Exploring Explanations for the Salem Witch Trials Essay

To learn more about the Salem witchcraft hysteria, Historian Paul Boyer, and Professor Stephen Nissenbaum sought to further understand the accusations of witchcraft. During the late 1600’s life in colonial New England was one led by religion and politics. Salem was broken up into two factions, Salem Village, and Salem Town. Salem Village, which was led by the Putnam family was a rapidly growing

The Salem Witchcraft trials in Massachusetts during 1692 resulted in nineteen innocent men and women being hanged, one man pressed to death, and in the deaths of more than seventeen who died in jail. It all began at the end of 1691 when a few girls in the town began to experiment with magic by gathering around a crystal ball to try to find the answer to questions such as "what trade their sweet harts should be of ". This conjuring took place in the Parris household where a woman named Tituba, an Indian slave, headed the rituals. Soon after they had begun to practice these rituals, girls who had been involved, including the Master Parris' daughter and niece, became sick.

The purpose of this book was to examine the history and social life of Salem Village to try to figure out what was the cause of the events that occurred there. I believe that the authors achieved their objective at least they did to me. Boyer and Nissenbaum's explanation for the outbreak of witchcraft accusations in Salem hinges on an understanding of the economic,

Suddenly people seemed very paranoid and soon residents were placing blame on one another and accusing each other of witchcraft. In a fifteen month period between 1691 and 1692 nearly twelve dozen people were accused of witchcraft in or near Salem (Norton, p8).

Living as we do in the 20th century, the charges imposed on people throughout New England during the 1680s and 1690s seem preposterous. Any behavior regarded as strange by fellow citizens was sufficient to hold a trial with a sentence of death. Though such scenarios seem unfathomable in our modern culture, it was a reality for hundreds of New England settlers. The causes of the famous outbreak of witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts are rooted in social, economic, and political aspects of the late 17th century Salem community.

Salem Massachusetts, 1692, a number of young women, the youngest at age 9, began experiencing fits of what they believed to be bewitchment. They blamed many citizens around the village and accused these people of casting spells upon the girls (Bonfanti, 18). These accusations were taken very seriously by the Puritans and over one hundred and fifty people were accused, nineteen of

In 1692, a town in Massachusetts by the name of Salem Village found itself in one of the most well-known cases of mass hysteria. This saga started with three girls Elizabeth Parris, Abigail Williams, and Ann Putnam a neighborhood friend. Abigail Williams, the niece of the town’s minister, began to display weird and questionable behavior. The town’s physician William Greggs, was called to determine the cause of this sporadic behavior. The town’s physician determine that the three girls were under “the Devil’s influence” and they had been bewitched. What started as a silly game between children, slowly brought the town of Salem to the edge of insanity. This insanity lead to the killing of 25 innocent people due to their crimes of witchcraft. When scholars look back at the Salem Witch Trials they often time ask the question “What were the key factors in the spread of hysteria throughout the town of Salem?” Most scholars contribute the widespread of hysteria to three important factors; these factors include social, political, and religious tension that occurred in Salem Village. Each one of these factors played a key role in the start of the Salem trials and why it spread so rapidly throughout Salem Village.

Childish behavior and pressure from the society was a main reason that the Salem Witchcraft trials occurred. In Charles W. Upham’s Salem

Salem Village was a small settlement under the control of Salem Town in Massachusetts. The village was notorious for its witchcraft hysteria that broke out in 1692, and the execution of twenty accused of being witches and wizards. The incident became an interesting topic for both historians and playwrights. However, the bizarre witch trial and the girls’ mysterious symptoms disguised the social and political movement which subtly influenced the small village for half a century. Only recently have historians started to dig out the complete history of the witch trials, and (have) tried to integrate the isolated incident of witchcraft hysteria with the normal life in Salem Village. Therefore, a new interpretation of the Salem Witch Trials emerges, where the events in Salem Village actually represent an early form of urban and rural division. The newly found evidence suggests that witchcraft hysteria is a direct product of social instability, which was triggered by the rapid commercialization of 17th century New England, the division between urban town and rural village, and the rise of the new merchant class.

Well connected with the merchant elite, the Porters enjoyed prestige in Salem town and lived in the village's eastern section, whose residents farmed richer soils and benefited somewhat from Salem Town's prosperity. In contrast, most Putmans lived in Salem village's less fertile western half, and had little chance to share in Salem town's commercial expansion, and had lost the political expansion that they once held in town.” (Document J) Also, according to the map of Salem (Document I), it shows the western, Salem Villagers, accused more people in the eastern, Salem Town. In theses 2 documents, the support of the people is very outlined with the poorer community blaming the much more richer community of witchcraft. Another reason

Salem Witchcraft Trials and Its Possible Causes - Adolescent girls in Salem MA used spectral evidence for accusations against others about witchcraft; an actual belief in witchcraft by Puritans hysteria from the rigid society a way of poorer and less landowning farmers getting back at the rich way to target women (especially widows or those with land) who were seen as inferior

In 1692, the subjects of Salem Massachusetts turned on each other, and blamed hundreds for their own neighbors with Witchcraft. Amid the era of June to September 1692, nineteen individuals were unjustifiably killed after ridiculous trials discovered them liable of demonstrations of Witchcraft. The explanations for the trials themselves are perplexing and multifaceted. Financial matters, religious imperatives, financial class issues, corrupted nourishment supply, property question, congregational quarrels and juvenile young ladies ailing in consideration all remain at the center of the Salem Witch

Wasn’t attributable of a physical malady, the community reasoned that it must been According to Blumberg, the Salem of witch trails was a really bad part of the United State. There were people who didn’t understanding why they were getting accused. This happed during 1692 and 1693 in Massachusetts. This happened during this time. The main parts that started and fueled the trials were politics, religion, family, feuds, economics, and the imaginations and fears of people (Sutter). The seeds of the hysteria is afflicted Salem village, Massachusetts were sown on January 1692 when groups of young lady’s began to display wild behavior. The physicians called to examine the girls could find no cause of the disturbing behavior. If the source affliction the work of Satan. Witches invaded of Salem. February village began; raying and fasting in order to rid itself of the devil’s affect the girls were pressured to reveal who’s in the community controlled their behavior. March 11, 1692 there was a day of fasting and also, prayers in the Salem during the days of community’s ministers, the rev. Monday 21st on March magistrates of Salem appointed to come to examination of the goodwife Corey about twelve of the clock they went into the meeting house, which was thronged with the spectators (The Salem witch Trials). Ann Putnam Elizabeth Hubbard, Susannah Sheldon, and Mary Warren all charge they were, no longer friends they were not nice. “The girls complained into grotesque poses, fell

This started the hysterical beginning of the Salem Witch trials, which resulted in many women, men, and children being accused of practicing witchcraft. Out of the one hundred fifty people accused in Salem, twenty of them were executed as witches, while others rotted away and died in jail. The people of Salem did not discriminate who they executed or who they sent to jail so the result was a diverse range of citizens being accused.

In parallel with all the events occurring in the colonies, the villagers of Salem were at odds one another. Residents of Salem village expressed their dissatisfaction with Salem Town and spoke about become an independent community. Unfortunately for the village, it was in Salem Town’s territory and could not gain sovereignty (Godbeer, 19). The town did not support the separation because they needed the food produced by the village and the taxes that the villagers payed (Godbeer, 19). Some villagers proposed to build their own church so that there was no inconvenienced in trying to reach the church in Salem Town. Many people did not agree to this because they preferred to travel to Salem Town than pay for the church through their taxes (Godbeer, 20). This feud between the villagers manifested itself later when the witch hunt occurred. It shined a light on the rivalries that took place and maintained grudges by the neighbors for various reason that led them to accuse fellow neighbors of witch craft.