The Consequences Of The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem witch trials were a result of mass hysteria. It was caused by false accusations. On May 1693, fourteen women, five men, and two dogs were executed for supposed supernatural crimes. The Salem trials have a unique place in our collective history today. (" Saxon, V,Procedure Used in...").

The Salem Witch Trials, also know as the Salem Witchcraft Trials were legal proceedings which took place of course in the Salem Village of Massachusetts. These trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in the village, claimed to be possessed by the devil accusing several local women of practicing the craft. Victims were prosecuted and executed for reputedly practicing witchcraft, when little to no evidence of the act itself existed. This historical period resulted in twenty people, mostly women, being hung for black magic conspiracies. Neighbors accused neighbors; even church members accused other church members of witchcraft. Others were accused, but fled the area before they could be arrested. During this time

For example, the Salem witch hunt trials began in 1692 in the springtime, when young girls in Salem village, Massachusetts claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several other people of witchcraft. Then it just spread throughout Massachusetts. So then the court convened in Salem to hear the case and whoever was convicted was hanged. Then ever more people, some of them children, were accused of witchcraft. The Massachusetts General Court later annulled guilty charges against accused witches and granted indemnities to their families and community. The painful legacy of Salem Witch Trials would endure for centuries.

The Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. As a wave of hysteria spread throughout colonial Massachusetts, a special court convened in Salem to hear the cases; the first convicted witch, Bridget Bishop, was hanged that June. By September 1692, the hysteria had begun to spread and public opinion turned against the trials. Though the Massachusetts General Court later annulled guilty verdicts against accused witches and granted indemnities to their families, bitterness lingered in the community, and the painful legacy of the Salem witch trials would endure for centuries.

Devastation come in all shapes and forms. Whether it is a hurricane that has destroyed a whole city or a plague that’s whipped out a whole country. In today’s society, we are able to track a hurricane and evacuate all nearby populaces before it arrives and a plague is highly unlikely due to our modern medicines, many different vaccines that have been and still are being created. However, in Salem Massachusetts, a devastation occurred that was unprecedented. It was not a hurricane or even a plague that had killed innocent people, but a group of girls. Could this have been prevented and lives saved? This paper will discuss the events that occurred in Salem in 1692 and the impact it had on the community.

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 was first brought about as a game by young adolescent girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts. The young girls had falsely claimed they were possessed by devilish beings which were innocent men and women of Salem Village causing an uproar of witchcraft in their village. I believe the great hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials was solely out of boredom, meaning it was a break from the norm and caused excitement quite easily. Those who were accused went to “trial” but given the behavior of the young girls who had claimed to be possessed made it impossible to walk free. Those who went to trial were hanged at the hanging tree for the practice of witchcraft whether there was proof or not.

The myths surrounding the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 spike the interest of historians and non-academics alike. These trials have been the concern of different historical articles, novels, plays, films, and even religious debates. One issue that is certain, is the hysteria of the community overwhelmed Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 and 1693. A particular primary source, “Accounts of the Salem Witchcraft Trials (1693)” by Cotton Mather, suggests that the actions brought forth provided proof of satanic work. Even though Mather was a contemporary observer, Mather fails to analyze the importance of the real contemporary issues displayed during the time of the trials. Furthermore, historian Kyle Koehler, takes a different approach in his review,

In 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, hysteria broke out throughout the town in an event that later became known as the Salem Witch Trials. They were the largest account of witch hangings ever in America, as 20 women and men were put to death for being accused of practicing witchcraft. Historians have been debating about how these trials were caused. The frenzy in Salem happened because at first, young girls were afraid of punishment and wanted to avoid it so they blamed older women and accused them of being witches. These accusations began to spiral out of control when the religion of the town supported the allegations, which causes paranoia and panic to spread throughout Salem, which blinded the townspeople from clues revealing that the

The United States of America is known to many as the Home of the Free. The United States has built itself on pride knowing that its citizens are protected against a government that abuses its power. Also, religious freedom and a separation of church and state are key fundamentals of America. However, the present day United States had to go through several conflicts in order to preserve the unalienable rights. One of these obstacles the United States had to overcome was the Salem Witch Trials.

In 1692 a troubling time began in Salem, Massachusetts. It ended a year after that in 1693. It was called the Salem Witch Trials. The trials are known as a prime source of scapegoating. If you mix fear with something traumatic and stressful then the outcome will be scapegoating. Salem was a place full of fear of the devil and the witches he chose to harm others. Christians during this time had an idea that the devil chose certain people to have some wicked power to hurt and potentially kill someone. They were very afraid the devil would try to find a way to kill the Christians and all of the Christian communities.(Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice) When it was all said and done a few of the town officials publically declared that it was much overreacted and that it was a pretty big mistake. They compensated all the families of the ones who got convicted afterwards.(A Brief History)

Two hundred people were accused and twenty were executed between the years of 1692-1693 in Salem, Massachusetts due to suspicion of witchcraft. Although most, if not all of these people were falsely accused this act by the court could’ve ended up a good thing in Salem in the future. The Salem witch trials affected Salem positively and negatively. The unfortunate event helped positively towards the government because it separated law and church, but had a negative effect on the church making them lose credibility, and a clear negative effect on the people of Salem that died and were accused.

The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem Village, Massachusetts in the time of the colonies. During and after the Salem Witch Trials took place, there was confusion and anxiety not only in Massachusetts, but in the surrounding colonies. Throughout the trials, many were falsely accused and imprisoned, fined, hanged, and even crushed to death. In the next few pages, I will talk about the cause, effect, and importance of the Salem Witch Trials.

The Salem Witch Trials affected the city greatly and caused a division between the people. Cotton Mather wanted to do something right for the city; he wanted to restore all that was lost. He hoped that by his book could bring a stronger unity to the community. In doing so, he shined the light on the people about the devil and his existence to truly kill, steal, and destroy. The people needed to recognize how disturbed and displeased the devil was once they arrived to this land. Mather stressed on the fact that the devil was making sure any form of religious beliefs of groups didn’t threaten his territory. Therefore, Satan began a battle with the people of New England and Mather wanted to inform them about the wicked spirit that was roaming

The Salem Witch Trials are an important event in U.S. history because they emphasised the cracks in the facade of the Puritan’s “perfect” society. I find this topic intriguing because it shows that there is no such thing as a flawless society. It all began when two girls were caught making love potions. Instead of owning up their devilish ways, they blamed it on their slave and everyone believed them because who in American history would believe a slave? The children didn't realize the repercussions their actions would have on others. Soon after, the townspeople turned on their friends and neighbors, the people they had once trusted, accusing them of being witches because they were so adamant about their religion. The ways the people died

Many people know of the Salem witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1692 spilling over into the year 1693. But for those who do not know, the Salem witch trials were a series of trials against men, women, and children accused of being a witch and or practicing witchcraft. In “The Devils Snare: The Salem Witch Trials of 1692” by Mary Beth Norton, the author recollects the stories of real life accounts of those accusers and the accused in Salem during that time. Mary Beth Norton explains the Salem witch trials differently than other books and articles by giving wide-ranging background on incidents leading toward the trials and how events in history were related to the trials.