What Caused the Salem Witch Trials? More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft—the Devil's magic—and 20 were executed. Social Studies Salem Witch Trials. the arrival of Anne Hutchinson, who claimed to be in direct communication with God B.) PLAY. Sepratists/Pilgrims. The Salem Witch Trials : The Causes Of The Deadly Accusations 912 Words | 4 Pages. A.) the group of people who came to the new world because of religious freedom but not for the exact same reasons as the puritans. While the exact cause of the Salem Witch Trials remains contested, there were no doubt underlying social forces of sexual oppression, individual repression, and Patriarchal reinforcement were a factor in the ensuing hysteria. 1692. Period 1 11 April 2015 The Salem Witch Trials: The Causes of the Deadly Accusations In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, he writes, “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (Miller 77). The following is a list of these theories and possible causes of the Salem Witch Trials: Conversion Disorder: Conversion disorder is a mental condition in which the sufferer experiences neurological symptoms which may occur due to a psychological conflict. The economic theories of the Salem events tend to be two-fold: the first attributes the witchcraft trials to an economic downturn caused by a “little ice age” that lasted from 1550-1800; the second cites socioeconomic issues in Salem itself. The rise of a mercantile elite was causing tensions between social classes in Salem. When did the salem witch trials occur? The Puritan religion was bound by strict customs and beliefs, and … Salem Witch Trials; Salem Story; The Affects of the Trials; Science behind the " bewitching"and quotes Short Term Effects The short term affect was how many people were affected including the hundreds of women and some men who were imprisoned or killed left the population lower.
More than two hundred people were accused. The Cold Weather Theory The Salem witch trials and executions came about as the result of a combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children, all of which unfolded in a vacuum of political authority. Another cause of Witch Trials pertained to gender prejudice (Reed, 210). ...notorious witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts occurred from June through September.It is a brief, but turbulent period in history and the causes of the trials have long been a source of discussion among historians. Study of Fifteenth Century Criminal Records Reveals the Origins of the Witch-Hunt A dark but iconic moment in U.S. history, the Salem witch trials of 1692, are taught in American schools to educate students about religious extremism and the judicial process. Many try to explain or rationalize the bizarre happenings of the witch hunts and the causes that contributed to them.
One reason for holding the Salem witch trials was due to the Puritan ideology that they were given the responsibility of purifying other people of sin for following the wrong path or believing in the wrong faith. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. 5005 Words21 Pages. One can see the Salem witch trials as being an excessive representation of the social and economic changes taking place in New England at this time (Boyer, p67). In this regard, the social structure of the Salem population was patriarchal and strictly based on biblical principles. Some of the suggested theories are: conversion disorder, epilepsy, ergot poisoning, Encephalitis, Lyme disease, unusually cold weather, factionalism, socio-economic hardships, family rivalries and fraud. STUDY. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693.