What Caused the Momentum of Witchcraft in Massachusetts

Witchcraft accusations began in Massachusetts after people began to say that they saw others with different symptoms which includes “fits”, “spectral visions”, “mental distraction”, “pinching, pin pricking, and bites”, “lethargy”, and “death” (Carlson, xiii). These accusations spread rapidly and took off within Massachusetts due to the large number of people living in the area. The large population allowed for the idea of witchcraft to spread because of how rapidly the large population heard of these allegations. Through the word of mouth, friends told friends, family members told other family members, neighbors spoke among each other, community members were updated through each other. This is what caused the idea of witchcraft to gain so much momentum.
The population of Massachusetts and other larger states such as New York or Virginia had a much higher population due to the mass migration of people coming over from Europe. Massachusetts with its large population led to more problems than other places. A major problem that occurred was illnesses and diseases. These sicknesses were easily spread throughout the large settlements because of the large number of people living so close in one particular area. People spread these illnesses and diseases when they would go to the store, the post office, church, or any other location. Where ever they would go, they would spread their illnesses to a large amount of people, and those people would spread it to others, and so on because of the numerous amounts of contact between people. Eventually, the entire population would get this illness. In comparison to smaller areas, like the outskirts of towns and rural areas, that would have less human interactions which would help prevent the il...

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...ld want to avoid, stay away from, and keep maximum distance between. Since September 11th, people say those same things in our modern society. Those wearing turbans are often looked down upon and cause people to feel nervous around them. Another way people are stereotyped compared to those in the past are by an individual’s religion. Before September 11th, Muslims were seen as peaceful people; however since that eventful day, they are not looked at the same. People see them as different and many see them as a threat to security, harmful to our society, and not those of the type of people that can be trustworthy. They are currently being stereotyped just as those who had “illnesses” and were accused of witchcraft in the past.

Works Cited

Carlson, Laurie M. A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2000. Print.