The very first person to be accused as a witch was a female slave of an unknown descent named Tituba, her husband was also accused. It all began in January 1692 in a small Puritan village in Massachusetts named Salem, when the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris suddenly fell ill. William Griggs the doctor was called to their home and saw no improvement, which in return started the hysteria of witchcraft in the small village of Salem. The Salem Witch Trials was not a massacre like many believe, only very few people were killed. Several people were hung and one man was pressed to death, which is where a person is being crushed by things being placed on top of him. Majority of the accused witches were women of the town. There are several theories as to why The Salem Witch Trials took place. These theories include mental illnesses, jealousy, ergot poisoning, and the church. The least talked about is how the church felt as if they were losing power and needed to gain it back. Were the Salem Witch Trials a way for the church to gain power? In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts witnessed a time changing event. When the niece and daughter of Reverend Parris fell ill with tantrums, the doctor could not find anything physically wrong with them and mentioned that they may be possessed. Shortly after this diagnosis two of the girls who were afflicted named three women who were the cause of the girl’s issues. The three women named were Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osburn. These
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 Salem witch trials were a dark time in American history. It all started when Reverend Parris’ daughter and niece were acting strangely after spending time with Parris’ slave Tituba. For example, “They were believed to have danced a black magic dance in the nearby woods. Several of the girls would fall to the floor and scream hysterically” (“Witchcraft in Salem”). Parris then believed that Tituba along with two other women had bewitched his daughter and niece, thus starting the witch hunt.
The Salem Witch trials started when “two girls got a strange illness. Their bodies twitched and shuddered. They spoke nonsense and seemed to be choking” (Holub, What Were the Salem Witch Trials?). This new illness has led to over a hundred of people being accused of witchcraft. Then started with an abundance of series of hearing and prosecutions of people accused of using witchcraft. The trials had taken place in Massachusetts between February 1692 and May of 1693. These trials resulted in the executions of approximately twenty people. Out of those twenty people, fourteen of them were women, and all were executed except one of them that was hung. Salem was not the beginning of witchcraft though. The starting of witchcraft experiences all
“THOU SHALT NOT SUFFER A WITCH TO LIVE.” (Document A, Exodus 22:18 KJV Bible) The Salem Witch Trial Hysteria started on June 10 and lasted until September 22, 1692. During this time 19 men and women were hanged for witchcraft, furthermore, even one man was pressed to death with stones just trying to get him to testify. The hysteria started with two very young girls, Betty Parris, age nine, and her eleven-year-old cousin Abigail Williams. (Stated in Background essay) There were at least three causes of the Salem witch trial hysteria. These reasons were the two young girls mentioned before, Ergotism, and Puritan beliefs.
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.
The Salem Witch Trials were a series of accusations, trials, and executions based on the supposed outbreak of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. The trials began during the spring of 1692, and the last of them ended in 1693. It all started when two young girls, Abigail and Betty Parris, began experiencing violent convulsions and outbursts, which were thought to be brought about by witchcraft. Whether they were faking these symptoms, were afflicted with an actual sickness, or were experiencing them because of some sort of psychological reason is widely debated, though it is known that the sisters accused their maid, Tituba, of forcing them to participate in witchcraft with her. Some who theorize about the causes of the trials dismiss the Parris girls involvement in the beginning and instead attribute the outbreak of accusations to judgement upon the members of society who break social or religious rules, or who struck the upright members of society as ‘strange’ and ‘suspicious’, such as the homeless, the poor, and old or widowed women. The cause of the hysteria that went on in Salem after this is what is speculated by so many. There are probably hundreds of theories out there, but a few in particular are more widely known, accepted, and supported than others.
The Salem Witch Trials began during the spring of 1692 after a group of young girls in Salem Village, MA, said they were being possessed by the devil and accused local women of witchcraft. With chaos running around the village, the special court began taking on cases. Bridget Bishop, the first convicted witch, was hung that June month. Many people of the Salem community had major consequences including death and harrassment. Belief that the devil could give certain humans, or witches, power to harm others in return for their loyalty emerged throughout europe as early as the 14th century. All of this chaos and phenomenon led to a pointing fingers game of who is guilty. Chaos also brought up the question of why it happened, malice, spite, or
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 Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 when two girls began to exhibit strange behaviors. Hysteria broke out and many believed they had been bewitched. Out of fear, many were accused of practicing witchcraft. One of the fist women to be accused along with Sarah Osburn and Sarah Good was Tituba, a slave to Reverend Samuel Parris. In the past there had been some loose accusations but Tituba’s confession made this time different. She was the first person to ever admit to being a witch. She went on to further explain that she was a witch for the devil and went into detail about her experiences practicing witchcraft. This caused a panic in Salem that led a full on witch-hunt. Around 200 people total were accused of being witches and 20 were killed during the Salem Witch Trials. (Foulds, D. E. p. 161, 168, 194)
Life in New England was far more robust than in the Chesapeake. While in the Chesapeake, population growth greatly depended on new English immigrants, life in New England essentially revolved around large families. As a result, population growth was far more organic in New England, and moderate natural conditions permitted much longer lifespans for New Englanders. New England’s clean water and colder temperatures stopped the spread of disease and made building settlements easier than in the Chesapeake. Additionally, New England boasted small towns and smaller farms, with their economy largely made up of shipbuilding and fishing in the abundant rivers of the north.
The Salem witchcraft trials resulted from a climate of repression, religious intolerance, and social hierarchy combined with fanaticism and the oppression of women. The Puritan leaders used the trials as a way to control the community and to prevent change in the strict social hierarchy. The trials ensured that the teachings of the church would be followed - anyone not following the church was simply accused of being a witch and punished accordingly. Witchcraft was considered a crime, and punishment was severe. The first recorded incidents of Witchcraft originated in the mind of a young girls who would supposedly use crystal balls to try and predict their future.
The time is between the early spring of 1692 and the winter of 1693, living in a new american colony, a very scary thing for the people. Twenty people were put to death, and over 200 were accused of being a witch or wizard. I believe this was an act of subconscious historia two young girls, AbigailWilliams and Elizabeth Parris were exhibiting strange behavior. Elizabeth’s father is the town's minister, his name is Samuel Parris. These girls exhibited, odd sounds, contouring their bodies, throwing objects and biting. When eventually taken to a doctor, (the only doctor in Salem) he diagnosed it as something supernatural or spiritual. The two girls accused three women, Tituba is one of them. Tituba was the slave for the two girls, her origins are unknown, but it is thought that she came from the Caribbean and has a daughter.
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.
Rosalyn Schanzer wrote “WITCHES! The Absolutely True Tale Of Disaster In Salem.” In this book people are tortured by witches. The three accused witches get tried then sent to jail. 2 remained their innocence and the other got tricked into confessing. More accusations were going underway. Some people surprisingly accused over 50 witches! More witches were tried and brought to prison. Soon after, accused witches were starting to be hanged. People thought that there were too many witches for this to be true and they found out that this was just a hoax! The Salem Witch Trials probably happened because Hysteria, misperception, or just the Puritan religion in itself.
One of the most evident causes of the Salem Witch Trials was the patriarchal society of the late 17th century. Women were expected to act as complete subordinates to men, and those whose challenged that expectation were feared. Witches were usually women who lived alone or women who did not fit the physical mold of perfection. Women were typically seen as weak, and it was thought that they needed men to take care of them. Women who lived alone challenged that authority and therefore took power away from