The Salem Witch Trials
(In the picture above, the girl on the right side is found guilty of witchcraft and is praying/pleading towards heaven. The jury sits at the table in the back. And on the left you can see one girl's fearful face as she is pointing to the accused woman. The girl is probably Elizabeth Parris and the other pointing hands are more girls who follow Elizabeth in accusing people of witchcraft, the Devil's magic.)
The Witch Trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. This event caused 200 innocent people to be accused of witchcraft, and 20 of them were hanged. It all started with two girls, Abigail and Elizabeth Parris (ages 9 and 11), who started having screaming fits and made strange noises. They were diagnosed with side effects of supernatural witchcraft. The two girls blamed their fits on three women in Salem. After those women were arrested and accused more girls joined Abigail and Elizabeth, and more and more innocent people of Salem were blamed for witchcraft. This event went on until the Governor William Phipps and his court got orders from England to stop the witch trials immediately and release those who were accused.
I think the reason this event is still talked about and studied to this day is because we want to believe that the Parris girls were acting, but we aren't 100% convinced. There have been many studies on why this activity occurred. Some think the girls were simply looking for attention, and once they realized the power they had they took great advantage of it and were fully aware of what they were doing. Another theory is that the girls may have been exposed to fungus ergot, which is found in rye and wheat and can cause muscle spasms, vomiting, and hallucinations. These actions would make the girls' testimonies very convincing.
Examination of the witch
By: Matteson, Tompkins H.
Still, I have a hard time understanding how the adults trusted these young girls. Were the Puritans so afraid of being unfaithful that they would believe anyone was guilty of doing the Devil's magic? Or did they see children as the most innocent beings that no one could prove the Parris girls wrong?
I have included this event in my blog about New England gravestones because I believe it was a crucial event in colonial America that was based upon Puritan religion, death, and death practices. The witch trials occurred right after the English Bill of Rights was passed and about 20 years before The Great Awakening, or spiritual revival, took place.
Sources:
Blumberg, Jess. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Smithsonian Magazine. Published Oct 4 2007. Retrieved Oct 27 2013. Web.
Miranda,
ReplyDeleteAs I said before, I grew up in New England not too far away from Salem, MA. The trials of the Parris girls came up very often in my schooling from grade school all the way up to high school, especially around Halloween time. I think you brought up this subject at the perfect time. The month of October is when I remember ghost walking tours being offered in Salem, CT that were meant to be a mock version of the witch trials in Salem, MA. One of my history teachers strongly felt the Parris girls may have suffered from epilepsy or possibly Tourette syndrome. She felt the latter case probably explains better the fits of screaming and strange noises the girls would randomly make. I am inclined to believe that the girls did in fact suffer from a medical condition. We will never know what truly what truly happened.
I haven't even read your blog post but I just wanted to say I LOVE THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS!!! more than the normal person should but now I will comment on your blog post :)
ReplyDeleteI wrote an analytical essay for a class at SEMO actually that analyzed five different authors views on the Salem Witch Trials and what caused it. It was very interesting seeing what different people think caused the trials.
Another interesting book is A Break With Charity by Ann Rinaldi, you should definitely check it out. It is a historical nonfiction book about the trials that brings you into the fray.