Amanda Whitsett Robison History 1301 November 17‚ 2010 The Social Psychology of the Salem Witch Trials The events that took place in Salem‚ Massachusetts in 1692 have had historians scrutinizing over the causes for years. There have been several theories about how the situation became so out of control. The haunting story is well known in America‚ taught to our youth and has been the focus of numerous forms of media. We are familiar with the story but unfamiliar with the origin of its
Premium Salem witch trials
Social aspects of the time can and will play into any historical event. From gender roles to the way politics and religion come into play‚ what is going on socially‚ and religiously has a direct effect on the people historically involved. In The Salem Witch trials of 1692‚ a major factor of what happened was the way puritan society perceived themselves and others. Miller’s The Crucible‚ displays certain social conditions of the Puritan lifestyle‚ and how they affected the trials at large.
Premium Salem witch trials Puritan
sickness and questionable actions due to fungus on rye. Even though there are many theories as to why the girls of the Salem witch trials made accusations‚ the two most believable are that there was fungus growing on the rye and the girls suffered from an outbreak of encephalitis because the girls showed signs of sickness and questionable actions. In February 1692‚ the people of Salem were all caught up in a case of mass hysteria: (Saxon). Eight girls ruled the town by accusing their neighbors of
Premium Salem witch trials Witchcraft
raged through Salem Village in 1692 caused the citizens to accuse and execute each other because of suspected witchcraft. The Salem witch trials‚ a series of court cases regarding the 131 people accused of witchcraft‚ led to twenty-five peoples’ deaths and the arrests of many more (Foulds 258). The trouble first started when two girls acted so strangely that people had no doubts that it was the result of witchcraft. Soon‚ they considered no one safe because anyone might be a witch‚ or may be tormented
Premium Salem witch trials Witchcraft Salem, Massachusetts
being a witch then you either blamed it on someone else or plead you were innocent. These trials began overwhelming the justice system. The Salem witch trials were a series of cases brought before local magistrates and the county court of trials in 1692. To understand the events of the Salem witch trials‚ it is necessary to understand that the people in Salem thought differently and lived differently than people from the 21st century. A strong belief in the devil‚ factions among Salem Village
Premium Salem witch trials Witchcraft
remembering Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. Since Tituba’s claim that there were more witches in Salem‚ the witch hunt officially began and hysteria beset the
Premium Salem witch trials
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
Premium
This quote shows both the dilemma in the Salem Witch Trials‚ which Arthur Miller set his story in‚ and the era of McCarthyism which he kind of writes about; John was going to confess to being a witch but couldn’t because he didn’t want to ruin his name for his family. He was an innocent man but died because he didn’t confess. This is very similar to what was happening during the 50’s when McCarthyism first started. Arthur Miller’s use of the Salem Witch Trials in the Crucible demonstrates
Premium Salem witch trials The Crucible Salem, Massachusetts
Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials During the time period of 1691 to 1692 the town of Salem‚ a small thriving community within the Puritan Massachusetts Bay colony‚ was struck by widespread hysteria in the form of witch trials. The way these trials and accusations played out are historically unlike any other witch trials found in European and American history. Historians have pointed to a number of economic‚ political‚ and social changes of the then existing institutions throughout the Massachusetts
Premium Salem witch trials Puritan Witchcraft
Mass Hysteria during the 1690s and 1950s. As examples of mass hysteria‚ both the Salem Witch Trials and the Cold War caused turmoil during their respective time period. Although very different time periods‚ the 1690s Salem Witch Trials and the 1950s Cold War were both dramatic examples of mass hysteria (Campbell). The Salem Witch Trials were one of the nation’s most dramatic examples of hysteria as close to 20 people were killed because of pure hype and chaos in the region (Campbell). The cold war
Free Nuclear weapon Cold War World War II