Persuasive Essay On The Salem Witch Trials

How far would you go to get what you want or admire ? In Massachusetts Bay there's a variety of things young foolish girls would do. Which left a mark in time, the period of The Salem Witch Trials Hysteria 1692. Furthermore, to say the Salem witch trials was when male and women were either an accuser or the accused of witchcraft but, that was acquisitiveness the time. Finally, to say The Salem witch trial Mania was caused by three main reasons, the first reason for the hysteria in Salem Village was when the young, single women of Salem accused older, married women of witchcraft to get a husband for themselves. The second reason was that the beset girls was lying and there parents protected them. The third reason was the conflict of the west (farmers) and the east (Political/wealthy).

The Salem Witch Trials were controversial events in history. Many people are to blame for the confusion caused by this horrific event. For puritan colonists, such as the magistrates of the time, if something could not be explained scientifically then it was immediately blamed on the supernatural. While there were many symptoms that could be logically explained there was a number of unexplained circumstances of the afflicted such as babbling in an unidentifiable language and crawling under furniture. A multitude of individuals have varying ideas toward The Salem Witch Trials that are brought to life from a number of myths; some people believed that all the victims were female, some people thought that all the panic and chaos took place in Salem, and it has been said that superstition was the driving force.

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.

In a town called Salem, Massachusetts a group of girls go dancing in the woods performing witchcraft and get caught by Reverend Parris. The girls told lies and started rumors to try and cover up themselves so they wouldn’t get in trouble. The rumor of John Proctor being a witch, the

Nineteen men and women hung from the tree of destruction, for they are the ornaments of hysteria. The summer of 1692 was anything but normal for the Village of Salem. Trials and hangings of accused witches were happening left and right. It is still debated today what exactly caused the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Clearly, there were a few possible causes of the hysteria; however, envious, young, single women, a cross town rivalry, and lying little girls stand out as the main causes.

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 Salem Witch Trials was probably considered the darkest time for the New England Colony. This was a mass murder of women and a few men that were supposed witches. All of this started from two little girls and a bacteria in the bread that affected the brain.

The Salem Witch Trials, taking place between February 1692 and May 1693, arose from a period of mass hysteria regarding witchcraft. The puritanical society of New England emphasized a need for a Bible-based society, which caused a fear of the supernatural and gave rise to the false accusations of “witches.” With testimonies of witches rooted in the Old Testament, the idea of witchcraft eventually made its way into the superstitious and everyday Puritan life, and was fueled by the rejection of the group during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

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.

The events that transpired in Salem, Massachusetts occurred between the years of 1688 and 1693 constituted the most significant witchcraft outbreak in the history of the New England colonies. The entire event was quickly labeled as “colossal mistake” by the government after they had passed.(Ray, 2010) With this in mind the question remains; how did it get started and how did it get out of hand so quickly?

John Proctor lived in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem had been struck with witchcraft rumors that were started by a manipulative teenage girl named Abigail. He knows that the girls were sporting, and blaming innocent people of supernatural crimes that cannot occur. John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth had been accused of witchery, as a form of revenge from Abigail. Abigail had strong feelings for John Proctor, and wanted to get rid of Elizabeth. In the end John Proctor tried to do the right thing by saving his wife from his own sins. Therefore his sins put the love of his life in a great risk of dying. Throughout The Crucible John Proctor was seen as a smart, argumental and brave man. However, the town did not see him as a puritan or a good

He starts accusing the girls of being witches. After being pressured to confess, the girls began to blame others for their actions. They start naming people who are witches to save their own skin. The witch trials cause hysteria throughout the town. John Proctor confess that he is a witch but doesn’t name anyone else because he doesn’t want to spread lies.

The Salem Witch Trials were cruel and gruesome. The paragon of illogic and superstition, these trials, while not as gruesome as their European predecessors, were responsible for the deaths of twenty seven or more individuals, and were incredibly traumatic to others. They originated in Europe and resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. The trials in Salem were on a much smaller scale but were still devastating to the small village.

In 1692 in the quaint Puritan village of Salem Massachusetts, twenty lives were claimed to execution on charges of witchcraft, nineteen by hanging and one man was pressed to death. The causes of these deaths and the Salem Witch Trails can be easier understood when the culture of Puritan Colonial life is examined. The Salem community was rooted in the Puritan religion. Puritans believed like all Christians, that humanity was guilty of the original sin committed by Adam and Eve, and believed that Jesus Christ had died on the cross for their evils and all faithful Christians would be admitted to heaven following death. Puritans, also being Calvinists subsequently believed that there was nothing a person could do to ensure their fate, each person was predestined to enter either heaven or hell. This made the Puritan religion a fearful one, where its followers never felt secure. Puritans held a firm belief in the supernatural, they concluded that if the supernatural was disregarded then the very nature of God himself was being rejected. Puritans saw themselves as forces of good, fighting to rid the world of evil. Their certainty of the paranormal was profoundly engraved into their belief system which affected the course of the Salem Witch Trials tremendously.