The Trials Of Salem Witch Trials Essay

From 1692 to 1693, twenty people were executed after being accused of witchcraft in Salem Village, Massachusetts, many more died in jail, and around 200 people total were accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Records from the event indicate that the Salem Witch Trials started when a group of young girls began acting strange, claiming they had been possessed by the Devil and bewitched by local villagers. The Salem Witch Trials is a much debated event; historians argue over the motivation and causes behind the trials and executions, not over the proceedings. Each historian approached the Salem Witch Trials with their own brand of logic and interpretation building off of and criticizing the interpretations of their predecessors. No one historical theory can conclusively explain the cause of the Salem Witch Trials because there were too many variables and motivations among the villagers. These historians used the best of their abilities to examine the events of the Salem Witch Trials and the mere fact that there are so many interpretations means there are not certainties when it comes to this historical event. However, a combination of their theories could provide a better picture of the Salem Witch story and the many aspects in determining the outcome of the Salem Witch Trials.

humanity would have come to an end, but that was not so. In 1692 a

The Salem Witchcraft trials in Massachusetts during 1692 resulted in nineteen innocent men and women being hanged, one man pressed to death, and in the deaths of more than seventeen who died in jail. It all began at the end of 1691 when a few girls in the town began to experiment with magic by gathering around a crystal ball to try to find the answer to questions such as "what trade their sweet harts should be of ". This conjuring took place in the Parris household where a woman named Tituba, an Indian slave, headed the rituals. Soon after they had begun to practice these rituals, girls who had been involved, including the Master Parris' daughter and niece, became sick.

== = The Salem Witchcraft trials started in 1692 resulting in 19 executions and 150 accusations of witchcraft. This was the biggest outbreak of witchcraft hysteria in colonial New England. The trials began because three young girls, Betty Parris, Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam began having hysterical fits, convulsions and terrifying visions after being caught engaging in forbidden fortune telling[1].

Colonial America has had its patches of conflict and strife. From the struggle for independence, to trouble with native peoples, to sickness, the colonies were no stranger to hardship. One of the most infamous historical events within the colonies was the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 and 1693. Many theories exist regarding the root of this issue. During this time, due to the colonies’ belief in the occult, prejudice, and a possible spread of diseased food crops, many women were accused of witchcraft and were put to death wrongly, with no advocate for their freedom. Cotton Mather’s account of “The Trial of Martha Carrier” gives insight into this dark period in American history, including the root of the conflict that sentenced so many women to execution in one short year.

Life in the New England colonies during the 1600’s proved to be harsh with the constant fear of Native American attacks, scarce food, freezing winters, and conflicting opinions about religion. From this perpetual state of distress, the Salem Witch Trials were birthed, causing a wave of hysteria in Salem Village and Salem Town. Though the exact day and month is uncertain, historians can claim that the trials emerged in early 1692 and came to a close in 1693. The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 with more than one hundred fifty people being accused of practicing witchcraft, and the trials finally ended with the courts declaring there was no evidence in the cases being tried, and the Governor stopped the trials because his wife was accused.

A few of the famous accused witches were Bridget Bishop, Sarah Osborne, and John Proctor. These three alleged enchanters did not have much in common, apart from how they acted in the Village. All of them showed some sign of going against the grain of society, whether that be a female owning a bar, trying to take her dead husband’s property, or a male with Quaker ties. Evidence has helped to show the likelihood of the accusing party choosing those who broke societal norms to be witches.

Although many people have their assumptions as to what specifically caused the Salem Witch Trials, no one has a definite account. One must use logic and prior knowledge to come to the conclusion and realize that multiple factors play a key role in causing the trials. The Salem Witch Trials were caused by religion, politics, teenage boredom, family feuds, economic conditions, and fears of the people. The overall effect of the trials was a major part in American history, not only was it a learning experience for but also present day America. The country can learn how to prevent future outbreaks due to fear and how to cope with loss.

The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692 and became one of the most infamous witchcraft episodes in United States history. It all started in the small Puritan village of Salem when little Betty Parris and Abigail Williams become ill and did not show any sign of improvement. This is when Reverend Parris, Betty’s father, called in the village doctor William Griggs. His diagnosis of bewitchment had the village overtaken with mass hysteria that would continue to plague them long after the May 1693 end. During the trials one hundred and fifty six people were accused of witchcraft: fifty four of which confessed, nineteen of which were hanged, four of which died in jail, and one whom was pressed to death.

Throughout history millions of people have been scorned, accused, arrested, tortured, put to trial and, persecuted as witches. One would think that by the time the United States was colonized, these injustices on humanity would have come to an end, but that was not so. In 1692 a major tragedy occurred in America, the Salem witch trials. It all began when a group of girls accused others, generally older women, of consorting with the devil. The witchcraft hysteria in Salem,

By the end of the 17th century one of the most devastating proceedings in American History took place. The Salem witch trials was one of the most catastrophic events worldwide in which people were accused, hanged, or sent to jail. During this time there was also a lot of chaos going on in Salem when some girls started accusing innocent people of being witches and being responsible for all the trouble that was going on the town. Even though not all those individuals were sentenced to death, there were still three causes or theories of why the Salem witch trials might have occurred and caused all these mess. Some of those reasons included that the girls could have been ergot poison, that they were bored because of the type of lifestyle that they had to live in, and because there was a sort of rivalry (jealousy) of land.

The Salem Witch Trials is one of many events in America that will always be remembered, but not in a good way. People look back and think of all the rather terrible things that occurred in the town of Salem. The Salem witch trials happened in 1692 through 1693 and was a series of people being accused of witchcraft. More than two hundred innocent people were accused with practicing witchcraft and 20 were wrongfully executed. Eventually the town of Salem said that the trials were a terrible mistake and regretted what they have done to all the people they wronged. The worst part is that everyone that was accused and pleaded innocent turned up to be guilty and wasn 't able to prove themselves otherwise. The problem they had back then was that

In 1692 a terrible event happened in Salem, Massachusetts that might have just been a misunderstanding. In that year a few girls decided to disobey the strict orders of Salem. In the woods, in the middle of the night they danced and sung like there was no tomorrow. That's how the whole misunderstanding began. Once the story got out that there might be witches among the little town, disaster struck. There were all sorts of trials, accusations and denials about who were the real witches. 25 people were found guilty and hung without any real evidence other than being accused by others caught up in the hysteria.

Now you may ask yourself “what caused the witch trials of Salem?” Well I am about to answer that question in the next few paragraphs. You see there were about few hundred residents living in the town of Salem. The residents were split into two groups; one being farmers and the other being Putnam’s people. These two groups came into conflict when one group (the farmers) argued that they had every right to remain in the town as farming families, and they wanted the Putnam’s to settle in the eastern rich suburban town of Salem. Because of this conflict going on between the two groups, the main economy of Salem which were the farmers were known to become an individualistic community.

This is about witchcraft and is started like this: In the winter of 1691-92, several people in Salem Village, most of them young women, but eventually including a few men and boys, began behaving in a "strange & unusual manner”, with an affect which was interpreted as illness. The town's minister, Samuel Parris, whose daughter and niece were among those with this odd affect, sought to cure the perceived problem with prayer; others, including a doctor of physic who was called in, felt that the people in question were afflicted with a witch's supernatural curse, and this diagnosis came to be accepted as true. Friends and relatives prompted the "afflicted" people to name their supposed tormentors. On 29 February 1691/92,