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The Salem Witch Trials: Causes, Events, and Social Hysteria

The Salem Witch Trials represent a chilling episode in American history, marked by paranoia and mass hysteria in the late 17th century. Over 100 people were imprisoned, and 20 were executed based on flimsy accusations, many linked to social tensions and personal rivalries within the Salem community. The Trials were fueled by allegations of witchcraft, with children, including the infamous Tituba, at the center of these false accusations. Various factors, from economic struggles to political conflicts and possible ergot poisoning, contributed to this tragic historical event that still captivates our understanding of fear and scapegoating.

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The Salem Witch Trials: Causes, Events, and Social Hysteria

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  1. XI. Salem Witch Trials • Common in European middle ages • 1. New Spain (the Inquisition) • 2. Salem – high # & few years • B. over 100 imprisoned & accused • C. 20 people executed • D. Children & Tituba • 1. Sprit possession • 2. children play possessed? • E. Daughter of Samuel Parris • 1. elders thought girls were tormented • a. girls use divination with egg whites to foresee husbands • 2. children accused disagreeable women first • F. Convicting a witch • 1. confessions preferred, may release if you repent • 2. witches have supernatural attributes

  2. a. super human strength, load & fire musket with one hand b. an extra appendage to feed a demon c. cannot perfectly repeat the Lord's Prayer d. evil eye (looked at cow & it died) G. Social Reasons for the Hysteria 1. Farms are much smaller and land poorer quality a. families leave Salem Town on coast start Salem Village b. coastal towns turn to sea and start trade with other towns c. Villagers doing poorly but cannot move inland further d. question their status as elect & blame prosperous 2. Politics may also have contributed to the Hysteria a. in 1684 old charter revoked and courts closed till 1692 b. some bitter rivalries between families i. disputes over boundaries, livestock, water c. so many accused when trials start special court convened d. many religious dissidents, Quakers, Baptists, & Anglicans 3. Ergot poisoning? 4. Wicca ?

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