Essay On Salem Witch Trials
In 1692, two young girls asked upon a slave to predict their fortune. After the sessions,the girls started to show devil like behaviors. The father of the girls, once discovering the sessions accused the slave of being a witch. Then once the behaviors continued to occur, the witch trials began. There are many conspiracies as to why the witch hysteria happened. Religious beliefs, social class tension, and bored girls are to be the cause of the witch hysteria in Salem.
One conspiracy for the cause of the witch trials in Salem is religious beliefs. Majority of the citizens in Salem were Puritans who practiced predestination, which means they followed God’s word and God’s actions. The Bible spoke of witches and the devil: therefore they believed in them. Before the trials had even begun Cotton Mather a leading minister and intellectual gave a providence. (Document 3) Mather told of evils spirits that were to be lingering among them. (Document 3) The …show more content…
Puritans listened to those who were chosen by God, so although the providence was stated in 1689 three years before the trials began the Puritans believed Mather. (Document 3) This proves that when the unnatural behaviors started to occur the Puritans were to only suspect the work of a witch or a devil, causing the trails to start.
Another conspiracy that explains the cause of the trails is social class tensions. The majority of accuser were young, single woman, while the accused on the other hand the accused were mostly middle-aged, married woman. (Document 5) The map shows that there are more accused witches on the Salem Town side rather than Salem County. ( Document 9) As there are more accusers of witches in Salem County than as Salem Town. (Document 9) During this time, the older woman had the greater authority over the young girls. The young girls, also were jealous of the fact the older woman were married. Since the older were married they had more say and greater power. Those in Salem Town were considered to have more wealth than those of Salem County. Due to the unfair social classes tensions between older and younger, and richer and poorer, the citizens started to make accusations showing that indeed the social classes were a cause of the trails.
Finally, bored girls contributed to the cause of the witch hysteria.
Two young girls were curious as to what their future would contain. They asked the help of a slave named Tituba. Tituba met with the girls several times, after those sessions the girls seemed to act afflicted as if they were possessed. Then other girls in Salem began to act afflicted. That then sparked the Salem witch trials. Tituba was not the only one accused, shortly after the trials began Bridget Bishop supposedly used her body motions to cause pain to the afflicted girls according to the examination. ( Document 6) Charles Upham, however, disagrees with the fact that the girls were actually afflicted. (Document 7) Upham states that all those afflicted were great actors and that they did not reflect upon the great ordeal they caused. (Document 7) Upham’s statement and the examination give evidence that the girls, getting caught up in all the attention and excitement from acting since they were no longer bored resulted in the witch
hysteria.
Although there are many viewpoints as to why the witch hysteria in Salem was caused, it is to believe it was caused by religious beliefs, social class tensions, and bored girls. The religious social beliefs of the Puritans, the different social classes, and the two girls who needed a little excitement.
One conspiracy for the cause of the witch trials in Salem is religious beliefs. Majority of the citizens in Salem were Puritans who practiced predestination, which means they followed God’s word and God’s actions. The Bible spoke of witches and the devil: therefore they believed in them. Before the trials had even begun Cotton Mather a leading minister and intellectual gave a providence. (Document 3) Mather told of evils spirits that were to be lingering among them. (Document 3) The …show more content…
Puritans listened to those who were chosen by God, so although the providence was stated in 1689 three years before the trials began the Puritans believed Mather. (Document 3) This proves that when the unnatural behaviors started to occur the Puritans were to only suspect the work of a witch or a devil, causing the trails to start.
Another conspiracy that explains the cause of the trails is social class tensions. The majority of accuser were young, single woman, while the accused on the other hand the accused were mostly middle-aged, married woman. (Document 5) The map shows that there are more accused witches on the Salem Town side rather than Salem County. ( Document 9) As there are more accusers of witches in Salem County than as Salem Town. (Document 9) During this time, the older woman had the greater authority over the young girls. The young girls, also were jealous of the fact the older woman were married. Since the older were married they had more say and greater power. Those in Salem Town were considered to have more wealth than those of Salem County. Due to the unfair social classes tensions between older and younger, and richer and poorer, the citizens started to make accusations showing that indeed the social classes were a cause of the trails.
Finally, bored girls contributed to the cause of the witch hysteria.
Two young girls were curious as to what their future would contain. They asked the help of a slave named Tituba. Tituba met with the girls several times, after those sessions the girls seemed to act afflicted as if they were possessed. Then other girls in Salem began to act afflicted. That then sparked the Salem witch trials. Tituba was not the only one accused, shortly after the trials began Bridget Bishop supposedly used her body motions to cause pain to the afflicted girls according to the examination. ( Document 6) Charles Upham, however, disagrees with the fact that the girls were actually afflicted. (Document 7) Upham states that all those afflicted were great actors and that they did not reflect upon the great ordeal they caused. (Document 7) Upham’s statement and the examination give evidence that the girls, getting caught up in all the attention and excitement from acting since they were no longer bored resulted in the witch
hysteria.
Although there are many viewpoints as to why the witch hysteria in Salem was caused, it is to believe it was caused by religious beliefs, social class tensions, and bored girls. The religious social beliefs of the Puritans, the different social classes, and the two girls who needed a little excitement.