Amanda Whitsett Robison History 1301 November 17‚ 2010 The Social Psychology of the Salem Witch Trials The events that took place in Salem‚ Massachusetts in 1692 have had historians scrutinizing over the causes for years. There have been several theories about how the situation became so out of control. The haunting story is well known in America‚ taught to our youth and has been the focus of numerous forms of media. We are familiar with the story but unfamiliar with the origin of its
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1692 in Salem‚ Massachusetts was a time of fear‚ allegation‚ and deceit. It was the time of the Salem witch trials. Family feuds‚ eccentric personalities‚ and even keeping dolls in your home were reasons for accusations. Fueled by religious fanatics and young girls screaming for attention‚ literally‚ no one was safe from the insanity of the witch-hunt. This paper is intended to discuss the causes of this hysteria‚ some of the trials that took place during the year 1692‚ and what finally stopped the
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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
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In the year of 1692 Salem Witchcraft was a big mystery that everyone worried about‚ was the devil coming to town? The Puritans used the Bible "to guide them through this difficult life". Until‚ witchcraft began and they started to hang people so they can be with God. There were many reason on what caused the Salem Witch Trials. But‚ after looking over evidence these are the reasons the Salem Witch Trials hysteria of 1692‚ were caused by the Puritans beliefs‚ the attention seeking girls‚ and the Ergot
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The Salem Witch Trials "When the lines between reality and delusion become so blurred‚ you can no longer know what’s real and what is not." This is a quote by A.B. Shepherd. This can be a direct example of those women accused of being witches in the Salem witch trials. For these women‚ most of their lives during the year of the trials could have felt a little like this. You are standing in a room when suddenly‚ an unexplainable feeling over takes you. Every bit of sanity that you have is lost as
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Salem Witch Trials Named after the holy city of Jerusalem‚ Salem was founded in 1626 by English merchants who took advantage of the natural harbor and the abundant fishing the area provided. Fear of Devil-worship and witchcraft swept through Salem‚ Massachusetts‚ like a plague. During the years of 1692-1693‚ more than 200 people‚ men‚ women‚ and even children‚ were accused of witchcraft. Words of friends‚ neighbors‚ and even complete strangers put many people’s lives in danger; 19 were hung
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and were blacklisted‚ they often had to accuse other people that were affiliated with the left party to get out of being accused. Likewise‚ in Arthur Miller’s‚ The Crucible people of the Salem witch trials were no different from what happened in Hollywood. In the Salem witch trials‚ if one was accused of being a witch and chose not to talk‚ they would most likely be sentenced
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Psychol. a condition affecting a group of persons‚ characterized by excitement or anxiety‚ irrational behavior or beliefs‚ or inexplicable symptoms of illness. In 1692‚ Salem Village (now Danvers‚ Massachusetts) was the scene of a moral panic that spread throughout the region and involved witchcraft accusations which led to trials‚ torture‚ imprisonment‚ and executions. Mass hysteria is characterized by the rapid spread of conversion disorder‚ a condition involving the appearance of bodily complaints
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religiously has a direct effect on the people historically involved. In The Salem Witch trials of 1692‚ a major factor of what happened was the way puritan society perceived themselves and others. Miller’s The Crucible‚ displays certain social conditions of the Puritan lifestyle‚ and how they affected the trials at large. To understand the full and complicated social aspects of Salem when the Witch Trials began‚ one must look at the moral code that puritans were expected to obey at
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Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism Throughout history‚ society as a whole has experienced many different tragedies. All around the world negative events have taken place that affect large groups of citizens. Mass hysteria is one of many examples. Mass hysteria can be defined as a large group of people whose behavior exhibits overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess (Merriam Webster 613). Mass hysteria caused and contributed to many life changing events‚ including the Salem Witch Trials
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