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. A common belief brought over from Old England was that women were more susceptible to sin than men. This was supposedly due to them …show more content…
Tituba, known as one of the first to be accused, was believed to be the Indian slave of Reverend Samuel Parris, and was perhaps the most well known among the accused. Even then, very little information is available about her. All that is known for certain is that Tituba was a servant, probably of Barbadian origin, that, upon confession, accused several other villagers. This, of course, resulted in a positive feedback loop of the accused persons naming even more witches, who would probably then accuse even more, should they choose to confess. The large number of confessions was due in part to the attitudes women had towards sin; they were generally “more convinced that their sinful natures had bonded with the devil.” Once they confessed, the accused were pressured to name others who had signed a pact with the devil, as “everyone wanted to believe that witches flourished in Salem.” An interesting event in the history of America, the witchcraft craze of Salem questioned the Puritan values of society, as well as women’s roles. It’s possible that, due to their widespread impact, the Salem witch trials formed a basis on which complete religious freedom would eventually be
The accusers, who were mostly single, teenage girls, caused a lot of panic in the majority older, married women. The ratio of women to men hanged in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 was thirteen to seven (Document A). This fact obviously caused a lot of panic in the minds of most women since they were the majority of who was being accused. Twenty-one out of the twenty-nine accusers in 1692 were girls under twenty-one (Document B). This statistic could cause older, married women to fear the younger women in society, which in effect, gives them much more
The Salem Witch Trials were a series of infamous events that demand an explanation for their occurrence. The trials that took place in 1692 caused neighbors in the community of Salem Village in the colony of Massachusetts to turn on one another out of paranoia, accusing one another of witchcraft. According to Carol Karlsen, a longtime author of the subject, nineteen people were hanged and about 200 others were imprisoned (40). A few theories have been offered in order to explain the root of this mass hysteria. The theories in question need to be examined to see which holds the most credibility.
The Salem Witch Trials was from 1692-1693, in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. There was a circle of girls who wanted to have a little fun so they got involved in the sport of witchcraft. They went to the minister’s house every day to visit Tituba, the Caribbean slave, to join her for palm and tea leaf reading. The girls took it too far though. They pretended to have fits and started accusing people of being witches. They went so far that people started to be hung for being witches but they weren’t. The girls didn’t understand that what they were doing was wrong. But then it got worse… the girls started to believe their own lies. Salem was doomed… after the girls began to think that what they said was true…
Throughout our nation 's history, Americans have survived times of struggle by remaining strong and brave despite their fears. Disease, natural disasters, and starvation are just a few of the trials our country has faced. While these are certainly dangerous, perhaps the most frightening of all is when you fear those closest to you. This is what happened during the horrific frenzy labeled as the Salem Witch Trials. Nobody truly knows why they occurred, although there are several plausible theories. It all originated in seventeenth century New England, in a tiny place called Salem Village (History.com).
Accusations of witchcraft ran rampant in the 17th century colonial settlements in the United States. The individuals accused, mostly women, were put on trial and punished, if found guilty. The most well-known of such cases on public record are the Salem Witch Trials. Between February, 1692 and May, 1693, hearings and prosecutions were set up to deal with those accused of dabbling in the dark arts in the cities of Andover, Salem, and Ipswich, all in Massachusetts Bay. These trials came to commonly be referred to as the Salem Witch Trials because some of the most notorious cases were heard in the Oyer and Terminer courts in Salem. At the time, practicing witchcraft was considered a serious crime, and was
The witch trials of the late 1600's were full of controversy and uncertainty. The Puritan town of Salem was home to most of these trials, and became the center of much attention in 1692. More than a hundred innocent people were found guilty of practicing witchcraft during these times, and our American government forced over a dozen to pay with their lives. The main reasons why the witch trials occurred were conflicts dealing with politics, religion, family, economics, and fears of the citizens.
The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts during the late 17th century (1692 and 1693 to be specific). During this time, more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and provided compensation to the families of those who were convicted. Since then, the story of the trials have become commonly associated with paranoia and injustice, captivated the popular imagination more than 300 years later. The Salem Witch Trials have long captivated interest from scholars and researchers and this phenomenon is analyzed on multiple levels: socological, historical, anthropo- logical, psychological, demographical, and many others. The Trials are commonly
During the early winter of 1692 two young girls became inexplicably ill and started having fits of convulsion, screaming, and hallucinations. Unable to find any medical reason for their condition the village doctor declared that there must be supernatural forces of witchcraft at work. This began an outbreak of hysteria that would result in the arrest of over one hundred-fifty people and execution of twenty women and men. The madness continued for over four months.
Throughout history millions of people have been scorned, accused, arrested, tortured, put to trial and, persecuted as witches. One would think that by the time the United States was colonized, these injustices on humanity would have come to an end, but that was not so. In 1692 a major tragedy occurred in America, the Salem witch trials. It all began when a group of girls accused others, generally older women, of consorting with the devil. The witchcraft hysteria in Salem,
In the spring of 1692, a superstitious belief of witchcraft mysteriously appeared in a small village of New England named as Salem. The Salem village was settled by religious colonists seeking to build a pure Puritan bible-based society. The Puritans were expected to follow their strict moral code to avoid their strong belief in the wrath of God. Majority of the sinners, who drifted away from the Puritan lifestyle, developed witchcraft hysteria which was believed as the devil’s possession of God’s people. As time passed, the paranormal outburst of witchcraft resulted in the Salem Witch Trials which involved executions and prosecutions of innocent people accused for witchcraft. However, the Salem Witch Trials were not proven by reliable
A real fear feels like death, but less satisfying. These fears enthralled the minds of the naive and frightened during the most dangerous time to be alive in New England, The Salem witch trials. The fire inside the Salem Trials needs a fuel, fed to it from the spoon of the stupid, will grown until it burns everything in sight. Who knew a mere lack of knowledge could get 20 people killed and drag Puritan society through hell. Highly religious peoples had a large role in fueling the hysteria that occurred during the trials. The fear from being attacked during the Indian war also had a played a big role in why the Witch Trials kept going strong for so long. The Salem witch trials, fueled by fear and influenced by hardship of Puritan life and
During the late 1600’s many women and few men were accused of practicing witchcraft in a small farming town known as Salem Village. Salem Village belonged to a very strict religion also known as Puritanism,the Puritan religion had no restraint that the slightest mistake during the Salem hysteria period could result in the farmers who met in the town hall gossiping about maybe your absence at church, and you were suspected to be a witch.
The Salem witch trails were a major historic event in the seventeenth century as the New England colonies were being formed on Puritanism values. This event has been written over and over about but never in this manner. Elizabeth Reis writes in her book “Damned Women” about how gender played a major role in the Salem witch trails. Reis debates the ways that sexism was used against these women. She studies the connection between women, sin, the feminine soul, the devil, confession and Puritanism during this time period and how it is associated to the out break of female deaths.
There was a point in our history when people believed in witches. If you were accused as a witch, you would be tried, most of the time found guilty, and hanged. These events happened in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. During the Salem witch trials in 1692, more women were accused than men. At the same time, women were also accusers. Many things could have caused women to be accused and accusers. These included, the stories Tituba told, the effects of Ergot Poisoning, Hysteria and the hunger for Power. During this time, the young girls (Elizabeth Parris, and Abigail Williams) started having fits. This was after Tituba told stories about demons and witches to them. These fits were similar to the fits one would have gotten if poisoned with
The Salem Witch Trials began in June of 1692 in the colonial Massachusettes. Salem Village, Massachusettes had been experiencing an interesting decade. During this time the town had just become accustomed to a new minister by the name of Minister Parris. Having being the third minister withing seven years, the minister was insecure about his position in the town. Emagining that the town was going through an unstable time period, the group did nothing more but make things worse. The victims of the Trials were accused of using “The Devil’s Magic” to harm others. This began when four teenage girls claimed to have been forced into witchcraft and began accusing radom people of withcraft to keep the attention off of themselves for their “Satanic” behavior. Abigail, Betty, Mercy, and Mary were four young girls that were sent to the woods- which were viewed as a place of the devil- to conjure up dead babies. The girls were caught by the minister and were accused and trialed. To keep themselves out of trouble the girls accused others of witchcraft causing them to be beheaded and hanged on several occasions. First the girls, with Abigail being the leader, accused Tituba of forcong them to do the Satanic things mainly because she was the most vulnerable to accuse. Her being the only black woman involved with the group was an easy target for Abigail.