Theory of the Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials were a dark time in the history of America. There were people killed for being a “witch”. Whether they were or not‚ they tested them with various ways of torture. From being hung‚ to being tied to a rock and thrown in a lake; if they survived‚ they were a witch‚ if they died‚ they weren’t. The Puritans came up with many different theories of witchcraft for various problems. Whether it was for the weather‚ lack of crop growth‚ or if someone
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The examinations for the first three accused women began with the examination of Sarah Good. During her examination‚ she did not confess to witchcraft and persistently claimed her innocence; the same went on during Sarah Osborne’s examination; but Tituba’s examination went almost in an opposite direction of the others. When Tituba’s examination began‚ it started off as usual with her being asked what evils she had committed and if she was responsible for hurting the children. She denied the accusations
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Research Project: The Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials in Salem‚ Massachusetts rocked the town to its core. Hysteria‚ paranoia‚ and confusion among the citizens of Salem. Accusing people of casting spells and consorting with the devil. How were the politics and citizenship of this period handled and was it handled correctly? Witchcraft was something very new in the colonies. In France‚ Italy‚ Germany‚ and England‚ this has been going on for about 300 years. The bible even says‚ “Thou
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The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 In colonial Massachusetts between February of 1692 and May of 1963 over one hundred and fifty people were arrested and imprisoned for the capital felony of witchcraft. Trials were held in Salem Village‚ Ipswich‚ Andover and Salem Town of Essex County of Massachusetts‚ but accusations of witchcraft occurred in surrounding counties as well. Nineteen of the accused‚ fourteen women and five men‚ were hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem Village. Hysteria had swept through
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Salem Witch Trials Essay An infamous episode in American history‚ the Salem witch trials of 1692 resulted in the execution by hanging of fourteen women and five men accused of being witches. In addition‚ one man was pressed to death by heavy weights for refusing to enter a plea; at least eight people died in prison‚ including one infant and one child; and more than one hundred and fifty individuals were jailed while awaiting trial. Due to the survival of many relevant records‚ including notes‚ depositions
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Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials During the time period of 1691 to 1692 the town of Salem‚ a small thriving community within the Puritan Massachusetts Bay colony‚ was struck by widespread hysteria in the form of witch trials. The way these trials and accusations played out are historically unlike any other witch trials found in European and American history. Historians have pointed to a number of economic‚ political‚ and social changes of the then existing institutions throughout the Massachusetts
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The Salem Witch Trials Salem The Salem witch trials and hysteria first began‚ during the spring of 1692‚ when two young girls‚ Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams‚ started having uncontrollable fits that consisted of screaming and contortions. Several other girls‚ such as Mercy Lewis‚ Elizabeth Hubbard‚ and Ann Putnam Jr.‚ from Salem were also diagnosed with similar symptoms. After seeing the local doctor‚ William Griggs‚ he decided on the diagnosis of bewitchment. This lead the people to wonder
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Lyle Koehler argues that the Salem Witch Trials began due to witch hysteria caused by the fits of the young women being affected by witchcraft. They were given power to accuse the witches and used their power to attack their oppressing forces‚ such as authority figures. The act of accusing people of being witches was a scapegoat in order gain and retain power in a situation where people felt powerless. They also targeted nontraditional women as they were easier to justify. Many people were accused
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though there are many theories as to why the girls of the Salem witch trials made accusations‚ the two most believable are that there was fungus growing on the rye and the girls suffered from an outbreak of encephalitis because the girls showed signs of sickness and questionable actions. In February 1692‚ the people of Salem were all caught up in a case of mass hysteria: (Saxon). Eight girls ruled the town by accusing their neighbors of witchcraft (Saxon). It all began with two young girls who had
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Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft‚ Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum‚ Cambridge‚ MA‚ Harvard University Press copyright 1974. The purpose of this book was to examine the history and social life of Salem Village to try to figure out what was the cause of the events that occurred there. I believe that the authors achieved their objective at least they did to me. Boyer and Nissenbaum’s explanation for the outbreak of witchcraft accusations in Salem hinges on an understanding of
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