Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692 and became one of the most infamous witchcraft episodes in United States history. It all started in the small Puritan village of Salem when little Betty Parris and Abigail Williams became ill and did not show any signs of improvement. This is when Reverend Parris, Betty’s father, called in the village doctor William Griggs. His diagnosis of bewitchment had the village overtaken with mass hysteria that would continue to plague them long after the May 1693 end. During the trials, one hundred and fifty six people were accused of witchcraft: fifty four of which confessed, nineteen of which were hanged, four of which died in jail, and one whom was pressed to death. In order to fully understand the events that occurred in Salem, an individual must be familiar with the ideas behind the Puritan culture. The Puritans were protestant reformers who wished to purify religion and politics of corruption. The ones which settled in the Massachusetts Bay colony believed in a theocracy, a form of government that combines the laws of church and state. They placed a huge emphasis on the greater good of the community over their own personal gain. Their religious views were very strict with a strong belief in Satan. Puritans believed in witches and their ability …show more content…
Lets start in January 1692, when Reverend Parris’ daughter Elizabeth, age nine, and niece Abigail Williams, age eleven, started having fits. They would shout, toss things, express impossible to miss sounds, and distort themselves into abnormal positions. Another Salem child, Ann Putnam, age eleven, experienced identical symptoms. Many modern theories suggest the girls were suffering from epilepsy, boredom, child abuse, mental illness or even a disease brought on by eating rye infected with fungus, and this is why the children would act so