 5 more deaths that occurred prior to their execution date. It is interesting to look into the causes of this stain on American History, when as shown in document B, eight citizens were hanged in only one day.

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What Caused the Salem Witch Trials Hysteria of 1692? In Exodus 22:18, it proclaims, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!” In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, the Puritans believed every word that the Bible said, causing the death of twenty people because they were accused of witchcraft. What caused the panic and alarm that lead to the death of twenty people in Salem?

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The deaths ye died I have watched beside And the lives ye led -- were mine” (H. Lienhard, 1997). Ergot poisoning, found in rye, was commonly included in the breads of the time, leading to the belief that this tainted food caused tainted ideas. Having daily contact with breads, this is the most logical medical reason the girls acted the way they did. According to the WebMD, common effects of ergot poisoning, on the human body is “nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and weakness, numbness, itching, and rapid or slow heartbeat.

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This essay will be describing what events that leads up to the brewing of the events that occurred in Salem Massachusetts in 1692. Also, contemplates the role that superstition, religion, and politics played in the event. Along with the role that gender played in instigating and shaping the event. It is a story of inhumanity and greed.

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Abigail Williams: The Conniving Woman of the Crucible The Salem Witch Trials began in Salem Massachusetts in 1629. Many people were accused of being a witch and many lives were lost. In Author Miller’s The Crucible, Abigail Williams is the most to blame for the events of the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail is one of the main characters in the play.

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In Salem, Massachusetts, Puritans were strong believers in the Bible. The Bible states, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” The Puritans beliefs led to them accusing 20 innocent people of being a witch, this resulted in their deaths in 1692. Even though the Puritans couldn’t see it at the time, their accusations were really based off jealousy, lies, and Salem being divided into two parts. One cause of the Salem witch trial hysteria was jealousy.

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The Salem Witch Trials were not due to actual witchcraft, but occurred due to socioeconomic tensions, ergot poisoning, and religious persecution. The infamous trials sparked from the hysteria after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, had claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. As it spread throughout colonial Massachusetts, a special court began to hear the cases of the accused, beginning the Salem Witch Trials. Belief in the supernatural and specifically in the devil’s practice of giving certain humans the power to harm others in return for their loyalty had emerged in Europe as early as the 14th century. They believed that the devil was giving people the ability of witchcraft

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The Causes of the Salem Witch Trials Much of modern America’s fear and infamous interest in witches has been derived most likely from the profound Salem Witch Trials. “The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft,” stated History.com authors. However, many historians still deliberate how such events occurred in the first place. Based on several presented documents, some conclusions suggest that there was a prominent cause to the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials. All in all, the cause of the Salem Witch Trials was the attempt of Salem citizens to either defend or create family

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Mental Illness in Salem Witch Trials Introduction Witchcraft is the practice of magic and the use of spells and the invocation of spirits. According to Salem Witch Trials, 2015, the Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts claimed to have been bewitched by several adults in the town. More than 150 people were accused and hung, including men, women, and children (Salem Witch Trials, 2015). There were three girls in particular that sparked the trials: Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, and Ann Putnam. Also stated in Salem Witch Trials, their behaviors changed drastically; they began to hallucinate, shout in church, have fits, not eat, not wake up, attempt to fly, and feel as if they

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The Salem witch trial was a time about accusing your fellow neighbor or being accused yourself, this all began in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. During this time many people were being accused of being a witch, a majority of the time it was because either someone truly believed that you were a witch and were reeking havoc or they were trying to find someone to take the blame if they were to being accused. So this leads us to question, what began the Salem Witch Trials? There were at least three causes of the Salem witch trials hysteria. These were Betty Parris and Abigail Williams story, Ergotism, and the acknowledgment of hysteria.

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The girls were accused of having “fits”, that means that they were contorting their bodies

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