The Salem Witch Trials were one of the most dreadful times in the history of Massachusetts; many people got put to death for absurd reasons. The trials began because a few teenage girls essentially bored with their puritan lives; they wanted to do something different. Therefore; they forced many people to believe that there was an evil power among them, encased in friends, neighbors, and even family members. This preposterous theory that the girls brought to the small, quaint, puritan town of Salem
were accused of leading the others into the rituals, and hence arrested. Another 150 other villagers were accused and arrested for suspicion of witchcraft after a witch hunt until the main verdicts were sentenced. Besides the falsely convicted villagers, all except one girl, were hung. The burial point where the Salem Witch trials took place, to this day, remains a mystery. Gallows Hill is recorded in the records taken by the villagers to be the place of execution. On the contrary, evidence is
Recent Events Similar to the Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials were definitely a brief, but dark, period in early American history. The mass hysteria that was created during this period could occur today; many people will say that there have been some events that have caused a form of hysteria much like the Salem Witch Trials in recent years. Two of those events include the Red Scare in the early 1950s and the terrorist attacks on American in 2001. Both of those events caused mass paranoia
many similarities to the affairs that were unfolding around the author at the time of writing, the mass hysteria aroused by the communists ‘witch-hunts’ of cold war, 1950s America. As we follow the harrowing results of released repression, the hysterical accusations of Salem bears direct resemblance to communist McCarthyism as well as other similarities that unfold as the play narrates one of the most tragic periods of American history. Amidst the apparently insipid, puritanical village of Salem
My theory of the Salem Witch trials is quite simple. I believe that these trials were fueled by panic, stress, and rumor. I say rumor, due to the fact that young, adolecent girls usually seem to spread the word a lot. Girls followed strict rules withtin their religion, as well as boys, BUT, girls were usually tending to the house. They never got outside, as boys did to hunt, and explore the outdoors, as written in Evidence Set C: Puritan Children. Now, it is said at Evidence D: Salem Villager Biographies
The Salem witch trials were the prosecution of people accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts from June to September 1692 by the Court of Oyer and Terminer. Though the trials were held in Salem, the accused were brought in from the neighboring towns of Amesbury, Andover, Topsfield, Ipswich, and Gloucester as well. To this day the trials are considered the epitome of injustice, paranoia, scapegoating, mass hysteria, and mob justice. The results were almost 200 arrests, 19 executed “witches”, one man
During the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, they used to tie accused witches to chairs and throw them in a lake, if they sank they were innocent. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were crazy, irrational and disturbing times. Young girls accused their neighbors and strangers of practicing witchcraft. The town decided to hold trials to see whether or not the accused really were witches. While they awaited their trials, they were held in a filthy jail. Everyone was scared and suspicious, the town was in chaos
The Salem witch trials are an outstanding example of a dysfunction in a “perfect” society. Tituba as part of that society helps us understand the simpleness of a complex shaped idea. Notwithstanding that Tituba is considered irrelevant during the Salem trials, nevertheless Tituba exposes European perceptions of Native Americans as a basis for cultural superiority and oppression, since Tituba is an indisputable symbol of injustice, of an ignominious drama, slavery, racism, as well as the defamation
Cotton Mather accounts the witch trial of Martha Carrier through reporting the accusations and crimes prosecuted against her. This trial was unjust because prosecution occurred to explain unnatural events by using unfounded, spectral evidence. All unnatural events affected the witnesses negatively in matters of health or occupation. This led the people of Salem to create a scapegoat for their misfortune and other ‘witches’ to persecute those near to them in the fear of death. The claims of the
Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials began in colonial America in 1692. Many people were falsely accused of practicing witchcraft during the beginning of America. The Puritans of Salem, Massachusetts began to fear that if the colonists close to them could in fact be witches. Most accused people had no evidence against them and twenty people lost their lives to the Salem Witch Trials. (www.smithsonianmag.com) These Puritans came to America because they wanted to Purify the Church of
Paranoia and blame Affected the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy hearings In the 1690’s, a wave of fear for the devil washed over Salem, Massachusetts, resulting in the accusations of 200 supposed witches and the execution of 20. Almost 200 years later, after World War II, communists were highly feared. The strong urge to stay away from communists led to the McCarthy hearings where many innocent people were accused and tried for being communists. The Salem trials and the McCarthy hearings have many
How would you react if you were accused of being involved in witchcraft? In today’s time no one is phased at the thought of being called a witch, but back in the seventeenth century that was a growing concern among the people. Within the seventeenth century individuals of the Puritan religion began to move to Colonial America with the ideas of religious freedom. However, the concept of religious freedom did not go very far. Once they were settled in Colonial America, the Puritans began to prosecute
happened from June 10th to September 22nd. Twenty innocent women were put to death in a small town by the name of, Salem Boston. This was called the “ Salem Witch Trials.” The Salem Witch Trials were due to a variety of things. Jealousy , lying, and attention are 3 of most important factors. Without a doubt, one cause of the witch trial hysteria was jealousy. One piece of evidence that supports this claim is that, on document E, you can see that west side of town, which was the poorer side
unaware that the Salem Witch Trial occurred. Some people like to believe that it was a hoax created by the government. Alex Jones was a famous conspiracy theorist who has played a big part in convincing many people that the Salem Witch Trial was a ruse to scare the population. People now get all of their information off of non-credible sites and social media. People don’t bother to look for the true facts and only hear what they want to. Nonetheless, the Salem Witch Trials was an event that baffled
Preceding the horrific events of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the village of Salem was experiencing many difficulties, and in spite of its name, it was hardly a haven of tranquility.(Marvel, 2002, p.14) The town faced varying problems ranging from factional politics, religious problems, and famine. The winter of 1691 leading up to the summer of 1692 brought a time of suspicion, accusations, and mass hysteria. Many accusers, who were often little girls, went through alarming physical symptoms,
The year of 1692 identified a significant event in history in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Witch Trials revealed series of prosecutions of people being accused of witchcraft, which resulted in the executions of twenty innocent people. Out of the twenty people, fourteen of them were women were hung to death and the others died in prison. It all began with several girls that experimented with magic, which the Puritans believed they were collaborating with the Devil. Based on the Puritan
Mayhem, madness, and chaos are some adjectives that describe the Salem witch Trials era. It was a time of confusion and fear for the thought of witches had invaded the town of Salem. However, there are some scientific explanations for the outbursts. Some theorist believe there was a ergot poisoning epidemic within the town. Consuming a grain of rye that is contaminated ergot fungus can lead to convulsions and hallucinations. This would explain why Abigail and the other girls claimed to see an apparition
were bewitched! A deluge of accused puritans surged into Salem Village and neighboring town. Some people were even executed for the thought of being a witch. These accusations were caused by Confusion/Fear, Revenge, and Sport/Fun leading 19 innocent puritans to the gallows. Confusion and Fear was a prodigious hit at the first part of the Witch Trials. Nobody really knew what was happening “By March practically everyone
with a noose around her neck, the villagers watched as she took her last breath. This event took place during the Salem Witch Trials, where more than 200 people were accused of practicing witch craft. Over twenty-three people and two dogs were executed for that reason. In 1693, the wife of the governor of Salem was accused of practicing witch craft, so naturally, he ordered the trials to cease at that point. In 1628, King Charles I granted the puritans a royal charter to colonize the colony of Salem
Geography neatly separated the supporters and opposers. For instance, the east was anti-Parris while the west was pro-Parris. People of Salem noticed there was greater support for the victims of witchcraft as the number of trials increased. During these trials, many assumed that the witches cast spells upon them to make them suffer. Yet, their assumptions all lie in the varying conception of magic. Magic was almost always related to a relationship with the Devil, which made it inherently