Salem Witch Trial Summary

Most historians understand the Salem Witch Trials as an outbreak of hysteria starting from the utmost belief of the devil in Salem in the late seventeenth century, which led to the conclusion of witchcraft. Starting from two young girls and their teacher Tituba, the facts overlooked are biases behind the convictions and allegations of the witches; the many innocent people who could not escape the ubiquitous belief of witchcraft in seventeenth century Salem. What may have started as hysteria by Tituba led to accusations and convictions of innocent people, who were simply unaccepted either socially, religiously or personally, by the people of Salem. The Salem Witch Trials were almost nothing compared to the witch hunts beginning

Stacy Schiff is a more recent historian on the Salem Witch trials, who uses social conflicts in Salem and the misogynistic norms to prove that witchcraft was not the cause of hysteria. She dismisses the idea of a demonic role in the trials, and instead puts the blame on the rapidly Puritan-growing society, whose disorderly attempts allowed entrance for witchcraft. “ Like Good, Osbourne had tenaciously pursued a substantial inheritance, in her case after the 1674 death of her husband… Rumors had circulated about her for years…” (Schiff, 51) This is an example of a woman, Sarah Osbourne, put on trial for no apparent reason, other than the fact that she had inherited a good amount of money, and people were talking. People still found a way to accuse her for an invalid