The Salem Witch Trials

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In the beginning of 1692 a small girl by the name of Betty Parris, fell sick in a Puritanism colony. When the doctor examined her she had contortions, outburst of gibberish and seizures. These symptoms mystified the other villagers. Other girls soon demonstrated these same symptoms causing the doctor to believe witchcraft was in the cause of these girls sickness. This verdict triggered an investigation that took 25 lives and more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft; prisons filled with wrongly accused people, and concerned the people of the community of Salem, Massachusetts. In the year of 1692 a group of several young girls, some being, Bridget Bishop, Alice Parker, Mary Easty, Betty Parris and Sarah Hubbard, were arrested, who were claimed by other colonist to be possessed by the devil. Later in February of 1692 arrest warrants were made to three women; all of them were accused by the group of young girls with the symptoms of the sickness, that they bewitched them. These three women names were a homeless beggar, Sarah Good, an elder Sarah Osborn and a Caribbean slave, Tituba. These three women were brought to court to be trialed for using witchcraft. Both, Good and Osborn denied the claims and saying they were not guilty. Tituba, the Caribbean slave, confessed to the accusations of being a witch. She tried to convict other colonist, accusing them of witch craft, too, and serving with her to help the devil against the Puritan colony of Massachusetts. The other “witches”, accused by Tituba, confessed as well and named others that they worked with to serve the devil. This caused an overwhelming atmosphere in the trials sending the Massachusetts colony and surrounding settlements into a hysterical panic. This pa... ... middle of paper ... ...ft, was the reason behind it all. This was the reason why so many innocent lives were taken and their family’s reputation and names destroyed. Bibliography: Ziglen, Sara “National Geographic: Salem Witch Trials.” National Geographic: Salem Witch-Hunt. Sara Ziglen, Winter 2007. Web Oct. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/salem/ Salem Witch Museum “About the Salem Witch Trials.” Salem Witch Museum, 2012. Web 24 Oct. 2013 http://salemwitchmuseum.com/education/faq.php A&E Television Networks, LLC. “Salem Witch Trials.” History: Salem Witch Trials A&E Television Network, 1996-2013. Web 24 Oct. 2013 http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials Blumberg, Jess “A Brief History of the Salem witch Trials.” History & Archaeology. Jess Blumberg Smithsonian Media, Oct 2007. Web 24 Oct. 2013 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/brief-salem.html

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