Facts on the Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials were a series of trial that took place in 1692, when it was believed “witches” were casting spells on people in the village of Salem. Back in the 17th - century there was a great amount of stress caused by many different things in that era. Those people lived in quite a horrific time. Especially since they moved to a new area of land and had a poor society.
Many factors had played into how the trials began. People displaced from the war going on found refuge in Salem (Blumberg, Jess). They also came about because of fights between families, church politics, and hysterical children (Wallenfeldt, Jeff). Controversy grew after the first ordained minister came into the church (Blumberg, Jess).
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Stress of 17th - century life created a ground of fear (Salem Witch Museum). Teenage girls gathered in the kitchen with Tituba the slave in early 1692 (Independence Hall Association). Black magic dances were believed to be performed by Tituba and the girls in the nearby woods. There were over 200 accusations of practice of witchcraft (Blumberg, Jess). Puritan church members believed a witch had to perform a spell in order for someone to be bewitched (Independence Hall Association). A fungus that grew in the area at the time was known to cause vomiting, delusions and hallucinations along with muscle spasms (Blumberg, Jess). Toxicologists believe Ergot fungus in food was a cause for the girls …show more content…
People were arrested when names were cried out by young girls who were suffering from “fits” (Salem Witch Museum). They would wait for trial, the crimes they had been accused of were punishable by death during the time of 17th - century New England. Bridget Bishop, a resident of Salem, was the first to be hung, she was hung June 10, 1692. Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne claimed their innocence in their trials ( Blumberg, Jess). Tituba the Caribbean slave was the 3rd to be tried. She confessed and all three were put in jail. Tituba had said “the Devil came to me and bid me serve him.” She talked about elaborate images including black dogs, red cats, yellow birds and a “black man.” There were five types of evidence they would use during the trials (Independence Hall Association). The first thing they were tested on was if they were able to recite the Lord’s Prayer. Those on trial would have their birthmarks and other blemishes used as physical evidence. Witness testimony, spectral evidence, and lastly a confession were also types of evidence
The Salem Witch Trails of 1692 began in Salem Village, Massachusetts, when the minister's daughter and niece started complaining about strange pinching, prickling sensations, knifelike pains, and the feeling of being strangled. Soon when a lot other kids started showing these symptoms, the doctors concluded that witchcraft is responsible for them. It was proven that witchcraft did exist because the scripture mentions it. When they forced the girls to name the witches, they named three people. These were called the witch trials.
In the winter of 1691-1692 Tituba taught black magic to a group of young girls. In May 1692, Samuel Parris and his daughter and niece gave testimony against Tituba. The people of Salem Village realized how easy it was to accuse people of witchcraft that they accused anyone that they despised bringing them to
After numerous wars with the indians on surrounding land and a smallpox break out everyone was on edge. There are many theories why the witch trials occurred and what sparked it “Nothing about this tragedy was inevitable. Only an unfortunate combination of an ongoing frontier war, economic conditions, congregational strife, teenage boredom, and personal jealousies”(Linder), all of these could have contributed to the start of the witch trials, but people may never know what real cause this catastrophic event. During this time to be proven a witch the accused were put on trial and would have to recite the Lord's prayer, be examined for warts or other markings, have a witness testify, special evidence, and a confession. During the test girls who were at the trial would scream and roll on the floor during the test ( Witchcraft in Salem), this would relate to the possible cause for the trials of teenage boredom and personal jealous or trying to get attention in this religious focused community the trials lasted only months but had everlasting
1) The Salem Witch Trials, which began in 1692, was a phenomenon of hysteria that took over the colonial Massachusetts ("Salem Witch Trials"). Back in 1692, a lot of things were happening around town that people could simply not understand. A group of young ladies were accused of witchcraft and were claimed to be possessed by the devil, in Salem Village, Massachusetts ("Salem Witch Trials"). These young girls were accused of witchery, because they were chanting something abnormal while twirling in a circle. Later, people began blaming each other of witchery, because of a person's criminal act or unexplained events.
The Salem Witch Trials began during the year of 1692, in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts. The event that sparked the trials occurred when a group of girls claimed to be enthralled by the devil and accused numerous other women of experimenting with witchcraft. As an upsurge of frenzy trickled throughout the town of Salem, a special group assembled in Salem to put their input in the cases. Based on statistics from an article it states, ”the first convicted witch was hanged. Eighteen others followed, while some 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next several months By September 1692, the hysteria had begun to abate and public opinion turned against the trials.”
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 have become a prominent event in American culture. A series of the witch trials took place near Salem, part of the Massachusetts colony, in which more than 150 men and women were accused of witchcraft and dozens deteriorated in jail for months without trials. Those who were found guilty were hanged on nearby Gallows Hill. Only a combination of economic conditions, teenage boredom, and personal jealousies can account for the mass hysteria, spiraling accusations, trials, and execution that occurred in Salem Village, Massachusetts.
The Salem Witch Trials were a terrible event in human history that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The Trials started with a few people being accused of witchcraft and did not take long to transform into mass hysteria among the town. There are many theories for what caused the Witch Trials. Some people would argue that the girls led by Abigail Williams caused the Salem Witch Trials, or that the “ignorant” judge failed to see through their lies. However, the true reason why the Witch Trials took place is the society that people lived in and a parasitic fungus called Ergot.
Because the actual crime involved an agreement made between the accused witch and the devil, in which the devil was given the right to assume the witch's human form, and because, by its very nature, this compact would not have witnesses, finding acceptable evidence was difficult. Spectral evidence included testimony by the afflicted that they could see the specters of the witches tormenting their victims; the evil deeds were not perpetrated by the accused themselves, but by the evil spirits who assumed their shapes. One problem with spectral evidence was that apparitions of demons were invisible to other people in the same room; only the afflicted girls could see the shapes. Another concern was the possibility that Satan could appear in the shape of an innocent person. To overcome these obstacles, confessions were vigorously sought.
The Salem Witch Trials was one of the products of mass hysteria in 1692. This gave me a curious question, how did the Salem Witch Trials start and end? The current events that were happening around Salem and the emergence of the belief of supernatural powers, specifically ones to harm others. Many girls were diagnosed with bewitchment which started the mass hysteria. The trials last for quite a while, with 151 hangings during that time.
The Salem Witch Trials were a series of events that occurred within the 1690's. The numerous allegations lead to hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, most of them women. Additionally, the accusations lead to community wide hysteria and blood thirst for the death of nearly all the accused witches.
The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem in the winter of 1691 to the winter of 1692, a group of young girls fell strangely ill and complained of symptoms including knife-like pain, the feeling of being choked, and pinching. The town’s religious leaders blamed witchcraft. Salem, being a theocratic government, therefore relied heavily on the decisions and opinions of the religious officials. The Salem Witch Trials were caused by the enormous amount of attention and speculation it received from the religious leaders. The three main reasons the Salem Witch Trials took place were because of the written scripture, the legal/judicial system, and the tensions between the Town and the Village.
Nearly anyone from the New England has heard of the famous Salem Witch Trials. A year of persecution, leading to the accusation of nearly 200 citizens of all ages. No one was safe; men, women, children, even pets stood trial and 20 were hung for the supposed crime of witchcraft (Blumberg). 1692 was a year of witch hunting. Most today blame the trials on hysteria, or perhaps a bad case of paranoia.
Giles Corey, an innocent man, was crushed by large rocks and killed for refusing a trial and confession. Rebecca Nurse, a highly respected church member, was hung for not supplying a guilty plea. These two people are examples of the many guiltless folks who were hung during the salem witchcraft trials of 1692. This era of time is engraved in american history for its unreasonable assumptions, massive amounts of fear and insane trials based on invisible evidence. The salem witchcraft trials began swiftly and just kept running until people were accusing neighbors and even family members left and right.
The Salem Witch Trials The belief of witchcraft can be traced back centuries to as early as the 1300’s. The Salem Witch Trials occurred during 1690’s in which many members of Puritan communities were accused and convicted of witchcraft. These “witch trials” were most famously noted in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Many believe this town to be the starting point for the mass hysteria which spread to many other areas of New England.
Not many people know much about what actually happened in the Salem Witch Trials. Maybe someone would think that it was just about witchcraft and crazy people being hanged, but it is a lot more than that. The Salem Witch Trials only occurred between 1692 and 1693, but a lot of damage had been done. The idea of the Salem Witch Trials came from Europe during the “witchcraft craze” from the 1300s-1600s. In Europe, many of the accused witches were executed by hanging.