Salem Witch Trials: The Salem Witch Trials

During the period of late seventeenth century in colonial Salem, Massachusetts, two girls began acting in an uncanny manner. These girls then accused two woman and a slave for being witches; which caused the town of Salem to emerge into a period of witch cleansing. Mostly, the people of Salem were Puritans who found many different reasons to accuse one of being a witch. The start of the witch trials began in 1692 and ended in 1693 by Governor Phips; whose wife was prosecuted as a witch. These Salem Witch Trials began by religious superstition, the appearance of the perceived witch, and through torture and forced confessions.

The Salem Witch Trials were a prime part of American history during the early 17th century. During this time, religion was the prime focus and way of life within colonies. This was especially true for the Puritan way of life. Puritans first came to America in hopes of practicing Christianity their own way, to the purest form. The Puritans were fundamentalists who believed every word transcribed in the Bible by God was to be followed exactly for what it was. The idea of the devil controlling a woman and forming her into a Witch was originated from people’s lack of awareness on illness, disease or simple hysteria. The Colonists lack of expertise on the methodical approach through sciences, left them concluding to a spiritual phenomenon.

Between June 10 and September 22, 1692, 20 people were put to death in Salem Massachusetts for witchcraft. Neighbors turned on neighbors, women turned on women. Nobody was necessarily safe from being accused of witchcraft. During the time of the 1600s many English immigrants arrived in New England, a number of them being Puritans. They came to New England to practice Christianity in ways they felt were pure. To help guide the Puritans through life, they read the bible. Whatever the bible said, they believed and one subject was about the Devil. One of the tricks the Devil used, was to enter a normal person’s body and turn that person into a witch. A witch could cause terrible damage. Of course, the Puritans believed it, so every bad act they saw, they often accused the person of being a witch. What

The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The hysteria caused 19 documented hangings at or around Gallows Hill. People were being accused of witchcraft and put to death for it, even without spectral evidence. When the “afflicted girls” accused their first suspects, one made a surprisingly terrifying confession that shook fear into the Puritans to an extreme extent. The Puritans feared the devil more than (modernly) seen as necessary. To have people in their own towns, possibly their neighbor, family member, or friend working for the devil was frightening. Witches, they were the gateway for satan to get into this new world they Puritans had just built. They lived their lives as thinking the devil was always plotting

The Salem Witch Trials began after a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil during the spring of 1692. Abigail Williams, the 11-year-old niece of Reverend Samuel Parris Was, along with her 9-year old cousin Betty were the first afflicted. On February 29,

Today if one was called a “witch,” most of us would take offense, yell, scream, or simply just ignore it and walk away, but over 300 years ago that was not the case. The 1600’s were full of controversy and uncertainty that led to cruel consequences due to even the simplest claim of witchcraft. By the time 1692 came around not much had changed, in fact, it was much worse. The town of Salem, Massachusetts became the spot of the most infamous witch trials of all: the Salem Witch Trials.

The Salem Witch Trials officially started in February of 1692 and ended in May of 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, which was considered the Devil’s work. The total executed was 20 (Currie 4).The citizens of Salem suffered more than ever to rebuild the town and out of all the girls who were responsible for making false accusations only one of them apologized (Blumberg). The town of Salem was occupied by Puritans, unlike Pilgrims who wanted to be rid of religious laws, Puritans wanted to stay true to those doctrines (Macbain 4). With strong religious beliefs, the officials of the town were clouded in their judgement, which played a large role when the afflicted girls started to make accusations. The accusations started when the girls accused 3 women of bewitching them, even though the adults were in disbelief,

The belief of witchcraft has been around for centries. For being a small city, Salem Massachusetts carries a big name for the events that took place in late winter early spring 1692. When someone hears the word ¨Salem” its mostly the person will think ¨witchcraft”. Many people thoughts on witches that their power are evil and will arm others. My people during that time were accused of being witches and for witchcraft things. There were many young girils, women and men that were sent to death. Why did it come to this? What was the root cause pf the Salem Witch Hysteria? I think this tragity accured because of the role of religion in the village, social issues accurred, political turmiol, and economic dilocation.

Back then, there was a period called the dark ages this what when men and women hunted for witches known as the Salem Witch trials. This time will be forever remembered for the people in the town and the victims and family members of the horrifying time. European descents brought with many of them was the belief in witches and the devil. These beliefs that they believed in so much were from the teaching of the catholic church. During the seventeenth century, people were executed for being believed they were witches and followers of Satan. Most of these executions were performed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Mainly all of the accused victims were women, many historians believe that the charges of witchcraft were a way to control the

In the spring of 1692, a superstitious belief of witchcraft mysteriously appeared in a small village of New England named as Salem. The Salem village was settled by religious colonists seeking to build a pure Puritan bible-based society. The Puritans were expected to follow their strict moral code to avoid their strong belief in the wrath of God. Majority of the sinners, who drifted away from the Puritan lifestyle, developed witchcraft hysteria which was believed as the devil’s possession of God’s people. As time passed, the paranormal outburst of witchcraft resulted in the Salem Witch Trials which involved executions and prosecutions of innocent people accused for witchcraft. However, the Salem Witch Trials were not proven by reliable

It all started after a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil in Salem Village, Massachusetts 1692. Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams at the ages of 9 and 11 started having fits, that included getting violent and screaming at random times. After a local doctor declared bewitchment, other girls started showing the same symptoms. The other girls were Ann Putnam Jr., Mercy Lewis, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Walcott, and Mary Warren. The young girls accused several women in the village of witchcraft causing hysteria to spread throughout colonial Massachusetts. A special court was put in Salem to hear out all the cases of those accused of witchcraft. The first convicted witch was Bridget Bishop she was hanged that June, 150 more people including men,women,and children followed.

Salem, Massachusetts 1692 a small village where people turned on each other, and blamed hundreds of their own, nut mostly certain neighbors with witchcraft. From June to September, individuals were unjustifiably killed after trials discovered them “guilty” of witchcraft. Religions, imperatives, money, beliefs and types of conflicts caused these absurd witch trials.

In the book Witches! The Absolutely True Tale Of Disaster In Salem, Rosalyn Schanzer explains how the feud in Salem,Massachusetts all came about. It all started when the Puritans wanted a perfect world, a heaven on Earth. So when Betty and Abigail, two sick girls informed the people in there town that they were bewitched, the whole town went into a frenzy.They started accusing and blaming people of being witches all over the little town of Salem. The reasons behind the accusations are all because they had hatred,sought revenge,and craved attention.

In Salem a young group of girls claimed to be possessed by the devil. However, unbeknownst to them, was most likely a toxin or “sickness that is found in rye and wheat that causes vomiting, muscle spasms, and delusion”(Salem Witch Trials). They blamed it on witchcraft and on the local women who allegedly practiced it. The girls blaming these women is what started the infamous Salem Witch Trials in the spring of 1692. Belief in witchcraft and the supernatural was widespread at the time and the harsher realities of Puritan life took its toll as well. There were

In 1692, a group of girls from a village in Salem, Massachusetts, claimed of being possessed by devil spirits. A man named Samuel Parris had a doctor examine the girls after