The Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials Of 1692

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a series of prosecutions of people who were accused of acts of witchcraft or of being a witch in Salem, Massachusetts through the time period of February 1692 through May 1693. This was a dark time in history as more than 200 prosecutions took place and at least 20 people were killed during this time of fear and hysteria. The accusations began as three girls Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne were accused of witchcraft from other young girls in the community. During this time period, fear of the Devil was common as people in Salem were very devoted to their religion and religious practices. As one of the accused girls, Tituba, confessed to working for the Devil and admitting to being a witch, this caused panic and hysteria as a massive witch hunt took place to find more of these witches. This confession was the main reason behind months and months of fear and mass panic as it triggered more accusations.

The view that religious beliefs were behind the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 is predominantly incorrect. While the Puritan culture’s strong Christian beliefs did dictate the behaviour of New England society, for the authorities that instigated the Witch Trials, religion was a mere justification for their actions that allowed them to gain support by instilling in the masses the fear of a higher power. Their true motives lay in the political and social issues of the time, with Salem Town’s division due to two disputing families, the ever-present fear of smallpox, and the male population’s immense opposition to female independence and sexuality. Thus, while society had strong religious beliefs, they were merely a pretext for the political and social factors of family conflict, disease, and fear of women that were the true bases for the accusations dealt in 1692.

Three centuries ago, the Puritan religion was the base of the Salem village and many townspeople strongly believed in the existence of witches and witchcraft. According to the common Puritan belief, witches were in alliance with the devil and were granted power to harm. People were blamed for illness, failed crops, to bad weather, and many other things that were evident centuries ago. Due to the belief in witchcraft villagers were, perhaps, inclined to the most improbable explanations. The Puritans held strict views, ways of living, perspectives fears, and fantasies. Many Puritan ministers used the the fear of witchcraft to scare the believers into following the church. Historians believe these strict Puritan ways of life may have brought upon the witchcraft hysteria in Salem. At the time, witches and witchcraft were a serious and viewed as a real threat; almost as real as

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.

In the year (1692) witch trials held the Salem area hostage people were terrified. People of

The Salem witch trials were a series of different court trials. They occurred after a group of young girls were claimed to be possessed by the devil. These individuals experienced hallucinations. Some of the suspects explained the attacks as if bugs were crawling under their skin. When the outbreak began to spread, the government proceeded to accuse multiple people in the colony of witchcraft. This is how the Salem witch trials came to be. The trials took place in colonial Massachusetts. According to the History channel, “They begun during the spring of 1692,” in a town called Salem (History.com staff,1). During this series of hearings, many people, women specifically, were accused of witchcraft. These people and their families were

For decades, opposing perspectives of different people and groups has led to contention in society. In communities around the world, this contention has built up fear and prejudice. However, as conflict is an inevitable part of any society, it can be expected to develop the greatest consequence possible. The Salem Witch Trials are an example of such conflict, as they resulted in many people being falsely accused for crimes, arrested, and killed. But what provoked this mass hysteria? Scholars have attempted to answer this question, but the most common idea is that it was due to a variety of economic, social, and physiological problems within the Salem village.

The first ever Witch-Hunt accusations started in B.C.E. .Which is Bible times and it states the hebrew scriptures addressed Witch-Craft , including the Exodus 22:18 and, various verses in the Levicticus and Deutereromony ( thoughtco.com ) . Another early Witch Hunt happened in around the year 910 , ( according to thoughtco.com ) just before the Roman Empire began . Some witch-craft specialist think the fall of the roman empire because witches brainwashed the emperor and forced his empire down , so they could rule . Also during this time people who did fortune telling and spell casting were being hunted and killed because citizens claimed bad things were happening to them after reading. Also , people casting spells were accused of making people sick , and causing deaths of common people . Even though most people thought believers of witches were delusional and frauds , majority ruled at the time . Today people define Witch-Hunts as accusing a group of people for not having the same beliefs as society / majority group of people .

The Salem Witch Trials were started after a group of three girls started to have fits, and were accused of being possessed by the devil and performing witchcraft. One of the girls, Tituba a Caribbean slave, had confessed that she had encountered the devil in a dream and the devil had requested her to serve him. The Salem Witch Trials had caused mass hysteria throughout Massachusetts, but once the governor's wife had been accused of witchcraft the governor had stepped in to put a stop to the Salem Witch Trials.

The trial begins in 1692, in Massachusetts. After three young girls in the Salem village claimed being possessed by the devil, they accused other individuals of witchcraft. A hysteria began in September of 1692 and everybody started turning on each other. Several people got charged with witchcraft and either got hung or served time in jail. Although the Massachusetts General Court later annulled guilty verdicts against accused witchcraft. According to others, the devil gave the number of people (witches) the ability to harm others. Soon three little girls began to throw fits, such as violence and uncontrollable outbursts of screaming. They were diagnosed with bewitchment and soon others started growing the same symptoms. Later on, in February, arrest warrants has been taken place with three other adults. In Three Sovereigns for Sarah three little girls were acting as if they been possessed by the devil after playing a few “games” that had to do with bad spirits. Tituba, Abigail Williams, the minister's niece, family slave, who practiced voodoo, taught them how to play. After all that, everything started to happen. The Salem witch trials lasted from 1692-1693. A “special tea” had been made by Tibula, which she gave to the Elizabeth Parris so it can cause her to act in a certain way. Once the girls finished playing voodoo, later on they started disturbing contortions, sudden outbursts of screaming, and psychological effects, they are diagnosed by the village

On definition the Salem Witch Trials, was widespread pandemic where people would turn each other in for supposedly dealing in witchcraft and making deals with the devil. The Salem Witch Trials occurred in Massachusetts during 1692 through 1693. It did not matter who or what you were, you could still be convicted. There was not specific people that could convict you anyone could say you were a witch. Once a person was accused of being a witch, they went to jail. To supposedly prove that you were a witch people would use spectral evidence and a simple accusation. Furthermore, if a person was see acting weird or out of the ordinary, they would have been accused of being a witch. There were many reasons that the people of Massachusetts had for the witch trials. Most of the people killed knew that they were innocent but many of them took the punishment regardless of what they believed. Because of these trials the town and its people were ripped apart.

In 1692, one of the most peculiar outbreaks of accusation erupted in Massachusetts, after a group of young woman claimed to be possessed by the devil, commonly know as the Salem Witch Trials. Although almost three-fourths of the people accused were woman, both men and woman were accused of possessing super natural powers. The reason behind these accusations, has baffled historians and scientists for decades. There is reason to believe that the cause for such accusations was due to personal vendettas, jealousy, religious beliefs and behaviors, and the ability to be influenced easily. The Salem Witch Trials are commonly known for the immense hysteria brought about by the trials and the death of innocent men, woman, and children, but what is really memorable from the trials is the betrayal and outing of other witches in confessions.

The infamous Salem Witch Trials began in the spring of 1692 after a group of young girls in Salem had become consumed by disturbing fits, including seizures and blood curdling screams.They claimed to be possessed by the devil and had accused several women of witchcraft. This ignited the start of the witch trials. More than 150 people had been accused of witchcraft. 8 of which were children. At the end of all the accusations there were 20 people who were put to death by hanging or in the case of Giles Corey pressed to death. Many more had perished in jail. The Puritans had targeted vulnerable people, people they deemed to be susceptible to the devil. This included people from the outside, whether it be their class or if they had just moved there. Moreover there was a fight between people who supported Reverend Parris and those who had opposed him. Then to top it all off the town had struggled through 20 years of trials and hardships and they needed a scapegoat, who better to blame than Lucifer himself. I do not believe that it is one theory or one reason why the town of Salem had accused the people living within the town boundaries. Instead it was a collection of things that had initiated the tragedy. To say that there was one reason that lit the fuse is to be blind all other theories.

The Salem Witch Trials was a witch hunt started by a group of young girls whom the locals believed to be possessed by the devil. The Salem Witch Trials caused a lot of hysteria among the community. Many of the locals who believed this witch hunt was untrue stayed quiet in fear of being accused themselves. Those who believed they were innocent were punished harshly for refusing to confess. This resulted in the death of twenty people and over two hundred people were accused of witchcraft in the span of only one year. Unlike today's court system where one is innocent until proven guilty, the courts in Salem presumed the accused automatically guilty. This was due to mass hysteria because of superstition, stress due to recent Indian raids and current social climate because these women were looking to accuse others or gain attention from people in the village.The Salem Witch Trials were crucial in the formation of a proper government for America that not only included one’s religious freedom but also their inalienable rights that were given to them as human beings. From watching “The Witches of Salem: The Horror and The Hope” one can see the controversy and the chaos that these witch trials caused throughout Salem. From the film, one can see the true causes of what started the Salem Witch Trials, which were the politics throughout the village, the role woman held, and also the fear from one another. As seen from the film, the gruesome and inhumane Salem Witch Trials started a

Belief and fear of the supernatural has been around since Adam and Eve. The regularity of the witch trials began in the 14th century and was still widespread throughout both Salem Town and Salem Village in 1692. Salem Town was a busy port city, whereas Salem Village was small and agriculturally oriented. Its population consisted of about 500 people. The famed Salem Witch Trials began in Salem Village when the new church minister Samuel Parris’ daughter and niece became sick. nine-year-old Betty Parris and eleven-year-old Abigale Williams, would writh on the ground, scream uncontrollably, and complain of fever, and of being pinched and bitten sporadically. The local doctor, William Griggs, failing to explain their symptoms, blamed their sickness on the supernatural. The family’s slave, Tituba, was told by a neighbor to bake a cake made from the victim’s urine and feed it to the family dog. Dogs at that time were thought to be the devil’s instruments. Meanwhile eleven-year-old Ann Putnam, seventeen-year-old Mercy Lewis, and Mary Walcott, playmates of Betty, began showing similar symptoms. Doctor Griggs examined them and claimed they also were plagued by the supernatural. The widespread belief that witches targeted children made the doctor's diagnosis seem increasingly feasible. Suspicion and blame in the village turned to Tituba because the stories of voodoo, omens, and folklore she brought from her homeland, as