Salem Witch Trials

Reasons Behind Witchcraft Accusations In the Salem Witch trials of 1692, many individuals were accused of witchcraft. However, the reasons for which they were accused differed greatly from person to person. The classification of a witch, how people were tested for witchcraft, and specific witch accusations in conjunction with other logical explanations may be the reason why people were condemned as witches. A witch is defined as a person who has made a deal with Satan (Witch-Hunt, 33). It is believed that the witch gave up his/her soul in exchange for the capacity to channel Satan’s power. This power gave the witch the ability to harm his/her victims. A witch was seen as different from others because, he/she used “angry words” and “had an obnoxious mouth” (Witch-Hunt, 34). The witch was believed to feed her pets with her unnatural breasts and was the reason behind deaths of infants (Witch-Hunt, 108). A person whom is believed to be a witch is often associated with ritualistic activities such as voodoo dolls or fortune telling. In fact, the egg in a glass ritual is believed to have started all of the Salem Witch trial accusations. It is though that nine year-old Elizabeth Parris used this seemingly innocent ritual to find out her future. When she witnessed the shape of a coffin in her glass, the odd possession-like actions began happening to her and numerous other young women (The Salem Witch Trials, 12). In additions to the fortune telling, there are numerous reasons believed to have been behind the accusations of witchcraft in Salem. One possibility is that the young girls and other villagers may have eaten rye meal that was contaminated with Ergot, a fungus that has similar effects to the drug LSD. It is also thought that the young girls may have become so ashamed that they had been using such rituals that they experienced psychological trauma (By Faith Alone, 168). Along with these more pragmatic theories, there are theories that suggest the

Cited: Aronson, Marc. Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003. Griffeth, Bill. By Faith Alone. New York: Harmony Books, 2007. Blumberg, Jess. “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials.” Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2007. Web. 8 Dec. 2012.