Salem Witch Trials Essay

The Salem witch trials were a very dark time in the history of the United States. The tragic deaths of the 20 people who died will forever be carved into United States history. There are three main theories about what caused the mass hysteria in Salem. Ergot poisoning, strict rules towards women, and strict religion.

In theory 1, Ergot is a disease that grows on rye and fits perfectly with the area of Salem for it to grow. This disease causes many symptoms, including burning sensations, infections, seizures, convulsions, and hallucinations. These symptoms very closely follow the ones the girls claimed to have. In source #1 it states “If ergot did exist, it is almost certain they would have been contaminated.” Since rye was their main crop and thrived in the conditions they lived in, they most certainly contracted it. Once contracted the girls started having symptoms of the ergot which eventually led to accusing people of doing the devil's bidding. Since one of the girls was the daughter of the minister, the fire quickly spread and everyone

Pressure on the kids was extreme; they were expected to work and be adults. The kids got very little attention during this time and were only educated on one book alone, which was the bible. The kids' minds were on the sole purpose of the church, and girls especially had no insightful imagination as they had no form of freedom, only work inside the house. Source 3 states, “Whereas boys had at least some way to excite their imagination, girls were faced with an almost unbearable level of responsibility, boredom, and misery.’’ The feelings towards women as a whole at this time were extreme prejudice and cruelty, as their job at this time was to have children and tend the house. In this modern era women have rights and can do anything they want to, but still face oppression but nowhere near the acts of the Salem witch