Salem Witch Trials Theories

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The Salem Witch Trials are a well known event in history. There are many theories for why the hysteria occurred. Over time, as we have found more evidence and learned more about their life we have hypothesised new theories. Some of the theories for why such hysteria occurred include, weather affecting the food, the fact that the kids didn’t get to play because of the puritans strict laws, and they didn’t like differences between people. These are just a few of many theories about why delirium occurred.
One reason that some people believe the Salem Witch Trials started was because of their food. The summer right before all the pandemonium began was moist. The moist air causes a fungus to grow in the bread called Ergot. Ergot can produce a hallucinogenic which affects the way you behave. It can cause you to scream and thrash around uncontrollably. Children are especially susceptible to the fungus. Some people believe that this fungus could’ve been what started making the girls go crazy and when the witch idea was in their head they continued with it. If this was all started by a fungus some may wonder why …show more content…
Puritans saw toys, dancing, reading anything besides the bible, and playing games as acts of following the devil. When the girls were caught with Tituba playing games of magic and listening to stories they finally caved in and said it was witchcraft. The Puritan’s took everything said in the bible very literally and thought that anything bad that happened was the devil’s actions. They did not only believe them so easily at first because they thought that the little games they were playing was witchcraft, but the people being accused were outsiders, people who were different, or people who didn’t belong. These people were people who might do something different like miss one church service, which brings us to another

The Theories Of The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials were a string of very unfortunate events, that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. In 1692 there was a group of girls that accused many people of either being a witch or committing witchcraft. No one really has an explanation why the trials happened, but Nearly 200 people were accused of witchcraft and 19 were sentenced to execution. Historians believe that the trials were caused by mass hysteria, but there are several theories as to what happened, so here are 6 main theories…

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Theories Behind The Salem Witch Trials

Witches in Salem; Theories Behind the Accusations In 1692, a series of strange behaviors and accusations amongst young girls stirred the community of Salem Massachusetts. In that year the cause of their afflictions were deemed due to witchcraft. Trials commenced and several members of the settlement were jailed or executed. As the witch hunt dragged on the townspeople and judges alike started to doubt the credibility of the girls testimony against “the devil's servants”. Historians have also questioned…

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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

causes of the Salem witch trials. It all seems blown out of proportion with theories that cannot be supported due to their supernatural nature or extensive circumstantial evidence. The real reason for the Salem witch trials is often overlooked or ignored due to its bland ending to a mystified event in American history. There were no drugs, no magic, and no acts of God, but rather, intense emotions that broke people's mental states and led to the mass hysteria that spread throughout Salem. Important…

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Essay on Possible Causes of the Salem Witch Trials

Causes of the Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials were a series of witchcraft trials that took place in 1692 in Massachusetts. Nearly 200 people were accused of witchcraft and by the end of the trials, 19 were sentenced to death by hanging and executed. The historians agree that the Witch Trials were a result of mass hysteria but there are several theories about its causes. Listed below are 5 possible reasons for one of the most tragic events in American history. Boredom One theory claims that…

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Pros And Cons Of The Salem Witch Trials

Cons of Salem Witch Trials, World War II, and McCarthyism False Accusations From the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 to McCarthyism in the 1950s, many negative effects were brewed by hatred and discrimination against the innocent population. All of these incidents occurred as the public was influenced by authority positions. “The McCarthy Hearings were referred to as "witch-hunts" because of their similarity to the Salem witch trials” (The McCarthy Hearings and their relation to the Salem Witch Trials)…

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Salem Witch Trials: Jealous And The Ergot Virus

First, I’d like to discuss the first theory, it discussed the possibility that witchcraft wasn't at fault for the salem witch trials, but instead just an Ergot fungus. Theory One explained the Ergot fungus was a hallucinogen like the drug LSD, that the reason the two Protestant girls accused all those people for witchcraft, possibly wasn't entirely made up, but was just their own mind playing tricks on them after being exposed to the Ergot fungus found in the rye grain. This fungus thrives in the…

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Essay On The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials were one of the darkest events in American history, which was a result of events that occurred or it was belief of the Puritans in Salem, which caused trouble for hundreds of people who were either prosecutors or victims which left behind a broken city. There are many events that led to the Salem witch trials. The first event that is bigger than some of the others is their belief that Satan was acting in the world. The reason why that is one of the biggest…

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The Salem Witch Trials: Cause Or Aggressive Behavior?

The Salem Witch Trials is a prototype example of scapegoating, which is the unfair blame put on a person regardless of the contribution or actions of others. The people of Salem, living in a very religious and isolated community, had a heightened and almost irrational fear of the devil and its supposed agenda to destroy Christians. In February of 1962, two young girls started to demonstrate unusual and aggressive behavior. A doctor was called to examine the girls and found no physical causes for…

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Salem Witch Trials Self Preservation Analysis

The Psychology of Self-Preservation and Its Relation to the Salem Witch Trials An analysis of the Salem Witch Trials reveals several commonalities shared between those who were accused and confessed to the malevolent crimes of witchcraft; one of which was the fear of death leading to self-preservation. Self-Preservation is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as the “natural or instinctive tendency to act so as to preserve one's own existence” (2016). This instinct remains innate inside…

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Historiography of the Salem Witch Trials Essay

The changing historiography of the Salem Witch Persecutions of 1692. How current/contemporary and historical interpretations of this event reflect the changing nature of historiography. The number of different interpretations of the Salem Witch Trials illustrates that historiography is ever changing. The historians, Hale, Starkey, Upham, Boyer and Nissenbaum, Caporal, Norton and Mattosian have all been fascinated by the trials in one way or another because they have all attempted to prove or…

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