Personal Narrative: The Salem Witch Trials

In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, passions turned into problems. Witchcraft in Salem Massachusetts became a remembered event since 1692. Three girls were said to have interactions with the devil. When they were confronted about it they denied every interaction the people who were convicted they would say they weren’t a witch and would bring someone else’s name into the equation. Those who would admit to being a witch would go to jail, but for those who denied having interaction with the devil would have been trialed and hung, so really, anyway you put it

During the Witch Trials, Parris’ teachings also revolved more around Satan and a person’s sinful ways. Lastly, the final effect of the Salem Witch Trials was that it affected many individuals personally. Reverend Parris’ reputation became so horrible, they voted him out of the church. Then, John Procter was convicted of witchcraft and hung. Meanwhile, Abigail was driven out of town and thought to have become a prostitute in Boston.

Today, it is frightening to imagine that people accused others of “bewitching your first husband

Nineteen people were hung due to false judgement by human nature and society. Taking place in a small village called Salem, inside of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, during a depressing seventeenth century, was a movement that would challenge the nation’s religious and psychological beliefs. Innocent people were being accused of witchcraft, when rather they were just ill or not taken care of properly by family and friends. Thought to be caused by stress, fear, and panic, the Salem Witch Trials was an event that changed the nation’s view on mental illness because of false assumptions and mischievous behavior. The Salem Witch Trials was a series of false accusations of witchcraft taking place in Salem, which during the seventeenth century, was apart of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Besides the ergot outbreak, harsh winters “accompanied by Indian raids and smallpox outbreaks” plagued the area, consequently leaving people especially susceptible to manipulation from outside forces (Mixson 180). Without the advanced knowledge of today, people in the past relied on authorities as a source for answers and comfort during tumultuous times; in Puritan dominated Salem of 1692 this authoritative source was the church. One representative and priest of the Puritan church, Samuel Parris, expressed that the afflicted people acted as they did because “God was angry and sending forth destroyers in the form of witches” (Mixson 180). Such words from respected institutions incited fear in the population, causing residents specifically Samuel Sewall to write, “I prayid that God would pardon all my Sinfull Wanderings” as a reaction to the increasing hysteria (Sewall 361). Regarding the imprisoned that confessed to witchcraft, those under the influence of ergotism are considered “highly suggestible,” meaning that pressuring interrogators possessed the ability to easily manipulate the ill into seeing “religious scenes” without the sick separating reality from hallucinations

Many practicing Christians, at the time, believed that the Devil could persuade people to use the powers that he gave them to harm others. The Salem Witch Trials occurred because of resource struggles, many women were accused and tortured, and in the end the Governor realized that it was a big mistake. (“Salem Witch Trials”, 1). In 1689, English rulers William and Mary started a war with France in the American colonies which sent many refugees into the Essex County and Salem Village.

This moment shows the Putnams large role in the blaming of witchcraft because after they ask about a name people respond with those exact names although the blaming wasn’t real. Another person who contributed to the witchcraft hysteria is Reverend Parris. Samuel Parris was quick to blame and quick to make bad remarks about people he didn’t like. Most of all Parris wants to keep up his reputation so if word got out that he niece was acting like a barbarian in the woods he would be shamed upon. In the play Parris says, “If you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it.”

The Salem Witch Trails is about the infamous witch trials that swept through the Salem Village of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692. In this book, Stuart A. Kallen, wrote about how these witch trials began, what happened during them, and how all of this madness finally came to an end. Kallen also wrote about how the town of Salem went from being a rather peaceful Puritan establishment to being a town obsessed with hunting supposed witches. Today, the thought of witchcraft sounds outrageous, but it was actually rather common in the seventeenth century.

The Salem witch trials are remembered as one of the most disgraceful acts a village has ever committed. One of the main causes of these events are the bibliocentric views of the community at that time. People often called witch on their neighbors to get more land, or cried witch at someone they simply didn’t like. There were 19 hangings during the Salem Witch Trials and one of the main reasons for this was Reverend Parris. At the start of The Crucible, By Arthur Miller, you see that one of the central causes of the witch trials was because he was more concerned with his own reputation than the lives of others.

Witchcraft Theory Back in Puritan life, many women were accused of practicing witchcraft. Many people feel the Salem Witch Trials were a fraud, but they cannot decide if this fraud was due to ergot poisoning, certain townspeople influencing the teenagers to accuse people in order to gain land or economic prosperity, or boredom of the teenage girls. Although there are many theories on why girls of Salem accused others of witchcraft, I believe the Salem Witch Trials occurred because the teenage girls of Salem were bored due to the strict religious environment. The Salem Witch Trials began during the spring of 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts (History.com Staff). During this time, young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and

What Caused the Salem Witch Trials Hysteria of 1692? In Exodus 22:18, it proclaims, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!” In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, the Puritans believed every word that the Bible said, causing the death of twenty people because they were accused of witchcraft. What caused the panic and alarm that lead to the death of twenty people in Salem?

After Tituba confesses he believes that all the people Abigail, Betty, and Tituba name are witches as well. Reverend Hale comes to Salem with good intentions but by the end of the Act he believes the wrong people and thinks that there are witches in

In the old town of Salem, Massachusetts, there lived a very religious and superstitious people. Everyone had to be Christian, and if something went amiss, everything would get out of control. When Abigail Williams and her friends were found dancing around a fire in the black of night in the forest, people began to wonder what could have possibly been the cause and purpose of such wicked ways. The easy, first conclusion was that witchery and the devil were involved. They believed that the Devil had to have caused them to do such evil things, and they wanted to find the source of it.

How Paranoia and blame Affected the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy hearings In the 1690’s, a wave of fear for the devil washed over Salem, Massachusetts, resulting in the accusations of 200 supposed witches and the execution of 20. Almost 200 years later, after World War II, communists were highly feared. The strong urge to stay away from communists led to the McCarthy hearings where many innocent people were accused and tried for being communists. The Salem trials and the McCarthy hearings have many ties, the two closest being how paranoia highly affected the actions of individuals related to the cases and that the only way to save one’s self was to blame others.

However, Parris never knew how standing up against the Devil would affect his