Salem Witch Trials Dbq Essay

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In 1692 colonial Salem, Massachusetts, 20 people were accused of witchcraft and later were executed. It all started in January of 1692; the daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris fell ill. When they noticed that she wouldn’t improve, Dr. William Griggs was called in and what he diagnosed was bewitchment. After the diagnosis, witch hunting started, and therefore, 19 men and women of a young age were found and set to be trialed. Years after the execution, after the case had been meticulously investigated, apologies were offered to the victims’ families. But, why did all this happen? What were the causes of this event? Salem in the 17th Century First of all, we need to take a look back on Salem’s situation during the times that the executions took…show more content…
There are certain traits that could identify them. Most of the time, witches were elder women with an “apparent” hearing malfunction. According to Christians, the devil affected their senses. They were asked if they were guilty, and if they didn’t respond, they would be locked in prison. The number of pets she had also was considered, cats to be specific. Also she would be identified if she greeted a neighbor’s cat. Sarcastic commentaries were also a way to find out if she was a witch or not. According to beliefs, witches normally talked to themselves. Many people believed at when they talked to themselves they were casting spells over somebody. Also, Christians checked for moles, birthmarks, scars, or extra nipples in the suspect’s body since they were considered as the Devil’s marks. If none of these traits were identified, the following question was used: “Have you had dreams were a Native American talked to you?” This was the way that one witch was identified. She had dreamt that an Indian would seize her by the hair and drag her out of her house. Apparently that was enough to convince the village she was likely casting spells on them. If none of these resulted, they were asked to say “our Lord’s Prayer”, an infallible
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