The Salem Witch Trial Hysteria

First of all, according to document N in Paragraph one Ergot is a parasitic fungus which grows on a variety of grains especially rye. This fungus contains 10 percent of LSD which can be found in seeds used by the Aztecs that are linked to hallucinogenic drugs. Warm, damp, rainy springs and summers were a great time for Ergot to grow. According to document B the hangings happened around summer (June-September). This means that the fungus Ergot was around because of the warm weather. So the people could have very well been eating this plant.

What Caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692? Chaos arose in the town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. In the 1600’s, the Puritans came to New England, otherwise known as present day United States, because they were unhappy with their church in England. Based solemnly on biblical beliefs, the Puritans lived a very strict lifestyle.

Seeking religious refuge, the Puritans were Protestant Christians that believed in predestination. They were fundamentalists who believed in a literal translation of the bible and took their religion very serious. Based on the religious text, the mentioning of devils and witches caused speculations and even hysteria in Salem in 1692. It was thought that the devil would enter a normal person’s body using it to carry out sinful and outlandish actions. A witch might cause a faithful husband to commit adultery or a young girl to cry out in church. Admission of guilt, unusual powers or physical traits, anger followed by mischief, and spectral evidence (evidence that a victim was “visited” by a demon) were all signs that a person was a witch. Starting off in New England, the Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692 was born through the accusations of people practicing witchcraft.

Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. It started when a group of young girls showed odd behavior as well as them, also claiming to be possessed by the Devil. At that time most of the people in Massachusetts were Puritans who heavily believed in Devil as real as God. Puritans recognized that the accusers were influenced by the Devil. In the 21st century, it is hard to admit that the main cause was only the devil.

The Salem witch trials of 1692 resulted in the execution by hanging of 19 men and women of Salem Massachusetts. In addition, one man was pressed to death with heavy weights for refusing to confess and more than 150 individuals were jailed while awaiting trial. What has always engaged people is the search for the causes of the "witch hysteria." This sort of trait of mass hysteria is shown by many characters, propelling the plot, and killing off more and more innocent people. No character displays this trait better than Abigail Williams, as, throughout the script, every action that Abigail makes is for a personal gain of some sort or a level of self-preservation. Abigail Williams, in her malicious and manipulative acts of love, self-preservation, and deceit, she creates and continues the mass hysteria and propels innocent people towards their deaths, all because she wishes to save her relationship with John Proctor and her role in the town.

From the time of the 1690’s the entirety of Salem, Massachusetts were Puritans. “The Puritan lifestyle was restrained and rigid: People were expected to work hard and repress their emotions or opinions. Individual differences were frowned upon.” (Salem Witch Trials, The World Behind the Hysteria). These people believed that doing anything sinful would result in punishment from God. Just as much as they believed in God, they also believed in the Devil. Keeping up with the Puritan code, it led to the first women being accused of witchcraft. They were viewed as pariahs, and seen differently. Had the Puritan government let the afflicted defend themselves, not be so dependent on religion, not investigating the facts or scrutinize the trials the killing of many could have been prevented. The hangings from the trials would ultimately be the last in America.

The Salem witch trials and the Hollywood communist hunt are both the worst examples of the purification of American land and one of the worst moments of American history. Over hundreds of people were innocently killed or died because of the accusations against them. They both had ridiculous ways to point people for what they were hunting for. Life was hard back then and so were the beliefs of their certain customs. But I never said there was never supporters, but many lacked confidence and courage to be in the public and that silence costed many, soon it was a phase of American history.

Puritans had many beliefs that affected the Salem Witch Trials, these were based on how the attendance or lack of attendance of the church, how people should behave, social class, and the way the government should be handled. Puritans were English Protestants that came to America in 1630. They sought to reform the Church of England. When they first came to America they settled at Salem, Massachusetts. The main reason the Puritan’s came to Salem was for freedom of religion which they did not have in England. The Puritans also came because they believed that the Church of England was not religious or enforcing religion enough. Puritans were just like the Pilgrims. Years later the Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 and ended

The salem witch trials hysteria of 1692 was caused by the Puritans strict religious standards and intolerance of anything not accepted with their scripture. The largest account of witch trials as well as deaths by witch trials occurred in Salem, a village heavily populated with the Puritans. Because most of the trials were occurring in Salem, this meant that the accusations were happening among the Puritans themselves, which could very well be anything as long as the Puritans found it as contradicting their bible. Not only did the strict religion intolerance fuel the accusations and trials, but also the possible factor of ergot being involved which has been known to cause symptoms leading to hysteria.

It began in 1692, over an exceptionally raw Massachusetts winter, when a minister 's daughter began to scream and convulse, while other girls manifested the same symptoms. Their doctor suggested one cause, witchcraft. That grim diagnosis launched a Puritan inquisition that took 24 lives, filled prisons with innocent people, and frayed the soul of a Massachusetts community called Salem. It ended less than a year later, but not before the hanging of 20 men and women, including an elderly man who was crushed to death. The hysteria spread quickly, involving the most educated men and prominent politicians in Salem. Aside from suffrage, the Salem witch trials represent the only moment when women played a central role in American history. There are many theories as to what caused the mass hysteria of the Salem witch trials and the bewitchment of several young girls including the lack of freedom and want of attention from young girls, the role of religion and Satan in Salem, lack of verifiable evidence, economic and social divisions within the community, and the possibility of ergotism.

During early 1692, the Salem Witch Trials was triggered by a group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts, who claimed to be possessed by the devil, and then began accusing several local women of witchcraft. In January 1692, when Elizabeth Parris, Abigail Williams, and Ann Putnam began to have fits of uncontrollable outbursts of screaming, a local doctor was called and diagnosed the girls with bewitchment. After this incident, more girls in the community began to portray similar symptoms to first three, claiming that the devil possessed them, and accused several other local women of witchcraft. Salem had a Puritan-based population that held strong beliefs in divine power- specifically in the Devil’s ability to give humans the power to hurt others, in exchange for loyalty. These people, loyal to the devil, appeared to the town as witches. The Salem Witch Trials resulted in the villagers’ suspicions and grudges toward their neighbors,

The mass hysteria between today’s society and the Salem witch hunt can be compared through Freedom , Religion ,and the killing of innocent victims. Mass hysteria has caused a lot of destruction in society throughout the years. It has brought about a lot of chaos in both Salem as well as the present society. Mass hysteria has brought out a lot of fear in people in both Salem and present society.

Young adolescent girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts first brought about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 as a game. 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 on the hanging tree for the practice of witchcraft whether there was proof or not.

The Salem witch trials occurred between February 1692 and May 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts, where many Puritans were tried and killed for practicing witchcraft. These trials were unfair, cruel, and largely based on fear. People seemed to be accusing others of practicing the Devil’s magic simply because they could. However, the structure of Puritan society, their religious beliefs, economic standings, and even disease played a crucial role in the development and execution of the Salem witch trials.

To fully understand the cause of the Salem Witch Trials specific details of the events that occurred should be known. The Salem witch trials show a very important point in history displaying how religious beliefs can cause irrational behavior and can lead to the deaths of innocent people. The hysterias 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. Between June and September of 1692, 19 men and women were hung after being convicted of witchcraft. Dozens of others suffered in jail for months without trials, and hundreds more faced accusations of witchcraft. During this time, the Massachusetts town was overwhelmingly Puritan, meaning they were extremely religious. Their religious goal was to