What Is The Origin Of The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials that took place in 1692 are part of a pattern throughout history of the persecution of women. At the time of the beginning of the witchcraft hysteria in Salem there were many reasons for the people of the village to be nervous. They had a strong belief that the devil was the cause for disease, bad fortune and catastrophes. The people accused were also those who did not have a godly reputation, were foreigners or were part of an old feud with the most prominent men.
The origin of the Salem Witch Trials stems from a group of girls who accused several local women of witchcraft. In January of 1692, two girls began to experience fits of uncontrollable outbursts and sickness. The two girls who were the start of the
In early, 1693 the public hysteria began to die out. People began to see that innocent people, such as the case of George Burroughs, were being accuse and executed. A reverend Increase Mather stated “It were better that ten suspected witches escape than one innocent person should be condemned.” The villagers began to see that all walks of life were being condemned instead of the “undesirables” as it was in the beginning. The accusations began to slow down and those who still were accusing were not taken as
On January 14, 1697 Massachusetts court issued a day of fasting and prayer for remembrance of those who lost their lives. In 1711, a law was written that the trials were unlawful and a bill was passed that restored the good names of the families of the executed. These heirs were also given a restitution. It was not until more than two hundred years later that Massachusetts formally apologized for the wrongful execution of nineteen men and women during the witch hunt of