The Salem witch trials were a series of bizarre accusations brought before the court of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The infamous Salem witch trials began after a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and the majority of people accused were women. Furthermore, the Salem witch trials resulted in mass hysteria. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller the trials started when Parris’s daughter felt ill which caused people to start rumors and theories that accused other people of witchcraft. Several theories that could explain what happened in Salem include ergot poisoning, cold weather, jealousy, boredom, and religion. In the following paragraphs, each theory will be discussed in detail on their effectiveness to the actual
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Historical records reveal that witch hunts mostly occurred at low temperatures such as the period when the infamous Salem witch trials began. A Harvard graduate, Oster proposed a theory that the most active witchcraft trials period in Europe coincided with “little ice age”, a 400 year of lower than average temperature. “During this cold period, lower temperatures correlated with higher numbers of witchcraft accusations” (el at). The correlation may seem irrelevant, but researchers show in the period, popes and scholars believed witches were able to control the weather. Salem also had a little ice age, which started in 1680 to 1730; it is around the time of the infamous trials that started in 1692. It is expected being exposed to the low temperatures can lead to abnormal behaviors causing people to think the afflicted to be possessed. In addition, the cold weather in Salem caused the townsfolk to have poor harvest conditions. “Historical records indicated that, with hunts occur more often during cold periods, possibly because people look for scapegoats to blame for crop failures and general economic hardship”(el at). Due to significant people like scholars and a large group of people believing witches had the ability to control the weather; witches were blamed for crop failures. It was likely that the farmers were in a bad position because they could not grow anything. It is also likely that the farmers would be the ones who accused most people such as their competitors for own gain. It is known that cold weather can affect the mind and behavior. The young girls who accused the townsfolk are believed to have suffered from a psychological condition commonly known as mass hysteria. “Theory suggests the hysteria may have sprung from dire economic condition” (el at). The outbreak of mass hysteria most often afflicts children and teenager, more often in girls
Historical records reveal that witch hunts mostly occurred at low temperatures such as the period when the infamous Salem witch trials began. A Harvard graduate, Oster proposed a theory that the most active witchcraft trials period in Europe coincided with “little ice age”, a 400 year of lower than average temperature. “During this cold period, lower temperatures correlated with higher numbers of witchcraft accusations” (el at). The correlation may seem irrelevant, but researchers show in the period, popes and scholars believed witches were able to control the weather. Salem also had a little ice age, which started in 1680 to 1730; it is around the time of the infamous trials that started in 1692. It is expected being exposed to the low temperatures can lead to abnormal behaviors causing people to think the afflicted to be possessed. In addition, the cold weather in Salem caused the townsfolk to have poor harvest conditions. “Historical records indicated that, with hunts occur more often during cold periods, possibly because people look for scapegoats to blame for crop failures and general economic hardship”(el at). Due to significant people like scholars and a large group of people believing witches had the ability to control the weather; witches were blamed for crop failures. It was likely that the farmers were in a bad position because they could not grow anything. It is also likely that the farmers would be the ones who accused most people such as their competitors for own gain. It is known that cold weather can affect the mind and behavior. The young girls who accused the townsfolk are believed to have suffered from a psychological condition commonly known as mass hysteria. “Theory suggests the hysteria may have sprung from dire economic condition” (el at). The outbreak of mass hysteria most often afflicts children and teenager, more often in girls