Theories Of The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials were a series of prosecutions of men and women who were accused to practice witchcraft or have associations with the devil. The first Salem witch trial began with two girls in 1692, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams who started to have “fits”, in which they would throw tantrums and have convulsions. The random outburst of the girls threw the town of Salem into a mass of hysteria. Although historians have not found a definite reason or cause for the witch trials, they have taken different approaches to explain the hysteria that took over Salem. Some historians approach a psychological theory by proposing the girls suffered from diseases that made them act out. Other historians refer to factors such as religion, economics, and weather to explain the beginnings of an unforgettable time in Salem, Massachusetts. For over 300 years, historians have tried to reveal the truth about the beginnings of the Salem Witch Trials, but in order to do so historians must look at both the way of life in Salem in the seventeenth century and use knowledge that is available now to explain the phenomenon.
Linnda Caporael proposes a theory that Elizabeth and Abigail suffered from convulsive ergotism. Ergotism is a caused by ergot, a type of fungus, found in
Beginning in the fourteenth century, temperatures began to decrease, and it began to increase by the early nineteenth century. This period of time was known as the “Little Ice Age”. Emily Oster writes it is possible that the temperature may be a factor in the growth of the witch trials. Emily Oster has collected data regarding the relation between the weather and witch trials between 1520 and 1770. The relation was shown that while temperatures decreased by one standard deviation, it led to a .20 standard deviation increase in witch trials. Oster provides evidence to support her claim, making her theory seem