Character Analysis: The Salem Witch Trials

Salem Witch Trials: The witch trials were a series of hearings, and prosecutions of people being accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692, through May 1693. The primary source of the trials is unknown, but it was most recognized when a group of young girls, from the village Salem, started to speak of the devil invading their home and try to take over through his “minions” that he persuaded to write in his book. This group of girls accused over 200 people for working for the devil, or being witches, and

The well-known Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a set of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed

Whewwww! The wind whistles along Gallows Hill waiting for its next victim that will be condemned as a servant of the Devil. This was the Salem Witch trials, which happened in 1692 through 1693, were a series of court trials and executions of people that were thought to be practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. These trials were very tragic and most often an innocent person was accused of the crime. The Salem Witch Trials included a cause that started it, different ways that people were convicted, specific women who were accused, and finally it ended in 1693. Most people think the Salem Witch Trials were just another event that happened in history. But what really happened during the Salem Witch Trials?

In January of 1692, two girls became ill, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris. When their state did not improve the doctor, William Griggs, was called in to help. In June of 1692, the special court of Oyer and Terminer sat in Salem to hear the cases of witchcraft. Presided over by Chief Justice William Stoughton, the court was made up of magistrates and jurors.

The Salem witch trails were in an age of superstition. There were great tensions with the fact that some individuals were changing religions, or they were leaving to gain different religious opinions. Although the Massachusetts colony was under a lot of stress and tension that did not give them the right to hang or burn individuals because they were witches. Now, some of the members of this colony that participated in the Salem witch trial might have had a psychological and issues, but that still did not give them the right to hang innocent people.

In 1692, 19 women were hung and 200 more were accused of witchcraft. All because of the strange actions of 8 young girls. These 8 girls showed signs of being possessed by the Devil. They had seizures, trances, delusions and extreme illness unexpectedly. Fear of being killed by the Indians and worry that there was not enough food and water put the level of tension at a new high for the villages, spread this hysteria faster than wildfire.

The Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692 (Miller, 1124). The witchcraft hysteria was started by teenage girls dancing in the woods (Miller, 1124). Many innocent people died due to old grudges and jealousy (Miller, 1127). The condemned were accused of casting spells and dealing with the devil (Miller,

Tituba’s actions were mirrored in many women and men who were accused, who claimed that another person in Salem bewitched them. Some famous people who were accused of being witches and wizards, Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse, who in society were considered “upstanding members of church”, greatly disturbed the citizens of Salem, also four year old daughter to Sarah Good, Dorothy Good. Her timid answers and small voice were considered a confession. As more and more people were accused of being witches and wizards, the court became overwhelmed. When Governor William Phips attended the courts, he realized their problem, and ordered the establishment of the special Court of Oyer, to decide if someone is a witch, and Terminer, to terminate the decided

The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692 and became one of the most infamous witchcraft episodes in United States history. It all started in the small Puritan village of Salem when little Betty Parris and Abigail Williams become ill and did not show any sign of improvement. This is when Reverend Parris, Betty’s father, called in the village doctor William Griggs. His diagnosis of bewitchment had the village overtaken with mass hysteria that would continue to plague them long after the May 1693 end. During the trials one hundred and fifty six people were accused of witchcraft: fifty four of which confessed, nineteen of which were hanged, four of which died in jail, and one whom was pressed to death.

The Salem Witch Trials took place in early 1692. During these trials around 150 people were accused of being witches by a group of young girls. The girls claimed that these “witches” had the power to harm them as a result of giving their loyalty to the devil. The Puritans strict culture and previous tension due to the fear of native american attacks bordering the village made it more susceptible to falling victim of the widespread chaos known as the Salem Witch Trials.

During the time of the Salem Witch Trials, many women and even a few men were accused of witchery. There have been many theories as to why the residents of Salem were being accused of witchcraft including mental illnesses, spiritual ideas, and the influence of the society. The most popular theory was spiritual ideas, which spread throughout the community. Some believed the hallucinations and strange actions were all caused by the devil and medicine could not cure it. The doctors believed the girls were “under an Evil Hand” (Carlson, 1999---page 10). People in Salem at the time thought one little mishap was the work of the devil and only the church could cure the person. Also, the people believed they could do all this because they had traded

Salem, Massachusetts 1692 a small village where people turned on each other, and blamed hundreds of their own, nut mostly certain neighbors with witchcraft. From June to September, individuals were unjustifiably killed after trials discovered them “guilty” of witchcraft. Religions, imperatives, money, beliefs and types of conflicts caused these absurd witch trials.

One of the more infamous events of the seventeenth century, the Salem witch trials marked a low point in Massachusetts Bay Colony history. According to Deodat Lawson, as many as 70 villagers of Salem were accused of witchcraft in June of 1692. The vast majority of these were women (approximately 78 percent, according to Elizabeth Reis), but the most telling information lies not in the accusations themselves. Rather, the identities of the accused shows that the witchcraft craze originated from preconceived notions about women, including their predisposition to sin, as well as how they should behave in society.

The Salem Witch Trials were begun during the spring of 1692. It all started when one night, a group of girls were accused of dancing in the woods in Salem, Massachusetts. They claimed to be processed by the devil. After everyone found out, there was a ton of hysteria roaming the air of the small village. But, there were also other things that played a role in the deaths of those people. Pride, greed, and vengeance all had to do with the start of the trials. There were many dark forces that played a role in the outcome of the trials.

People were accused of practicing witchcraft and were being hung in Salem, Massachusetts. In 1692 when two girls who were very young, began to show bizarre behavior, that even a doctor couldn't explain, the community come to the conclusion that it must be the work of Satan. The whole community at a loss to explain the symptoms and people were panicked that witches had intruded on Salem.