Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

Words: 794
Pages: 4

In the late seventeenth century, roughly seven decades after the Mayflower sailed to the colonies, life was very traditional. The colonists held strong Puritan beliefs, including traditional gender roles. They faced harsh winters, and life was incredibly challenging for them, and because of this they had immense faith in God. Their incredible faith took shape in the form of very strict ideals, including the belief that women should be submissive, uneducated, and silent. As rumors and accusations of nonconformity began, they gained yet another similarity with Europe- the witch hunt craze. In the 1690’s, the Salem witch trials sparked a wave of fear of witchcraft and nonconformity, which influenced stereotypical gender roles for future generations. …show more content…
Witches were believed to be followers of Satan who had traded their souls for his assistance. It was believed that they employed demons to accomplish magical deeds, that animals acted as their “familiar spirits,” and that they rode through the air at night to secret meetings and orgies. Accusations of witchcraft started from suspicions and rumors, often because of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children (Britannica). The Salem Witch Trials happened in 1692-1693 in Salem, Massachusetts, where over 150 people, particularly women, were accused of following Satan and practicing witchcraft. Samuel Parris’ daughter, Betty (age 9), niece, Abigail Williams (age 11), and their friend Ann Putnam, Jr. (age 12) began practicing fortune-telling, allegedly inspired by voodoo stories told to them by the family’s slave, Tituba. As time went on, their behavior grew stranger, including screaming fits, contortions, and throwing objects (Britannica). Upon questioning, the girls accused Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborn (two older women who had been outcast by society) of bewitching