The Salem witch trials were trails held in Massachusetts during February 1692 and May 1693. Several girls claimed they were taken over by the devil and they accused woman of practicing witchcraft. The trials executed primarily women for the charge of witchcraft. Although they were called Salem witch trails, hearings were conducted in several towns in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
As a wave of hysteria spread throughout colonial Massachusetts, a special court convened in Salem to hear the cases; the first convicted witch, Bridget Bishop, was hanged that June. Eighteen others followed Bishop to Salem’s Gallows Hill, while some 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next several months. By September 1692, the hysteria had begun …show more content…
Their beliefs in the church were mixed with supernatural beliefs, which tied into the hysteria surrounding the incident. The government of Massachusetts was run by conservative puritan leaders that opposed the Church of England and were against a lot of the common practices.
They were sent to the local doctor and he could not find anything physically wrong with them. Other women of the area were also experiencing the same outbursts. What instigated the whole incident is up to interpretation as no one really knows exactly what triggered this. There were several women singled out in the community because of the color of their skin, lack of attendance at church, and begging for food. All of them had one thing in common; they were outcasts in the community and this allowed them to be easy prey in a patriarchal society heavily based in religion and supernatural beliefs.
The local government acted by arresting everyone that fit the “witch” profile. The women were brought to examination by the local magistrates and the governor’s council. Among the arrested were Abigail Hobbs, Bridget Bishop, and Mary Warren. After being tortured and ridiculed, they ended up confessing to the crimes of witchcraft and naming several other accomplices. By the end of May 1692, a total of 62 people were in
As a wave of hysteria spread throughout colonial Massachusetts, a special court convened in Salem to hear the cases; the first convicted witch, Bridget Bishop, was hanged that June. Eighteen others followed Bishop to Salem’s Gallows Hill, while some 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next several months. By September 1692, the hysteria had begun …show more content…
Their beliefs in the church were mixed with supernatural beliefs, which tied into the hysteria surrounding the incident. The government of Massachusetts was run by conservative puritan leaders that opposed the Church of England and were against a lot of the common practices.
They were sent to the local doctor and he could not find anything physically wrong with them. Other women of the area were also experiencing the same outbursts. What instigated the whole incident is up to interpretation as no one really knows exactly what triggered this. There were several women singled out in the community because of the color of their skin, lack of attendance at church, and begging for food. All of them had one thing in common; they were outcasts in the community and this allowed them to be easy prey in a patriarchal society heavily based in religion and supernatural beliefs.
The local government acted by arresting everyone that fit the “witch” profile. The women were brought to examination by the local magistrates and the governor’s council. Among the arrested were Abigail Hobbs, Bridget Bishop, and Mary Warren. After being tortured and ridiculed, they ended up confessing to the crimes of witchcraft and naming several other accomplices. By the end of May 1692, a total of 62 people were in