Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials Dbq

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What Caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692?

It was a cool, sunny day in the Salem village. The flowers were blooming, as the sun shone brightly on everyone. Everything seemed colorful and alive. You could smell the fresh, cut grass, as the cool breeze swept around you. The taste of spring rain touched your mouth, as you heard the birds chattering. However, the day wasn't as beautiful for Bridget Bishop. Today was her examination which would determine whether she was a witch or not. She walked into the courtroom nervously. Today could be her last day. Between June 10 and September 22, 1692, 20 people were put to death in Salem, Massachusetts for witchcraft. It all began when two girls they were possessed. The unexpected frenzy rapidly …show more content…
Charles W. Upham stated in Salem Witchcraft, "What are we to think of those persons who…continued the accusations – the “afflicted children” and their associates?… They soon…became intoxicated…by the terrible success of their imposture (acting), and were swept along by the frenzy they had occasioned" (Doc D) By saying this, he means that once people started to believe it, they couldn't stop the act and continued the act. Also, The testimony, recorded by Samuel Parris supports Upham because the afflicted girls were lying and pretending to be tortured. They rolled their eyes when the "witch" rolled her eyes. Document D says that the accusers/girls "became intoxicated... by the terrible success." The adults in Salem community took the girls seriously as stated by Upham; he says "blindness of the bewildered community saved them " That means that they couldn't "see the lies." This evidence helps explain the hysteria and the hangings because it shows how the young girls became over excited, and they continued their act, which costed many lives. They realized they were becoming famous and they enjoyed being in the …show more content…
The map reproduced from Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, 1974 shows us that The accusers were all cluttered together on the west side. They were most likely poor. The witches and their defenders lived on the east side of Salem Village. They were most likely rich and political power. Based on evidence in the map and the Note, the west side might have been jealous of the finances, land, and political power of the east side. The people in the western half of Salem Village lost wealth and power because they farmed poorer land. Jealousy, anger or some other factor caused westsiders to attack
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