How Did The Hysteria Caused The Salem Witch Trials

798 Words4 Pages
In Salem, Massachusetts, 1692 there was a group of colonists that were from England that were called the Puritans; they were a very religious group that did everything that the bible told them to do and they stuck to it. They came from England where they were outcasts and wanted to get away from the religion there. Due to their religion, where they heard rumors of witches, they took it very seriously and put people to death: If there were rumors of odd things happening or they were acting strange, they were hung for witchcraft. In 1692, there was hysteria surrounding the witch trials, what caused the hysteria? The Salem witch trial hysteria of 1692 was caused by the fear of being accused of being a witch. People could be accused of being one, and people could be possessed by the devil.…show more content…
The actions the people of Salem took to get rid of witches were very severe. In document A, it shows all of the people killed either by being hung, pressed to death, or died in jail because they were accused and killed all at one time each month. The fear of being accused and hung caused great hysteria in the people of Salem. The worst part is the people could be accused of anything such as their cow running away to bread burning anyone could be accused of the slightest things. In document B, it shows that most of the accused were married 41 to 60 years old. This and a few things may also have caused hysteria in the people. For example, in document E most witches and defendants were on the rich side while the accusers were on the poor side. This may mean that people that were poor wanted the riches from the witches on the wealthy side of town so they accused them of being witches for that
Show More
Related

  • Salem Witch Trials Essay

    1729 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Salem Witch Trials occurred during a time where tensions were high and strong Puritanical beliefs ruled the way of thinking. Salem-Village was a relatively isolate area, being far enough away from any other town that they had to travel to the town of Salem a few miles away through the woods just to be able to go to church. This seclusion led to mass paranoia and a fear that they were in constant danger of the devil’s influence. The fears brought about by these circumstances caused a massive witch

    Read More

  • The Crucible's Killings In The Salem Witch Trials

    1066 Words  | 5 Pages

    positive face to every single person who was maliciously murdered in the Salem witch trials that occurred in Massachusetts 1692. The killings occurred as a direct repercussion from the town’s people valuing their reputation over their integrity which lead to hysteria, and once these two joined, intolerance took over the town and the court. I am standing before you today, to prove that the people of that repressive society, did not commit the crime that they have been accused of. For example, Abigail

    Read More

More about How Did The Hysteria Caused The Salem Witch Trials

Open Document