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The Salem Witch Trials : A Female Slave Of An Unknown Descent Named

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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

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