Salem Witch Hysteria

The Salem witch trials was one of the most famous witch hunt in history. More than 200 accused witched occupied the local jail. 19 people executed, were hanged, one pressed with rocks to death and few more died in jail within a year from 1692-1693. It happened in Salem Village, New England in Massachusetts, now known as Danvers. Witchcraft was second among the hierarchy of crimes which was above blasphemy, murder and poisoning in the Puritan Code of 1641.

This was more commonly found in women more so than in men, this is able to be seen in (Document N and E). While looking at the two tables in (Document E) it is divided into two subjects The Accused and The Accusers, in each table we see the majority of each table is centered around women. A majority of the people that consumed bread and showed the symptoms could be seen as a witch, the symptoms were usually a crawling of the skin sensation, hallucinations, delirium, etc. If you were seen in public seeing things that weren 't there or scratching your skin as if things were on your body you could potentially end up being seen as a witch and killed. This evidence helps explain the hysteria and the hangings because it showed that everyone was on high alert at all times everyone around them could be seen as a someone to blame or as a

Mass Hysteria In the Salem Witch Trials Abigail is the one who starts the whole witch thing, when her and all the girl from the village were in the woods doing a ritual about who they wanted to marry. The girls didn't notice that someone had followed them into the woods and they were caught and a young child fell to her knees and into a comma. The townspeople thought it was to be witchcraft. Abigail didn't want the towns people to know so Abigail threatened the girls and told them if they were to talk she would kill them.

A theory has been brought up by Charles Upham that the victims, Betty Parris and Abagail Williams, were lying. For example, Upham writes in DBQ Document D, “It is dreadful to reflect upon the enormity of their wickedness... [T]here can be no doubt that they were great actors.” This illustrates the idea that the afflicted girls, or the “witchcraft victims” were just faking it, and their acting killed the 24 people. Furthermore, in DBQ Document C, the text states, “[Bridget Bishop] shook her head, and the afflicted were tortured.”

The Salem Witch Trials – The Life of Sarah Good The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692 when two young girls began having, what is known today as seizures. They were also behaving erratically. These girls were the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris, a local minister in Salem Village.

Salem Invaded by Witches, 1692 Throughout history there has been the belief of witches, which are people that sell their souls to the devil for power, money, etc. but in return they harm people to show their loyalty, this is known as witchcraft. In the early 1692, of a small village in Massachusetts called Salem, a group of girls started to act strange. This caused many people to believe that they were being bewitched. Their conclusions led to the belief that there was an invasion of witches, which created a state of panic between the colonists.

Mental Illness in Salem Witch Trials Introduction Witchcraft is the practice of magic and the use of spells and the invocation of spirits. According to Salem Witch Trials, 2015, the Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts claimed to have been bewitched by several adults in the town. More than 150 people were accused and hung, including men, women, and children (Salem Witch Trials, 2015). There were three girls in particular that sparked the trials: Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, and Ann Putnam. Also stated in Salem Witch Trials, their behaviors changed drastically; they began to hallucinate, shout in church, have fits, not eat, not wake up, attempt to fly, and feel as if they

This was called Encephalitis lethargic which means behavioral changes, shaking, strange pain, fever, and many more. Since the pains came out of nowhere, they would just consider themselves witches or do witchcraft. Metal illnesses have also caused some collusions, barking, and hallucinations that were called Afflicted that would make them get out of control. Emerson proposed that the afflicted were under the effects of mass conversion discussion, known as mass hydria or mass psyching illness. Mental illness was not the only main thing that people were being accused of witchcraft, but poverty as well.

In 1692, the people in Salem, Massachusetts went on a hunt accusing people of being witches. This was a hysterical time in history known as the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials led to many distraught people and false accusations. The famous trials started with two sick children and then led to discrimination manly towards women of a lesser class. The accused people were tortured and eventually killed.

REVIEW OF LITRATURE A.) SUMMARY SOURCE A Although the whole book had information on the Salem witch trials. The introduction, chapter 1 and 2 and the conclusion had information regarding the research needed • Introduction: states what the Salem witch trials where and who they accused.

For instance, many of the accused were important members of the community with moderate wealth. If they were convicted, the law stated the accuser would receive their property so identifying them as a witch would be beneficial to them. Another considered though unrealistic theory was the result of centuries of pent up sexual repression and tension caused them to snap and go after witches who were considered to be promiscuous. Some think the girls may have had epilepsy, were abused, had mental defects, made up the whole thing as a game, or were forced to do it by their parents to get revenge on individuals they didn’t like. Some Historians believe wealth, difference in religious preferences, family feuds, and property disagreements were the basis.

In the Salem Witch first instance of witchery is Betty/Elizabeth Parris, along with Abigail Williams when they started to scream and giggle uncontrollably, along with delusions, vomiting, muscle spasms, screaming, and writhing. William Griggs, a physician, diagnosed witchcraftery to the women. Soon, fueled by resentment and paranoia, more and more women were accused of being witches, while the community and system of justice piled up. The Trials had lasted from 1692 to 1693. Some women acted peculiar because of a fungus called “Ergot” that grew on cereals and wheat.

The Salem Witch Trials; Madness or Logic In Stacey Schiff’s, List of 5 Possible Causes of the Salem Witch Trials and Shah Faiza’s, THE WITCHES OF SALEM; Diabolical doings in a Puritan village, discuss in their articles what has been debated by so many historians for years, the causes of the Salem Witch trials. Schiff and the Faiza, purpose is to argue the possible religious, scientific, communal, and sociological reasons on why the trials occurred. All while making word by word in the writer’s testimony as if they were there through emotion and just stating simply the facts and theories. They adopt the hectic tone in order to convey to the readers the significance, tragedy, logic, loss, and possible madness behind these life changing events,

Three deranged girls, from 1692 Salem; Massachusetts, precipitated the mass hangings of twenty innocent people accused of witchery for the reason that of their adept prowess at acting, their marital status and jealousy of the newfound eastern wealth. As a result of their skills in deception, the accusers were able to dupe the jury to convict people of witchcraft. For example, Document C describes the three girls’ reactions once their target entered the vicinity. “As soon as she [Bishop] came near, all(afflicted girls) fell into fits.”

In Witches: The Absolutely True Tale Of Disaster In Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer people in the town of Salem were Condemned for being witches. By the end of it all more than 200 people were accused and 20 were executed. Horridly they accused people from all ages, everyone from teenager to ancient was accused. But why? The Salem Witch Trials were caused by hysteria, popularity, and revenge.