What Caused The Salem Witch Trial Hysteria?
Blanca Hernandez
What Caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria?
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” (Exodus 22:18); a phrase that the early Puritans took all too seriously in the Salem Witch trials of the 1600’s. The event that led a historical witch hunt and caused the death of many victims would forever leave its print on America. It all began when a group of young girls accused a fortune teller of oppressing them. This would start a snowball effect that would eventually lead to dozens more accused. It would begin the start of a paranoia and open doors for those who crave attention and excitement. This, along with Ergot (a parasitic fungus) proved to be the causes of the Salem Witch Hysteria.
In the small town of Salem, Massachusetts …show more content…
Ergot is a parasitic fungus that thrives in warm humid conditions. Climate conditions of a warm to hot summer and rainy springs to storms promoted the rise of “heavier than usual fungus infestation” during the time between 1691 and 1692. This fungus is known for symptoms such as, “crawling sensations in the skin, tingling in the fingers, vertigo, hallucinations, mania, melancholia, psychosis, and delirium” (Document N) when ingested. Rye was a main crop grown in England that was harvested during the famous years of 1691 to 1692. It was the perfect environment to be subject to contamination. A specific example would be the Putnam farm, west of Salem.This farm resides in swampy meadows giving it the needed conditions for Ergot to thrive.Three of the troubled girls lived in the Putnam area. Two of these girls were related to a minister named Samuel Parris, who also lived in Putnam. Parris was largely paid in food rations, including a generous amount of tainted ergotized grain. Ergot ignited a sort of realism in witch hunting and was also a crucial detail in ending the trials when the weather changed drastically in 1692 and brought on a drought that stopped the growth of the
What Caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria?
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” (Exodus 22:18); a phrase that the early Puritans took all too seriously in the Salem Witch trials of the 1600’s. The event that led a historical witch hunt and caused the death of many victims would forever leave its print on America. It all began when a group of young girls accused a fortune teller of oppressing them. This would start a snowball effect that would eventually lead to dozens more accused. It would begin the start of a paranoia and open doors for those who crave attention and excitement. This, along with Ergot (a parasitic fungus) proved to be the causes of the Salem Witch Hysteria.
In the small town of Salem, Massachusetts …show more content…
Ergot is a parasitic fungus that thrives in warm humid conditions. Climate conditions of a warm to hot summer and rainy springs to storms promoted the rise of “heavier than usual fungus infestation” during the time between 1691 and 1692. This fungus is known for symptoms such as, “crawling sensations in the skin, tingling in the fingers, vertigo, hallucinations, mania, melancholia, psychosis, and delirium” (Document N) when ingested. Rye was a main crop grown in England that was harvested during the famous years of 1691 to 1692. It was the perfect environment to be subject to contamination. A specific example would be the Putnam farm, west of Salem.This farm resides in swampy meadows giving it the needed conditions for Ergot to thrive.Three of the troubled girls lived in the Putnam area. Two of these girls were related to a minister named Samuel Parris, who also lived in Putnam. Parris was largely paid in food rations, including a generous amount of tainted ergotized grain. Ergot ignited a sort of realism in witch hunting and was also a crucial detail in ending the trials when the weather changed drastically in 1692 and brought on a drought that stopped the growth of the