Why The Salem Witch Trials - 1064 Words

Numerous hypotheses have circulated trying to explain why the Salem Witch Trials occurred. Some include the fungus ergot that had psychedelic consequences when consumed and the Puritans’ adamant belief in their religion. None of them, however, justify why over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 more were executed. The Salem Witch Trials are a prime example of why theocratic societies fail and the effects can still be seen today. We can still see witches in other parts of the world, see memorials for the victims of the trials, and modern day witch hunts. One lasting impact of the Salem Witch Trials is the separation between faith and science. The Massachusetts colony was constructed with the purpose of being a â€Å"city†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, the healing powers that sorcerers possess are respected in other communities. Witch doctors, although not real witches, are trusted to concoct remedies to protect others against witchcraft. Furthermore, Shamans are believed to be endowed with the power to both cure and kill. The Shaman has the ability to go into a trance to interact with the spirit world on behalf of the community. Although there are varying opinions on the practicing of witchcraft, it still continues today whether it is accepted or not. Today, people have been able to pay their respects to the victims of the Salem Witch Trials. In 1711, the Massachusetts colony passed a bill restoring the rights and the good names of the people accused, but it wasn’t until 1957 that the colony formally apologized for its fallacies. Nearly 300 years after the trials on May 9, 1992, the state of Massachusetts, the city of Salem , and the town of Danvers (formerly known as Salem Village) paid homage to the slain â€Å"witches† by building the Salem Village Witchcraft Victims’ Memorial of Davers. Later that year on August 5, 1992, another memorial, the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, was dedicated to the victims by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel. Though simplistic in its design, every detail of the memorial has significance. â€Å"Inscribed in the stone threshold entering the memorial are the victims’ protests of innocence. TheseShow MoreRelatedWhy Did the Salem Witch Trials Happen1102 Words   |  4 Pagesthe rea son behind the Salem Witch Trials in the Year 1692? This is a question that has been asked by historians everywhere for over three hundred years. Although the questions is easily posed by people, the answered discovered by historians are hard searched and revealed. The answer is difficult to give because there are numerous factors and events that helped create and influence the trials, even before the trials began. The main factors that started and fueled the trials were the politics, religionRead MoreIs Witch Trails A Thing Of The Past?923 Words   |  4 Pages Being that the Salem Witch Trails date back to over three hundred years, many people believe witch trails are a thing of the past. However, modern day witch trails are still extremely prevalent. Modern-day witch-hunts are reported to still be happening in Africa, the Pacific, Latin America, even in the U.S. and Europe. According to a New York Times article, within the last fifteen years alone, more than 2,000 Indians have b een killed after being accused of witchcraft. Almost all of the accused haveRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials Essay1725 Words   |  7 PagesHistory took place. The Salem witch trials was one of the most catastrophic events worldwide in which people were accused, hanged, or sent to jail. During this time there was also a lot of chaos going on in Salem when some girls started accusing innocent people of being witches and being responsible for all the trouble that was going on the town. Even though not all those individuals were sentenced to death, there were still three causes or theories of why the Salem witch trials might have occurred andRead MorePuritans And The Salem Witch Trials978 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Puritans had many beliefs that affected the Salem Witch Trials, these were based on how the attendance or lack of attendance of the church, how people should behave, social class, and the way the government should be handled. Puritans were English Protestants that came to America in 1630. They sought to reform the Church of England. When they first came to America they settled at Salem, Massachusetts. The main reason the Puritan’s came to Salem was for freedom of religion which they did not haveRead MoreReasons Behind The Salem Witch Trials1568 Words   |  7 PagesJaquelin Lopez History 1301- Dr.Frawley April 30, 1017 Reasons behind the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 The Salem Witch Trials were a series of trials in the 1690s which accused society members of practicing witchcraft, they took place in Salem, Massachusets. What caused this mass hysteria to occur? Some contributing factors could include some socio-economic reasons, an overbearing Puritan society and the influential sense that witchcraft was taking place all over the world. Massachusetts was settledRead MoreMany Years Ago People Have Wonder About Witches And What1348 Words   |  6 Pagespeople have wonder about witches and what they do. Salem, Massachusetts held one of the biggest witch trials in history since 1692 but yet have never found the rea-son why it was started in the first place. Researchers have discovered some information about those witches throughout the years. Still they have not figured out what was the whole rea-son behind the trials in 1692 and after those trials a lot more trials were more secretive unlike the Salem witches tri-als in 1692. New England, home of theRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials And Mccarthyism1327 Words   |  6 Pagescharacteristics begin to repeat sometimes skipping a generation or two. The fact that in one family traits continue to repeat constantly shows how a connected group will always have a repetition of a certain pattern—naturally the world has order so why wouldn’t the history of our world? The history of our world does have a pattern even though it is not always of positive events, simply because human tend to copy what they learn. Humans have done this forever because even as a baby you learn to speakRead MoreSalem Witch Trials1478 Words   |  6 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a series of trials in which twenty-four people were killed after being accused of practicing witchcraft. These trials were caused by different social climates of the area including the very strong lack of a governor, the split between Salem Village and Salem Town, and the strict puritan life style during the time period. Tituba, the black slave, was a foreigner from Barbados. Her role in society was to take care of Mr. Parris’s family. Tituba’s situation contributedRead MoreThe Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials1748 Words   |  7 PagesThe Salem witch trials were a series of different court trials. They occurred after a group of young girls were claimed to be possessed by the devil. These individuals experienced hallucinations. Some of the suspects explained the attacks as if bugs were crawling under their skin. When the outbreak began to spread, the government proceeded to accuse multiple people in the colony of witchcraft. This is how the Salem witch trials came to be. The trials took place in colonial Massachusetts. AccordingRead MoreThe Salem Witches: Real or Imagined?1289 Words   |  5 Pages The Salem Witches: Real or Imagined? The Salem Witch Trials began because of a mysterious illness contracted by 11-year old Abigail Williams and her cousin Betty Paris (Burgan). Instead of looking for a logical explanation, the community immediately jumped to the conclusion that witches caused the girls curious behavior. Doctors commonly would diagnose an unknown illness as witchcraft, rather than looking for other explanations (Wolfinger). Erot of Rye, which causes severe contortions and hallucinations