Salem Witch Trials Essay

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The lack of the Puritan’s religious tolerance led to hasty accusations, but there were also other issues in Salem at the time of the trials that made the community tense. According to discovreyeducation(.com), there were two parts of Salem at the time of the witch trials: Salem Town and Salem Village. Salem Town thrived; it consisted of the wealthy and had success with trade in London. Salem Village was divided. On one hand, there were the farmers who only had rugged terrain to make a living. On the other hand, the village supported those who lived closer to town, they became merchants and benefitted from the prosperity the village provided. “It is likely that the jealousies and hostilities between these two factions played a major role in the witch trials. Most of the villagers accused of witchcraft lived near Ipswich Road, whereas the accusers lived in the distant farms of Salem Village” (discoveryeducation.com). As those close to Salem Town became prosperous, those who lived in Salem Village as farmers felt that the riches put the Puritan values they cherished in jeopardy. The amount of unhealthy tension created was a catalyst that sent the town into hysteria, now infamously known as the Salem Witch Trials.…show more content…
“Women could be excommunicated, as Ann Hibben was in 1641, for ‘usurping’ her husband’s role, or, as Anne Yale Easton was in 1644, for expressing ‘unorthodox opinion’” (historymatters.gmu.edu). People could be excommunicated for having opinions that were not traditionally held in the religion. The Puritan community did not take it well when they found out there was talk of people being associated with the devil. With what is known about Puritan standards, it should not come as a shock the majority of the accused had low rankings in the community and did not fit in with rigid Puritan
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