The Religious And Environmental Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials was an uncanny and eerie event of hearings and prosecutions of people being accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. Although it lasted from 1691 to 1692, it lead to more than 200 people, including men and women, being accused and arrested of witchcraft and 20 of those people executed. The hysteria began with two young girls: Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams claiming to be possessed by the devil, causing the “witch-fever” among the Salem village. In this essay

for over four months. The notorious witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts occurred from June through September. It is a brief, but turbulent period in history and the causes of the trials have long been a source of discussion among historians. Many try to explain or rationalize the bizarre

early 1692 Salem village, Massachusetts began to experience strange occurrences among their residents. Victims suffered from strange mental and physical illnesses. The randomness of the victims, and their unusual symptoms, led residents to suspect a supernatural explanation. These suspicions eventually led to the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Past historians have concentrated their research on the accused, while Laurie Winn Carlson focuses on the afflicted in her novel, A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation

Before and during the Salem Witch Trials, the community suffered under poor leadership and disunity, while led to abuses of power from its courts. The trials began at a time in Massachusetts history known as the “inter-charter” period, as the colony did not have a working royal charter and lacked a strong government. The years before the trials were marred with political conflict due to unpopular leadership, and by the 1690s, a new governing body known as the Council was created to “restore the institution

affiliate with the devil. They believed that were witches and they would either torchure them, imprison them for life, or they would be executed. A very well known case of this happening is the Salem Witch Trials. Three young girls began acting out. According to the article The Mystery of the Salem Witch Trials, “Their strange behaviors included hallucinations, shouting out in church, having fits, making strange sounds, and feeling as if they were being pricked and poked” (Annika). The only diagnosis

order to get rid of the spirits. If that person was still alive, the procedure was successful Witchcraft Correlated with ‘The Crucible’ where Tituba, Sarah Good & Sarah Osborne are accused of witchcraft in Salem, 1692 What to do with the witches?! Exodus 22:18- Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live Leviticus  20:27- A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them. Assumptions