How The Salem Witch Trials Impacted Modern Culture

Numerous historians have come out to suggest various ideas as to how the girls started having fits and why the people of Salem jumped on the accusation bandwagon. One such proposition came out in 1976 by a graduate student who suggested food poisoning triggered “ergotism” which caused the girls to experience their fits. There is also an additional possible medical reason behind the Salem trials, involving the girls experiencing “asthma, epilepsy, or some form of acute delusional psychosis.” These medical diagnoses could prove why the girls went into the fits, but also plays into the next theory. This theory is incredibly plausible and ties in with pretty much all the theories including the Samuel Parris idea, involved the community’s outright fear brought on by the strict Puritan beliefs. The church led every child to believe that the Devil tempted them everyday and convinced them to live in fear. These ideas set forth from childhood, could have led the girls to truly believe the Devil was in Salem and threatened their lives. It is even possible that the citizens accused each other in fear of being accused themselves. All these beliefs are incredibly plausible and can help us to better understand how the proceedings of the trials occurred; however, with the lack of primary sources and confessions by key members of the events we are decide on one theory dismissing all the

slightest change. It took nineteen innocent deaths for the leaders of Salem to even begin to see the wrong doing in their trials. The Salem witch trials of the 1690’s had an immense impact on American history. These dark times cast a shadow that would forever haunt this country’s past, knowing that our fore fathers were not the

The spring of 1692 was the beginning of what would later be known as the Salem Witch Trials. In January of 1692 Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams the daughter and niece of Samuel Parris the Minister of the Salem Village, began having violent fits of anger and outbursts of screaming as well as crawling under furniture and muttering strange words. A local doctor diagnosed the girls, along with a few other young girls in the community with “bewitchment”.

These girls were the spark to the falsely accused people. We had a house made by the name of Mary Warren, a nice quiet girl who did not enjoy attention. However, she became to have these fits, very crazy fits. She would exclaim she saw spirits of people in the town and the would wake her. I recalled to her that if she keeps doing this I will hurt her, obviously I would not do this, I just needed to get her attention.

Salem was once a tight-knit farming and fishing community where the people living there lived off hard work and their own puritan faith. This changed in 1692, when nineteen men and women, all having been convicted of witchcraft, were carted off to Gallows Hill for hanging. While another man of over eighty years old was pressed to death under heavy stones for remaining silent during his trial for witchcraft charges. Hundreds of others faced accusations of witchcraft. Dozens languished in jail for months without trials. Then, almost as soon as it had begun, the hysteria that swept through puritan Massachusetts ended.

A group of young girls started to accuse several women of participating in witchcraft, or even worse that they were being possessed by the devil. But this is only an effect of where it all truly began, when these girls mentioned before, whose names were Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams, started to display strange behavior which consisted of them making odd sounds abnormal screams, and contorting their bodies or in some cases throwing objects. After this occurrence both girls started to claim that an invisible being was scratching and biting them. After them many young girls started to act similarly. This event unleashed a series of merciless and callous trials, which claimed where for the hunting down of the malicious beings that corrupted their community. Most of the people accused, declared themselves as not guilty, and pleaded their innocence till their death, which was in fact a cause of such harsh

The Salem witch trials were influenced by religion, social outlooks, and eerie behaviors. This lead to numerous allegations and trials that convicted the innocent and the instigators of society.

The first to do so was a young girl by the name of Betty Paris. These girls suffered through a series of fits, hiding under furniture, writhing in pain, screaming and crying for no apparent reason, and fevers. These girls were later called the “afflicted girls.” A local doctor examined them and found nothing physically wrong with them. There then arose the idea that they were bewitched. Many scientist have tried to explain what had happened to these girls and many theories have surfaced. Some believe that they had eaten rye infected with fungus. Others believe they had epilepsy or a mental illness. Then there is the popular theory that these girls just suffered from boredom and wanted attention. People in the community pushed them to say who was the one behind their agony and so the girls accused the first three women, Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn, and a slave named Tituba. These women were easy targets, all being somewhat social outcasts. This helped the community rally behind the girls and believe their story. There was another turn of events that occurred during questioning, Tituba confessed to being a witch and being recruited by Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn. The colonies had accused and executed witches in the past but few to none had ever confessed. This sudden knowledge sent the area into a frenzy and the witch hunts

== = The Salem Witchcraft trials started in 1692 resulting in 19 executions and 150 accusations of witchcraft. This was the biggest outbreak of witchcraft hysteria in colonial New England. The trials began because three young girls, Betty Parris, Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam began having hysterical fits, convulsions and terrifying visions after being caught engaging in forbidden fortune telling[1].

These girls did not all show “symptoms” at one time. The first girl to start experiencing symptoms was Betty Parris. She was followed by Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr., Mary Walcott and Mercy Lewis (History of Massachusetts). These girls were throwing tantrums, hiding under furniture and contorting to pain. Since panic and fear set in, witchcraft was the easy choice to make. In today’s medical science, these girls would have been diagnosed with boredom or epilepsy. Although at the time the cause was unknown, these symptoms were probably brought on from eating rye infected with fungus. The three victims were not the only ones accused. There were numerous cases of scapegoating running prevalent.

The infamous Salem Witchcraft Trials began in early 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts. It all began as a childlike game of a fortune teller to discover the future of the young girls. The Salem Witchcraft Trials began January of 1692, when two girls, Betty Paris (nine) and Abigail Williams (seventeen) , began to have fits and convulsions. They were seen by doctor William Griggs, and the only reasonable diagnosis he knew of was bewitchment. By the end of February, two other girls, Ann Putnam and Elizabeth Hubbard, became ill. All together, there were 10 girls that were afflicted. Ann Putnam and Elizabeth Hubbard accused Sarah Good, Tituba, and Sarah Osborne 's spirits of hurting them. Tituba, Reverend Parris 's slave, had

The Salem Witch Trials occurred from 1692-1693. However, the Salem Witch Trials has left a lasting effect on the world, that still exists to this day. One lasting effect that was caused by the Trials was the splitting apart of families and the difficult lives of the accused. Those who survived were compensated. Those that did not their families received no aid, and no closure of those that were convicted and accused but not

The Salem Witch Trials were a series of accusations, trials, and executions based on the supposed outbreak of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. The trials began during the spring of 1692, and the last of them ended in 1693. It all started when two young girls, Abigail and Betty Parris, began experiencing violent convulsions and outbursts, which were thought to be brought about by witchcraft. Whether they were faking these symptoms, were afflicted with an actual sickness, or were experiencing them because of some sort of psychological reason is widely debated, though it is known that the sisters accused their maid, Tituba, of forcing them to participate in witchcraft with her. Some who theorize about the causes of the trials dismiss the Parris girls involvement in the beginning and instead attribute the outbreak of accusations to judgement upon the members of society who break social or religious rules, or who struck the upright members of society as ‘strange’ and ‘suspicious’, such as the homeless, the poor, and old or widowed women. The cause of the hysteria that went on in Salem after this is what is speculated by so many. There are probably hundreds of theories out there, but a few in particular are more widely known, accepted, and supported than others.

Did you know that the Salem witch trials resulted in the execution of only twenty people? Most people believe that hundreds of people were executed during the Salem witch trials, which is often a very common thought but in actuality only twenty people (mostly women) were executed. The Salem witch trials was a huge part of American history, they are important to remember because they are probably a crucial turning point for America, because before the trials religion and superstition were very important and after the trials happened rational thinking became more and more important. The Salem witch trials had such an impact on American people that they are still remembered and talked of in today’s society. These trials are still today widely thought of as being important, because they showed an excellent example of how people hate or fear what they do not understand, which is still a behavior that is seen in present society. The Salem Witch Trials had many causes which all could have been prevented if the Puritan government would have taken the time to investigate the accusations of the alleged crimes being committed. The Salem witch trials provide many interesting aspects to discuss such as, the historical information on the Salem witch trials, how the Puritan government could have prevented this by not accepting spectral evidence, and why the puritan government was so willing to accept the accusations being made.

The Salem witch trials had a drastic affect on the Puritan religion. The trials helped shape and point the direction for the New England Colonies and the Puritan religion. The Salem witch trials outbreak began in 1692. In the past, there had only been about five convictions of people being accused of witchcraft; none of this resulted in any deaths(Wilborn 16). Usually just a fine was given, but by the end of 1692 there was already 150 arrests (17). Whether you were rich or poor, it didn’t seem to matter, anyone and everyone was being accused. No one felt safe at this time (Trask ix).