The Witch Trail Of The Salem Witch Trails

In the colonial era in Salem, Massachusetts the idea of witches became present in this time, this caused the Salem Witch Trials which killed and falsely accused many people from 1692-1693. Those accused of being a witch or part of the witch trials usually had some strange oddity to them, or they were different than the average person. People with any abnormality from the regular society of 1692-1693 would have been accused of being a part of the Salem Witch Trials and was the cause of this horrific event that happened from around 1692-1693. The largest “abnormality” group was the females at the time, most females in this area and time period would be accused of being a witch which would lead to the idea of sexism. People who wouldn't attend church like the rest society would be thought as outcasts or abnormal, and people who always had to depend on others and were less than average society, would most likely be accused of witchcraft.

Imagine, if you will, having to spend 25 years in prison for a crime that you didn’t commit. It may seem absurd and ridiculous, but it has happened before. Meet Dan and Fran Keller, a couple that ran a daycare that was accused of exposing children to satanism in many different ways. This was all because of a witch hunt in the 1980’s and 1990’s surrounded around accusing people of different acts of satanism.A witch hunt is when many innocent people are wrongly accused of crimes they didn’t commit, mainly with little, uncredible, or no evidence to back it up. The term witch hunt was derived from the Salem witch trials in which hundreds of people were accused and hanged for witchcraft. During the Salem witch trials many people were sentenced

The novel A Delusion of Satan written by Frances Hill describes the history of the Salem Witch Trials (“Salem”) in 1692, the causes and effects of the witch hysteria, and the biographies of major characters associated with the trials. In the novel, Hill started out explaining the Puritans’ beliefs and customs, the gender roles of men and women in Salem and why women were easily accused of being witches and practicing witchcraft in the 17th century. During that time, women were easily accused of practicing witchcraft because they were viewed as physically, politically and spiritually weaker than men. Men were perceived as the power, status, and worthy in the society, and they dominated women’s behavior and social status. In the 17th century, “Hegemonic Masculinity” was the criterion, and women were seen as “physically weaker” and inferior compared to men in the society, which made them easily become the targets of witch hunt (Mammone). Women were politically weaker than men because all of the high positions in the society and the Puritan Church were held by men, such as the position of judge, prosecutor and minister. As the Puritan believed in the biblical story of Adam and Eve, women were viewed as spiritually weaker than men. The souls of women were perceived as vulnerable to the devil’s traps, while the souls of men were less susceptible to the devil’s temptations (“The Salem Hysteria”). Therefore, the gender roles of men and women in the 17th century Salem society showed

1692. The year of ill children, women fits of convulsion, and hallucinations. The year also consisted of swimming tests and prayer tests for women with English Puritan backgrounds. The Salem witch trials occurred in Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 300 people were accused of practicing witchcraft (the Devil 's magic). 20 woman were executed. Before all of this happened, life in Salem was like any normal day. Women and children had expectations as well as men did, you did not disobey God nor go against him, or act out of character. Life in the 1690’s was more of a man’s world and which always gave them the upper hand. Women were always looked down upon which gave men greater power. Unlike God’s followers (men), women were considered evil worshipers of the devil. During the trials, men proved that they really did have the upper hand.

During the summer of 1692, 19 women and men were hung in Salem for being accused of having practiced witchcraft. These people were the Puritans, immigrants from England who had come to the United States in search of a land that wasn’t influenced by Protestant Christianity. Being fundamentalists, the Puritans believed that every word of the bible to be the truth, hence, they believed in witchcraft, evil spirits, and the devil. This interpretation of the Bible, though, allowed them to persecute innocent people for being witches that caused havoc in their society. Although there were many, the three main causes of the hysteria in the Salem Witch Trials were the Puritans’ everlasting belief in the Bible, the power of suggestion, as well as the

The witch craze had widely spread through Europe from the Middle Ages up to the 1700’s. Those who were accused of being a witch were persecuted by the use of torture. The number of “witches” who were tried surpassed 100,000. Witches were not viewed too fondly, for they were assumed to associate with the Devil. The three major reasons for the persecutions of witches were economic greed, age and gender bias, and religious beliefs.

Puritan society’s patriarchal nature and Salem’s political structure and charter led to the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials were made significantly worse by the changing weather patterns and the concentration of power in the village. The social context that one finds in Salem within the period of the Salem Witch Trials was a heavily patriarchal society. The Puritans beliefs can be summarized as the following; women should acquiesce to men, and women, naturally, were immodest and were more likely to be tempted by the Devil and his services offered (Scott). One can also see the disproportionate number of accused females to the number of accused males (Doc 13). The climate of Puritan patriarchal society made it significantly easier for women to be victimized, as they were believed, already, to be more likely to consort with the Devil. Additionally, women held fewer positions of power, within a patriarchal society, and so the ones within the

The Salem Witch Trails are known worldwide. The trials are said to be “a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft” (Wikipedia). Everyone has heard the stories about the women, men, and children accused, trialed, and killed over the rumors of witch craft. Did all these people really believe in powers given to them from the Devil? I believe, with the research I’ve conducted, that there was more than just the Devil and his powers involved; delusions, tall tales from slaves, the spiritual beliefs of the puritans, and the head strong women are a big part in why the people of Salem believed in witch craft four centuries ago.

The Salem Witch Trails, the fear of Imperial Japan, and Communism have one thing in common, paranoia. Imperial Japan and Communism were far away threats, but seemed to get closer and closer every day. In Salem when one accused Witch was condemned, it seemed anyone in this innocent town could be the next witch.

The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The hysteria caused 19 documented hangings at or around Gallows Hill. People were being accused of witchcraft and put to death for it, even without spectral evidence. When the “afflicted girls” accused their first suspects, one made a surprisingly terrifying confession that shook fear into the Puritans to an extreme extent. The Puritans feared the devil more than (modernly) seen as necessary. To have people in their own towns, possibly their neighbor, family member, or friend working for the devil was frightening. Witches, they were the gateway for satan to get into this new world they Puritans had just built. They lived their lives as thinking the devil was always plotting

The Salem Witch Trials involved many individuals that were accused of witchery. There were not extensive methods of execution involved in these trials and many accused of witchery had very similar life situations and circumstances. Through history, including the Salem Witch Trials, it was very common for women to be the majority of accused witches and more so if they were middle aged. If a woman had a fiery or stubborn reputation this could also have been seen as a link to the Devil and witchcraft. It was more than likely if someone had been accused of petty crimes such as theft, treason or witchcraft that you would have been accused at some time throughout Salem’s trials.

Back then, there was a period called the dark ages this what when men and women hunted for witches known as the Salem Witch trials. This time will be forever remembered for the people in the town and the victims and family members of the horrifying time. European descents brought with many of them was the belief in witches and the devil. These beliefs that they believed in so much were from the teaching of the catholic church. During the seventeenth century, people were executed for being believed they were witches and followers of Satan. Most of these executions were performed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Mainly all of the accused victims were women, many historians believe that the charges of witchcraft were a way to control the

One of the more infamous events of the seventeenth century, the Salem witch trials marked a low point in Massachusetts Bay Colony history. According to Deodat Lawson, as many as 70 villagers of Salem were accused of witchcraft in June of 1692. The vast majority of these were women (approximately 78 percent, according to Elizabeth Reis), but the most telling information lies not in the accusations themselves. Rather, the identities of the accused shows that the witchcraft craze originated from preconceived notions about women, including their predisposition to sin, as well as how they should behave in society.

If we were to look through American history, we can witness many victories as well as many shames. One of the most famous ignominies was the Salem witch trials in 1692. During the witch trials, many were wrongfully accused and some were executed. There are many theories about why this horror story commenced, but there are no clear appointed reasons. Medical factors may have contributed to the events such as ergot poisoning, traumatic stress, and mass hysteria. Considering that this was an early time in American history, it was likely that these factors were overlooked and ignored. This is a mystery impossible to overlook.

Throughout the witch hunts, women were the primary target; most victims being midwives, native healers, single women who lived alone, people against whom neighbors had a grudge or practitioners of ancient pagan rituals. Although not all were women, 75 to 90% of accused witches were in fact women (Levack,. p. 124), forcing one to question the affects of the harsh portrayal of women being placed on women.