The Salem Witchcraft Trials Of 1692

Words: 802

Pages: 4

Open Document

The Salem witch trials of 1692 took place in Salem, Massachusetts. Overall, 141 people were apprehended as 19 were sent to the gallows and one person crushed to death. Historical investigators explained the Salem witch trials as a course of court cases that were targeted at tried persons who had been charged with witchcraft. The trials occurred between 1692 and 1693. Strict Religion, social roles, and food poisoning resulted in the false accusations of witches in Salem.
The church was the foundation of 17th-century life in early America. Most people in Massachusetts were colonists who had left England seeking religious tolerance. But the strict Puritan system was remote from lenient. It was against the law to skip church. The Puritan way of life was self-controlled and firm. People …show more content…
The crop failure forced the New Englanders to turn to the freshly harvested, infected rye. Ergotism medical signs are described, “Convulsive ergotism is associated with vertigo, headaches, painful muscular contractions, mania, delirium, and visual and auditory hallucinations. Chronic egotism has been associated with progression of seizures and dementia” (Woolf). All symptoms of ergot poisoning are similar to the one of the first cases of witchcraft in the Parris household when Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris began their fits. The traits of their convulsion described as comparable to ergotism, “Temporary loss of sight and hearing; loss of memory […] terrifying hallucinations wherein demons tormented them with pinching and biting” (Kallen). As in Salem, details of allegedly bewitched individuals during many Salem witchcraft hysteria go with the medical signs of ergotism. With no comprehension of egotism and challenged by fits, perceptual misinterpretations, and mental perturbation, the Puritans captured upon witchcraft as the best clarification for the

Essay On The Salem Witch Trials Dbq

Between June 10 and September 22, 1692, 20 people were put to death in Salem, Massachusetts. These 20 people were put to death for the terrible crime of witchcraft. The accusations started with Ann Putnam and ended with much more. The killings stopped once the mayor’s wife was accused of being a witch. These trials didn’t only happen in Salem. This also spread to New England where thousands more were killed. The question is what caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692? The false accusations, the…

Words 677 - Pages 3

Essay On The Scottsboro Boys

and accusing people of witchcraft in the 1600’s, that’s crazy right? This is known as mass hysteria, an emotional exaggeration in a group of people. Although, they bear some superficial differences, the similarities between the Salem Witch Trials and the Scottsboro Trials are clear. The Scottsboro Trials are the longest running court case for a crime that didn’t occur (The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys). The case produced many trials, convictions and retrials (The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys)…

Words 716 - Pages 3

Paul Boyer And Nissenbaum's Salem Possessed

Rather than oversee ordinary people living in Salem, Boyer and Nissenbaum take the instance of the witch trials of 1692 and jump into the entire history of the village. In Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum’s Salem Possessed: Origin of Witchcraft, observations of the social, political, and economic barriers of the Salem Village community serve as a starting point for all the accusations of witchcraft in 1692. For example, as stated in the book, Salem Village was believed to be separated into two divisions…

Words 587 - Pages 3

History Of Witch Trials

speedy and public trial. 7 Right of trial by jury in civil cases. 8 Freedom from excessive bail, cruel and unusual punishments. 9 Other rights of the people. 10 Powers reserved to the states. 1431-Trial of Joan of arc took place. she was burned at the stake on allegations of with craft. *1629-King Charles 1st- Let puritans have a charter in America. 1629-Salem is settled. 1641-English law makes witch craft a capitol crime. 1648-The first witch trial in Charleston mass…

Words 366 - Pages 2

Tituba Trial

The Salem Witch Trials is all about witchcraft and tons of executions. It also has to do with a lot of accusations. The time period from when they started accusing people of witchcraft was between February 1692 and May 1693. This all took place in Salem Village Massachusetts. It all begun in the springtime of 1692, in a group of young women. The townspeople thought that those young women were either possessed by the devil or working for the devil. Everyone had heard about what had happened…

Words 395 - Pages 2

Salem Witch Research Paper

illness, or Witchcraft? The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, most of them women. Despite being generally known as the Salem witch trials, the preliminary hearings in 1692 were conducted in several towns in the Province of Massachusetts Bay: Salem Village, Salem Town, Ipswich and Andover. The most infamous trials were conducted…

Words 1639 - Pages 7

Salem Witch Trials Dbq Research Paper

In 1692 there was this big thing called The Salem witch trials. The Salem witch trial was basically about girls lying, jealousy, and the town divided by wealthy and power. The Salem witch trials were about women and men who were accused of performing witchcraft. Almost 20 people were hanged and killed. In 1692 the Salem witch trial, there were many causes. For example the town division is being wealth and power, lying girls, and jealousy. There were many reasons for the Salem witch trials. But…

Words 413 - Pages 2

The Salem Witch Trials Essay

What happened during the Salem Witch Trials? One of the most interesting and fascinating events to ever occur in United States history was the Salem Witch Trials. The trials took place in between February 1692 and May 1693. For over a year women were accused of being a witch, and then hung for the accusations. During the 17th century, witchcraft was used by peasants, and the idea of their “white magic” that helped their agriculture became the idea of “dark magic” and was associated with evil…

Words 1341 - Pages 6

Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials Dbq

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…

Words 690 - Pages 3

Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials In 1692

In 1692, the people of Salem Massachusetts experienced an event that took the lives of several innocent people. The residents of Salem village believed or claimed that other residents living among them were practicing witchcraft. This began the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem witch trials occurred because of congregational strife, economic conditions, and personal jealousies. On February in 1692, Betty Parris got sick. She was in pain and as a result she dove under the furniture. She claimed to have…

Words 364 - Pages 2