Economic Factors Of The Salem Witch Trials

From the time of the 1690’s the entirety of Salem, Massachusetts were Puritans. “The Puritan lifestyle was restrained and rigid: People were expected to work hard and repress their emotions or opinions. Individual differences were frowned upon.” (Salem Witch Trials, The World Behind the Hysteria). These people believed that doing anything sinful would result in punishment from God. Just as much as they believed in God, they also believed in the Devil. Keeping up with the Puritan code, it led to the first women being accused of witchcraft. They were viewed as pariahs, and seen differently. Had the Puritan government let the afflicted defend themselves, not be so dependent on religion, not investigating the facts or scrutinize the trials the killing of many could have been prevented. The hangings from the trials would ultimately be the last in America.

In 1692, in the small village of Salem, Massachusetts, 20 people were hanged for offenses they did not commit. But what was the charge against the 20? The answer would be witchcraft. The charges deeply affected the small community. Neighbor turned on neighbor. Every act that a person made would be carefully scrutinized, dissected, and repeated to others. This would lead to the question. What caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692? The 3 main factors that would cause widespread panic in the town of Salem were gender, marital status, and age, actors and attention seekers, and neighbor conflicts within the village of Salem.

In the years following 1692, the average town of Salem, Massachusetts did the unthinkable and sentenced at least twenty of its citizens to death on the terms of practicing witchcraft. Salem, being split into two economic factions: Salem Town and Salem Village, rich and poor respectively, suffered from many problems in 1692. The harsh taxes of New England and failure crops caused many to believe that the devil was among them. These circumstances produced the perfect breeding ground for trickery within this strictly Puritan community. Many of those tried and accused were wealthy; another a clergyman involved in a monetary scandal with the infamous John Proctor. Jealousy and rage fueled many to accuse those who fit outside their standards of living or simply people they did not like.

Between the months of June to September of 1692, the infamous witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts resulted in the hanging of 19 men and women; the deaths of five others, including two children, while imprisoned in jail; the pressing to death of an 80-year old man, and the stoning of two dogs for collaborating with the Devil. Hundreds of others faced accusations and dozens more were jailed for months during the progress of the trials. For over three hundred years these events have not only captured the general publics' imagination, but that of the academic community. Beginning with Charles Upham, in 1867, historians have attempted to explain the mass hysteria that swept through Salem in 1692. These accounts vary both in their

Numerous factors and events helped create and influence the Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts. The main factors that started and fueled the trials were politics, religion, family feuds, economics, weather and the imaginations and fears of the people.

The largest outbreak of witchcraft in America took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. A group of girls, including the Parris’s Indian slave Tituba, gathered in the Salem village and were attempting to see the future by decoding “messages”. Shortly after this gathering the girls started showing signs of the possessed (pg. 73). To this day people all over America are still amazed with the events that took place in this time. But why is that? The fear of the village fell heavily onto the judicial system, which later made people focus on the proper separation of government and religious beliefs. Mass hysteria broke out amongst the village and many people were being accused, therefore leading to many innocent deaths. Although there could be many theories as to the reason the witch trials in Salem began, there are two points of view that are very commonly shared amongst people. Some believe that the Salem witch trials were women unconsciously searching for power, whereas others believe it was an encephalitis epidemic.

Throughout the Salem witch trials, there were many important contributing factors that spiced up the trials. The witch trials were nothing more than land grabs, economic opportunity, jealousy, and people trying to get retribution on their neighbors. The Puritans religion, politics, and economics were the factors that played a colossal role during the investigation for witchcraft. During the trial of an incriminated person, the community would constantly use their religious and political belief against them. Many accused witches hardly stood a chance if they were known as sinners, stood on the wrong sides of political views, or owned property that someone wanted. If an accused was not known to sin, they believed the right side of politics, and they did not own anything of value, they would most likely be found innocent during the investigation for witchcraft.

In 1692-1693, the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria occurred, resulting in 20 deaths out of the 200 accused of practicing the Devil’s magic, a practice that women were commonly accused of. Salem, Massachusetts, was a colony that consisted of Puritans, both Separatists and non Separatists alike. From the start, the Puritans believed that the Bible was true in all aspects: every word, every idea, every thought--was true. The Puritans also had minimal understanding of science, which led them to believe that phenomenon was an act of the Devil. Thus, when three young girls admitted to seeing demons and started behaving strangely, the Puritans grew progressively hysterical because they became more convinced that witches existed within Salem as they had little scientific knowledge. In a nutshell, the cause of the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria were Puritan fundamentalism, misogyny, and hysteria.

The myths surrounding the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 spike the interest of historians and non-academics alike. These trials have been the concern of different historical articles, novels, plays, films, and even religious debates. One issue that is certain, is the hysteria of the community overwhelmed Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 and 1693. A particular primary source, “Accounts of the Salem Witchcraft Trials (1693)” by Cotton Mather, suggests that the actions brought forth provided proof of satanic work. Even though Mather was a contemporary observer, Mather fails to analyze the importance of the real contemporary issues displayed during the time of the trials. Furthermore, historian Kyle Koehler, takes a different approach in his review,

During the 17th century, people were hung even if the did not deserve it. The trials started when little girls acted like they had been bewitched. The trials took place on a famous site called Salem Village, Massachusetts in the summer of 1692, killing more than 20 people. Salem’s infamy has bewildered many, for nobody truly knows, entirely, what caused the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Clearly, there were a few possible causes of the hysteria; however, these three stand out as the main causes envious, young, single woman; sexism; and lying little girls.

At that point in history there was a strong belief in witchcraft, along with a great fear of Satan, which may have led to the mass hysteria that ensued. Also, many of the girls who began the accusations were originally from towns in Maine and had lost one or both of their parents to Indians; this led to them begin forced to Salem as servants. These girls may have desired the attention and power that was taken from them when their parents died. It is also possible they may have been jealous of many of the women they accused; the majority of women who were accused were privileged and economically secure. The Salem Witch Trials were also enlarged when the judges began ignoring the ban on spectral evidence and began using these testimonies to convict accused witches. Economic and social factors may have played a part in causing the increasing numbers of accusations as well; the distribution of wealth within Salem was vastly unequal between the eastern and western halves as only the eastern side benefited from the local ports and rich soil. All of these factors possibly contributed to the start and continuation of the Salem Witch Trials for several

The Salem Witch Trials were caused by socioeconomic problems that were intertwined with the fabric that held early American life together: religion. Puritanism's lack of set doctrine lent itself to the possibility of corrupt leadership. In 1692 this is exactly what happened. Frightened by the possibility of losing his position as preacher to the Salem Village, Samuel Parris exploited the gravest fear that was held by people of that time period: Satan and witches.

<i>Why do you hurt these children?<br>I do not hurt them. I scorn it.<br>Have you made no contract with the devil? <br>No!</i><br><br>Mr. John Hathorn, a Judge involved in the witchcraft case of Sarah Good, then asked all of the afflicted children to look upon her and see if this was the person that had hurt them so. They all gazed at Goody Good and said that this was the person that tormented them—presently they were all tormented.<br><br>Puritanical beliefs had all of Salem truly believing that witches rode on broomsticks across the sky every night alongside the devil himself. They believed that these mere humans could send their "specter" out and haunt the children of their town. Proof of their belief follows, in an excerpt from Cotton

Factors for the Salem witch trials could have been a lot of things, like boredom or the need for excitement. However, I think they fall under mind over matter, when someone believes something it becomes real in their mind. Watching Tituba’s magic tricks caused the girls to believe in them, that followed by what actually made them act unusual initiated the hysteria. Probably the closest thing I can think of that might resemble the Salem witch trials, is the persecution of Christians in countries where the Bible is prohibited. Unfortunately, there are still countries where the leaders want to control everything even the religious beliefs of their populace.

In 1692, the Salem Witch Trials arose in the small Puritan colony of Massachusetts. Over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 19 people were convicted and executed. The Puritan Colony was one of very strict rules and a “rigid moral code” (An Unsolved Crime). They lived a very harsh lifestyle where they were given severe punishments and believed any sin would be punished by God. These colonists were also highly discouraged from showing any emotion such as “excitement, fear, or anger.” The children in this colony were also held to a high standard such as the adults and therefore, toys or games were almost forbidden, for they were considered “sinful distractions” (An Unsolved Crime). The Salem Witch Trials were initiated through the austere political and religious aspects, severe economic problems and the punitive factors of a stringent society.