Single, Poor Women: The Salem Witch Trials

Did you know that the majority of the majority of the women who were accused of witchcraft were married to rich men? And that they were accused by single, poor women? In Salem, during the summer of 1692, 20 people were murdered due to accusations of performing witchcraft. I believe that single, poor women were jealous of the married, rich women, so they accused them of witchcraft.

They knew that is there was any suspicion the women would be put to death, and then their rich husbands would be single. The trials first started on June 10th when the first woman was hanged, because some girls accused her of bewitching her first husband to death. Young, single, poor women were the accusers of the majority of the supposed witches. Document B shows that 28 out of the 34 accusers were single. Also over half of accused were married. Document C states that the afflicted girls would go into fits when the accused women would do something. It is so precise that it makes it seem like acting. Document E shows that almost all the accusers were from the poorer side of salem and the accused witches were from the richer part of town. These documents show that the accusers were young girls and that the majority of who they accused were
married. Document E shows where the accuser or accused were from. Either the richer or poorer side of town. The majority of the accusers were single, young women. Document B shows that over 65% of the accusers were single women. Also it shows that ¾ of the accusers were ages 11-20. Over half of the accused were married. The girls were jealous of the married women, so they accused them. That way they would be hanged for witchcraft and their husbands would now need a wife. Every accuser except one is from the poorer side. Document E shows were all of the accusers and accused lived. It also says that the west side of Salem is poorer than the east side. Almost all of the accused witches were from the east side, which means that they were probably married to rich men. Also about every accuser is from the poorer side of Salem. Since almost every accuser was from the poorer side, they probably wanted to marry a rich man.

Almost all the people they accused were from the richer side, so they probably thought that if the wives died then their rich husbands would need a new wife. The accusers probably thought that they would be able to marry the accused women’s husbands, and then they would become rich. Almost all of the accused were not only single women but also poor women, and almost every person they accused was a married women from the rich side of Salem.
Since the accusers were single, poor women and they were accusing married, rich women they could of been acting like they were hexed or cursed. In document C it says that when the accused witch did something like roll her eyes or move her hand, the accusers(poor, single women) were tortured or turn their eyes up. The accusers did it at exactly the same time, so they could of been acting instead of actually doing things against their will. That is why I believe that the single, poor women were the ones who started the witch hysteria because they were jealous of the married
women.