The Salem witch trials were the first and only witch hunt to result in numerous deaths and rely mainly on spectral evidence. Most importantly, Salem did not follow the standard set by previous possessions: to keep the accusations made by the possessed inside the household. The accusations were used for selfish and greedy reasons. Salem Village was dealing with land disputes within the village and trying to gain independence from Salem Town in 1692. Some of Salem’s residents moved from Maine due to loss of family and land to the Indians. Also, a lot of Salem’s residents were dealing with tension, grief and what today is known as post-traumatic stress disorder. The magistrates used anger, fear and the psychological state of residents to establish trust and power. The occurrences in Salem were the result of the girls practicing fortune-telling and one girl receiving an undesirable answer. Tituba confirmed that she had signed the devil’s book and accused Good and Osborne, which led to the hunt that the magistrates used to gain power and wealth. The Salem witch trials resulted from the combination of curious youth, a slave confessing to save her life, and selfish magistrates.
In Salem of 1692, neighbors were divided, …show more content…
Their curiosity about fortune-telling led to their affliction. Betty Parris and Abigail Williams of Samuel Parris’s household, and Ann Putnam of the Putnam’s household were the first three afflicted girls. They were known, according to Reverend Hale in the Modest Enquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft, to have "tampered with the Devils tools,…so far that one door was opened [for] Satan to play... pranks." This included putting an “egg white in a glass of water." One girl saw a “spectre in likeness of a coffin. And was afterwards followed with diabolical molestation to her death.” This simple trick was the igniter of the girls being afflicted and the Salem Witch
In Salem of 1692, neighbors were divided, …show more content…
Their curiosity about fortune-telling led to their affliction. Betty Parris and Abigail Williams of Samuel Parris’s household, and Ann Putnam of the Putnam’s household were the first three afflicted girls. They were known, according to Reverend Hale in the Modest Enquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft, to have "tampered with the Devils tools,…so far that one door was opened [for] Satan to play... pranks." This included putting an “egg white in a glass of water." One girl saw a “spectre in likeness of a coffin. And was afterwards followed with diabolical molestation to her death.” This simple trick was the igniter of the girls being afflicted and the Salem Witch