The History of the Salem Witchcraft Trials

So the Puritans believed that all witches could use the devils power to harm other people. Since they thought all witches had power to harm other people they went around and found people that they thought or they were doing witchcraft. They would blame other people for doing witchcraft and they wouldn't even be doing it. They had said that if you wrote in the devils book you have the power. These girls were asked by many people if they had came in contact with the devil.

Fear of being arrested or put to death is the key motivation in turning others in as witches. From these three human flaws, the town of Salem falls into chaos with many innocent people paying the price. Vengeance plays a key role in causing the mass hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail Williams, who?s probably most to blame for the trials, acts out of revenge. She and John Proctor have had an affair and when Elizabeth Proctor finds out, she throws Abigail out of their house.

When other people heard about all of what was going on in Salem they started turning on their neighbors thinking and mostly believing that these people were witches because of the way they would go about their everyday activities. During this time of panic and disorder, people started finding ways to torture these “witches” with many different tactics to see if they were real witches or if they were innocent. Most of the people involved in the horrible torture devices were killed because no human could stand these horrible tests

The four main characters in the play, John Proctor, Abigail Adams, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, are caught in the middle of the witchcraft panic in the religious Salem, Massachusetts in late 1690’s. Persecution is the most important theme in the Crucible, the leaders and citizens of Salem attacks and persecutes one of their own without any tangible evidence against them. In the Crucible, persecution exists between friends and enemies in the play. The girls could falsely accuse the people they hate for practicing witchcraft so that they are persecuted. In addition, friends whose friendship had ended also accused their former friends of witchcraft.

Twenty people executed, two hundred or more jailed, and the whole town of Salem in hysteria. Lasting two years, the Salem Witch Trials not only tore families apart, but killed many along the way as well. People were jailed from the reasoning of the court with no legitimate evidence. This historical time, in 1692-1693 was one of the most insane and violent periods that people living in small towns and villages experienced. In both Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Lisa Rowe Fraustino’s I Walk in Dread, hysteria, the Salem Witch Trials, and Mccarthyism are featured as main topics that create a similarity of themes.

The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. At this time there appeared to be an outbreak of witches. This started when the children of the Goodwin family begin having mysterious fits. The doctors, not knowing what had happened to the children, blamed it on witchcraft. From that point on many people were accused of being a witch and were killed.

Friend turn on friend, and neighbor turn on neighbor no one is safe in the small town of Salem. In Arthur Miles novel The Crucible a great deal of people are being accused of witchcraft. In Salem if you didn’t like someone you can just accuse him or her of witchcraft and they will die. The characters the in the story that have conflicts with each other are Jon Proctor, Elizabeth, Abigail Williams, and Mr. Putnam, and Mrs. Putnam. Miller shows in the novel that unresolved conflicts between people can have tragic results.

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were one of the worst events in pre-US history. Hundreds of people were imprisoned, and 20-40 people died. The girls who accused the people were ruthless and lied in court. The accused witches had no way to be declared innocent. I believe the accused witches were innocent.

There were many major controversies throughout history. The Salem Witch Trials was one of those major catastrophes. The Trials caused panic and hysteria throughout Salem. Many innocent people died or went to jail for being accused a witch. People who were considered to be their friends or neighbors were turning on them accusing them of witchcraft.

Corey was sentenced to peine forte etdure, hard and forced punishment, and condemned to death. Although the extreme Salvationists were a part of the hysteria that was the Salem witch trials, the result was caused by a greed for more land ownership. In the winter of 1692 Betty Parris, daughter of the newly appointed minister started having Epileptic Fits, starting the hysteria that soon to follow with the other girls. Soon after the local town girls began to all show the same symptoms of flailing, screaming and screaming out strange sounds. Many of the locals associated this bizarre behavior with witch craft.