The Salem Witch Trials were a period of murders of women, children, and even some men during the 16th century. These trials were pretty much a huge mass murder, these trials started because of a huge fear that the puritans has against the devil. These murders happened when someone (Mostly females) would start to act “satanic” some would stop coming to church, some would not read the bible and/or burn the bible causing the church to think that they were possessed by the devil. The puritans finally came to the conclusion to kill whoever started to act even slightly strange. Why would such a thing spring up? Well let's take this from where it all began. The First Trails The Salem Witch Trials began during the spring of 1692, A group of young girls in Salem Village Massachusetts, were claimed to be taken over by the devil then accused other women in the town of being possessed also. This whole epidemic spread through colonial Massachusetts. A court that was in Salem was chosen to hear about these cases, the first convicted witch was Bridget Bishop she was hung that June. Eighteen other females were hung after her in the time to come, They even had a special place where these hangings would commence called Salem's Gallows hill. There was 150 men …show more content…
This belief came about in Europe in the 14th century and then spread over to the 13 colonies. This also started during hard times for pruitains in the Salem village, These hardships included the after effects of the British war with France in the American colonies in 1689, then a smallpox epidemic, then fears of getting attacked by local native American tribes and so much more. Amid these tensions the Salem witch trials would be fueled by residents thoughts and suspicions and hatred for their neighbors as well as their fear of
Firstly, the Salem Witch Trials began in the 17th century in Salem, Massachusetts. Because of the strong religious beliefs that founded these colonies,
Salem Witch Trials In the summer of 1692, 104 people were accused and put into trial for witchcraft. These trials were called The Salem Witch Trials, there has been a huge debate about why it happened for multiple years and no one has yet had a guaranteed reason why. So what actually caused the Salem Witch Trials? I believe the Salem Witch Trials was caused by a secret rivalry between two sides.
The Salem Witch Trials began around February 1692 and lasted until May 1693. During this time, it was really bad for the townspeople of Salem. There was an assumption that people were working with witchcraft, and being unsure who those people were, they were very insecure. They would blame anyone who was accused of this, and then they would execute anyone who seemed a little suspicious to the citizens of Salem. About twenty people were tried and executed.
The Salem witch trials were a big event in American history, but no one knows for sure why they started. The people at the time could have been very tense and paranoid because of the weather, indian attacks, and because of the war that had occurred prior. The girls that started the accusations could have been sick from a disease or infection that causes tremors, hallucinations, and paranoia. At the same time, the girls in that time period were very repressed. Children, especially, were treated strictly at this time.
The Causes of the Salem Witch Trials Much of modern America’s fear and infamous interest in witches has been derived most likely from the profound Salem Witch Trials. “The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft,” stated History.com authors. However, many historians still deliberate how such events occurred in the first place. Based on several presented documents, some conclusions suggest that there was a prominent cause to the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials. All in all, the cause of the Salem Witch Trials was the attempt of Salem citizens to either defend or create family
The town Salem decided that the people in their town that resembled witches would be put on trial and persecuted, but the people weren’t witches and were being killed for being different from the rest of society. The convictions of the first people started a continuous strain of executions and imprisonments throughout the community. The courts of the time were corrupted with religious views and biased, so convictions were not far when it came to the accused. No one from this community was safe from the chance of being accused of being a witch. Salem, Massachusetts was a very religious community that held a fairly large amount of power over the people and laws.
In Salem, Massachusetts, Puritans were strong believers in the Bible. The Bible states, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” The Puritans beliefs led to them accusing 20 innocent people of being a witch, this resulted in their deaths in 1692. Even though the Puritans couldn’t see it at the time, their accusations were really based off jealousy, lies, and Salem being divided into two parts. One cause of the Salem witch trial hysteria was jealousy.
There were a number of religious factors that contributed to the Salem witch trials. Among these are the influence of the strict Puritan lifestyle, the believed presence of the devil in the community. On Salem Witchcraft Trials, an internet article, Linda Alchin states, “Puritans practised strictness, simplicity and austerity in their religion, lifestyle and conduct. Puritans were strongly opposed to sensual pleasures and were strong advocates of propriety, modesty and and decorum.” (Alchin).
In January of 1692 a series of witch trials, caused by economical stress and fear of the devil, began in Salem. The Salem witch trials included executions that ended in devastation and the death of several men, women, and even children. The stress of the King William’s War in Europe caused people to flee to the closest place which was Massachusetts. With the overpopulating town the people ran out of occupations to offer and dwelling places. Christians and religious people believed that the devil used this time of stress to overtake their religious society.
There were many tensions in Salem before the witch trials had begun. A war had been started with Salem included as the article says, “In 1689, English monarchs William and Mary started a war with France in the American colonies” (Blumberg). Salem was fighting a battle with the English before having an inner battle in their town.
Salem, Massachusetts, USA and occurred between February 1692 and May 1693. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned and even more accused; but not pursued by the authorities. 29 were convicted of witchcraft but only 19 were hanged. The best known trials were in the Court of Oyer and Terminer.
It was not until May of 1692 that the first individual was executed. Bridget Bishop, an older woman known for being promiscuous and stirring up gossip, was found guilty of witchcraft and hanged on Gallows Hill (Blumberg, 2007). The Salem Witch Trials finally came to an end in October of that year when William Phips, the governor of Salem, released those accused from jail and prohibited further arrests in response to accusations against his wife. By the end, 20 people had been executed, either by pressing or hanging, and over 200 had been accused. Despite the fact that the Salem Witch Trials occurred over 300 years ago, the same accusatory attitudes and behaviors that fueled those atrocities still persist in the US
The Salem witch trial was a time about accusing your fellow neighbor or being accused yourself, this all began in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. During this time many people were being accused of being a witch, a majority of the time it was because either someone truly believed that you were a witch and were reeking havoc or they were trying to find someone to take the blame if they were to being accused. So this leads us to question, what began the Salem Witch Trials? There were at least three causes of the Salem witch trials hysteria. These were Betty Parris and Abigail Williams story, Ergotism, and the acknowledgment of hysteria.
Bridget Bishop, a resident of Salem, was the first person to be tried as a witch. Surprisingly, Bishop was accused of witch craft by the highest number of witneses. After Bishop, more than two hundred people were tried of practicing witchcraft and twenty were executed. Many of these accusations arose from jealous, lower class members of society, especially towards women who had come into a great deal of land or wealth. Three young children by the names of Elizabeth, Abigail, and Ann were the first three people to be “harmed” by the witches.
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.