In 1692 hysteria hit the town of Salem. This iconic event in American history has had historians puzzled for centuries, because there is no clear evidence for why this witch hunt became more intense than any other American witch trial before it. Through my research, and previous knowledge, I have discovered that there are two main sources of fuel for the witch trials. The first, the leaders of Salem decided they could take advantage of the situation and pushed people into “the loop,” where people were then able to spread the hysteria for social gain, and vengeful purposes. These two reasons are also connected to why the trials ended so abruptly. It is important to understand that there may never be an exact answer to why the Salem witch trials
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They refused to pay his salary, provided him with firewood, and doing other chores for the church. Although his favor with the people was quickly declining, he greatly benefited from the devil coming to Salem and provoking the villagers, so it is a logical place to start by analyzing his actions when discussing political advancements in the witch trials. Church membership rose along with fear as the people attempted to reconnect with their beliefs , so that they could feel safe against the evil that they believed was attacking their village. “All of this suggests that these sermons, uttered at key points in the Trials, were designed for a specific pupose…it is not surprising that they sound a little bit like sermons uttered to soldiers on the brink of war.” He was preparing the people for a war against the witches hiding among them, and used his sermons to manipulate the churches ideas on the witches in Salem. Being the religious leader during a witch hunt puts you in a powerful position, Parris was the one who defined the evil in Salem, and told the people what they needed to do to stop it. In ‘Homo Economiscus,’ Franklin describes Parris’ hold on the way the people thought about witches as a Monopoly. Saying, “To this end, the ministers can be viewed as (temporary) holders of monopoly licenses to interpret Puritan theology.” This instant power gain, is both convincing to the people of Salem, and questionable to historians, because of where the trails began: inside of the Parris
They refused to pay his salary, provided him with firewood, and doing other chores for the church. Although his favor with the people was quickly declining, he greatly benefited from the devil coming to Salem and provoking the villagers, so it is a logical place to start by analyzing his actions when discussing political advancements in the witch trials. Church membership rose along with fear as the people attempted to reconnect with their beliefs , so that they could feel safe against the evil that they believed was attacking their village. “All of this suggests that these sermons, uttered at key points in the Trials, were designed for a specific pupose…it is not surprising that they sound a little bit like sermons uttered to soldiers on the brink of war.” He was preparing the people for a war against the witches hiding among them, and used his sermons to manipulate the churches ideas on the witches in Salem. Being the religious leader during a witch hunt puts you in a powerful position, Parris was the one who defined the evil in Salem, and told the people what they needed to do to stop it. In ‘Homo Economiscus,’ Franklin describes Parris’ hold on the way the people thought about witches as a Monopoly. Saying, “To this end, the ministers can be viewed as (temporary) holders of monopoly licenses to interpret Puritan theology.” This instant power gain, is both convincing to the people of Salem, and questionable to historians, because of where the trails began: inside of the Parris