Salem Witchcraft Trial Hysteria of 1692

DBQ: Salem Witchcraft Trial Hysteria of 1692 In the 1600’s rumors of witchcraft spread throughout England and even more so in New England. Though punishing someone by death for practicing witchcraft was not unheard of, it was all but common; that is, until the year 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. From the tenth of June to the twenty-second of September, twenty men and women were killed, all by hanging except one, because they were accused and convicted of practicing witchcraft; the convictions escalated in number and frequency. The question at hand is whether or not these convictions came unwarranted and if not, why? What caused such hysteria of witchcraft in this small city? Three years prior to the hysteria, a very admired and respected minister, Cotton Mather, told of how, “these evil spirits are all around” – “these evil spirits” being the workers of Satan who are working against the power of God. In Document C, he is quoted as a secondary source countering the theory that witchcraft was only performed by Indians. He supports his own theory by referring to the growing number of witchcraft cases that are occurring in Christian households. He makes a general statement warning everyone to spread his word of the growth of the evil spirits and to take caution. This quote seems to plant the seed of witchcraft in everyone’s mind. Once warned, the people of Salem walk on egg shells trying to find signs of witchcraft, but also avoiding them as much as possible. Continuing with another primary source, the examination of Bridget Bishop, a young lady accused of being a witch, was recorded by the Village’s minister, Samuel Parris. Document F demonstrates how the accused was put on trial and examined with “solid” evidence. In this examination it is noted how Bishop’s actions would affect the afflicted girls. They all accused Bishop of hurting them and bewitching Bishop’s first husband. When she would come in close proximity to the girls, they would