The Salem, Massachusetts Witch Trails of 1692

During the 1600's, our country was young and starting to grow. Man believed in the

paranormal and thought my things were either and act of God or Satan. The pilgrims believed the

Devil was alive and planned to destroy the pilgrims. At that point in time, those who practiced

Christianity believed that the Devil could give his worshipers special powers to harm others in

return for his loyalty; they were called witches.

In 1692, dark times shadowed the small village of Salem, Massachusetts, it was the

beginning of the dreaded Salem witch trials. Even though this event is called the Salem witch

trials, other counties such as Essex, Ipswich, and Andover in Massachusetts participated as well.

It all started in Salem Village when Reverend Parris' daughter Elizabeth and niece Abigail

started having unexplained fits. The children would scream, throw things, make strange noises,

and bend into almost impossible positions. Because of the lack of medical science and training in

this time period, the village doctor blamed the supernatural. Not long after the girls' doctor visit,

seven other girls exhibited the same symptoms. Some historians believe that the girls could have

suffered from epilepsy, boredom, child abuse, mental illness, or a disease caused by fungus

infected rye bread.

When the children's ailments came to question, they stated that they were bewitched by

three older women. Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn, and a slave called Tituba. The women were

social outcasts which is what made them easy targets for such accusations. The only one who

confessed was Tituba, she stated all three of them were asked to do Satan's dirty work. Once this

was said, a witch hunt started to root out anymore possible witche...

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... accusing were usual lower class and came from small farms.

After so many people were accused and executed, some of the villagers thought it was

rather odd that such a large number of people in one area could be guilty of the same crime.

Because some feared that many innocent people were being killed, clergymen began to object

against witch trials and hunts.

That September, the reputable minister, Cotton Mather over saw the witch trial court

along with Governor Phipps. When Governor Phipps wife was accused of witchcraft, he banned

the witch trials and saw to it that all the accused were found innocent and released in 1693.

Today, historians believe that the stress of land disputes, fighting with local Native

American tribes, illness, fungus infected bread, and refugees from Canada with different

religious beliefs may have added to the witch craze.