Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

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“Men are not afraid of things, but of how they view them” - Epictetus. From the proscriptions of Ancient Rome to the September 1st terrorist attacks, fear was changed the course of history. People used fear as an excuse to outcast people, until others stood up and fought the fear during the Salem Witch Trials, the Red Scare and the Stonewall riots.
The Salem Witch Trials are characterized by people taking advantage of fear to get their own personal agendas across. The Salem Witch Trials began with the scapegoating of Tituba, a slave from Barbados (making her easy to blame). “By this time, suspicion had already begun to focus on Tituba, who had been known to tell the girls tales of omens, voodoo, and witchcraft from her native folklore” ( Linder). …show more content…
Despite a lack of any proof of subversion, more than 2,000 government employees lost their jobs as a result of McCarthy’s investigations ("Joseph " ). “Ostensibly seeking to protect democracy by eliminating communism from American life, anticommunist crusaders ironically undermined democracy by suppressing the expression of dissent” (Storrs). “The program’s oft-noted flaws included the ambiguous definition of “derogatory” information and the anonymity of informants who provided it, the reliance on an arbitrary and changing list of subversive organizations, and a double-jeopardy problem for employees for whom a move from one government job to another triggered reinvestigation on the same grounds” (Storrs). High level officials who were investigated, the majority of whom were not communists, but left-leaning New Dealers trying to reduce social inequalities, struggled to fulfill their goals, since the idea of disloyalty was included to hamper their ability to do their job (Storrs). “It was not unusual for a career civil servant to be investigated under the Hatch Act during World War II and then again after each executive order” (Storrs). People stopped joining voluntary organizations out of fear that the organization join the ranks of the Attorney General's list (Storrs). Labor unions ousted Communists, but right-wing people still associated labor unions with Communism

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

In 1692, a small village in Massachusetts was trapped in a bubble of fear and paranoia, leading to one of the worst events in American history known as the Salem Witch Trials. This hysteria was caused by religious beliefs, social tensions, and revenge, resulting in the unfair accusations of innocent people. The Salem Witch Trials began when several young girls in the village started showing strange behavior, such as spasms and fits. Unable to explain these occurrences, the Puritan community became…

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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

I have decided to research the hoax of the Salem Witch trials. This was something that started in the spring of 1962. It was a hoax that began because of a group of girls who claimed that they were being possessed by the devil. This led the people of Salem to begin to believe in witches. After this, the people of Salem started slowly believing in witches. People became paranoid and there the Salem Witch Trials began. Young innocent people were being charged with witchcraft and killed. People attempted…

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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

being bewitched. A tale was created by the girls that spread from neighbor to neighbor, causing mass hysteria and chaos in the town of Salem. Later that year, over 150 men and women were imprisoned on the accusation of witchcraft. By the end of the trials, 19 people were unfairly hung and executed; it was the largest witch trial to occur in the U.S. The Salem Witch Trials were unfair executions of the innocent caused by hearsay and mass panic. Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams were born into wealthy…

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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

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.…

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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

colonial village of Salem, Massachusetts—present-day Danvers. It covers a little over eighteen square miles, and it boasts a population of forty-four thousand, four hundred, eighty inhabitants. It is a residential area that also possesses many historic landmarks that attract tourists (“Salem, Massachusetts”). Yet, in 1692, this town was filled with fear, judgment, and paranoia. Why do you need to be a member? Because accusations and trials were beginning. The Salem witch trials were a sequence of…

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Research Paper On The Salem Witch Trials

The Wicked Witches of Salem The Salem Witchcraft trials in Massachusetts during 1692 resulted in nineteen innocent deaths. Many men and women were hanged and one man was pressed to death. Although Salem was home to the witchcraft trials, the hysteria spread to many towns around Massachusetts. The witchcraft trials are responsible for hundreds of innocent deaths over time. It began at the end of 1691 when a few girls in the town of Salem were seen dancing in the woods. Dancing and partaking…

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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

Witchcraft The Salem Witch Trials is a big historical event in the 17th century relating to Witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials started in the spring of 1692. A hysteria had gone throughout Massachusetts about people being possessed by the devil. Over 150 men, women, and children were accused, September 1692. As many were puzzled on this topic, other people had come up with theories. Some believed smallpox epidemic caused Witchcraft and others believed it was caused by a fungus ergot showing symptoms…

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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

The Salem Witch trials continue to captivate many up to this day, though many centuries later. This panic throughout the town heightened accusations of witchcraft provoking massive destruction along with endless fear, doubt, and injustice. As a result, the blame is on children, men, and women. There were several created hysterias, like if family livestock perished out of coincidence, it was supposed a witch cursed their family. Ongoing beliefs like this erupted in madness within the village. Many…

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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

The events leading up to the Salem witch trials began with a merchant from Boston named Samuel Parris coming to Salem. He brought with him his wife, their children, a niece and two slaves. His daughter, niece, and their friend were named Betty, Abigail Williams, and Ann Putnam, respectively. The former two, Betty and Abigail, showed odd behavior in January 1692. They were throwing things, screaming, contorting their bodies, making strange sounds, and complained about pinching and biting feelings…

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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

The story of the Salem witch trials continues to fascinate people because it has the potential to teach us important lessons about fear and prejudice. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft. In fact, a group of girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, said they were possessed by the devil and accused many women of witchcraft. The reason they accused these women of witch craft was because they had something that the girls desired. In all honesty…

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