Research Guides: Witchcraft, Women & the Healing Arts in the Early Modern Period: A Strange Affliction in Salem (2024)

FAQs

What was the strange affliction in Salem? ›

In 1692 the small Puritan village of Salem, Massachusetts, was plagued by a sudden and brief cloud of witchcraft accusations. After young girls Betty Parris and Abigail Williams exhibited severe convulsions and other strange symptoms, village doctor William Griggs diagnosed them as having been bewitched.

The central idea of "Witchcraft in Salem" refers to the historical event in which accusations of witchcraft led to a series of trials and executions in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 17th century.

Abigail, along with her cousin Betty, accused citizens of Salem a village in the colony of Massachusetts 1 of being witches. The young girls claimed that they were being attacked by these men and women who had made a pact with the devil. The trials were swift.

Salem Witch Trials: Inequality Between Men And Women In 1692

Women were more likely to be accused of casting spells because they were expected to be at home, listen to their husband, and weren't aloud to be ministers so there were more likely to preach the devil.

Modern theories about what was afflicting the girls have ranged from epilepsy to boredom to ergot poisoning. But most experts agree that these causes alone can't be attributed to the girls' anguish. Baker says it's possible that a few of the accusers were purposefully faking their symptoms.

The Salem witch trials and executions came about as the result of a combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children, all of which unfolded in a vacuum of political authority.

In the 17th century, a witch was understood as a person who agreed to serve the devil in opposition to the Christian church. In 1692, several young girls in Salem Village reported that unseen agents or forces afflicted them, accusing their neighbors of causing these afflictions.

Explanation: The best description of a central idea of the passage is that the town of Salem believed it was being plagued by witches, and in their panic, they held a number of unfair trials.

Evidence points to several factors that may have contributed to the mass hysteria: “An influx of refugees from King William's War with French colonists, a recent smallpox epidemic, the threat of attack from Native Americans, a growing rivalry with the neighboring seaport of Salem Town, and the simmering tensions ...

Of the 20 people put to death, 19 were hung and one man was pressed to death by heavy stones. The Salem witch trials taught us that superstition, irrational fear, paranoia and hysteria can cause even well-meaning people to do horrible things to their fellow humans.

What was ultimately an outcome of the Salem witch trials? ›

In October 1692, Governor William Phips ended the special witchcraft court in Salem. Accusations soon abated and eventually stopped. In January, the new Superior Court of Judicature began to try the remaining cases and eventually cleared the jails. After Salem trials, no one was convicted of witchcraft in New England.

The central idea of Mike Kubic's article 'The Salem (and Other) Witch Hunts' is that the witch hunts in Salem and other parts of the world were driven by societal anxieties, including fears of supernatural forces and the need to find scapegoats for societal problems.

Women were meant to have a specific place in their life, with a miniscule amount of power. However, the Salem witch trials was a shifting time when women were stepping out of those bounds and given more power than before. This event left a mark on history and women's roles in a Puritan lifestyle.

Perhaps it was ingrained misogyny that was the root of the witch hunts, but a number of other reasons, including religious fervor, can be named as possible instigators of violence against women and witch accusations.

Some historians, who believe the Hysteria was a deliberate conspiracy, depict the girls as puppets of their parents. Others believe the girls were merely reacting to Salem's rivalries. Betty Parris, for example, was probably well aware of her father's difficulties with some of the town's residents.

Evidence points to several factors that may have contributed to the mass hysteria: “An influx of refugees from King William's War with French colonists, a recent smallpox epidemic, the threat of attack from Native Americans, a growing rivalry with the neighboring seaport of Salem Town, and the simmering tensions ...

In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, accusing someone of witchcraft quickly became a common occurrence. Mass hysteria and paranoia combined with a rudimentary legal system meant that anyone could be convicted of being a witch—and sentenced to death because of it.

The paranoia in Salem was heightened by the fact that magistrates examined accused witches in open court. In many cases, observers witnessed the accusers go into fits during interrogations. Naturally, villagers assumed the “witches” on trial were causing the symptoms.

The tragedy occurred in 1692 when several people were accused of practicing witchcraft and were subsequently executed. The paradox lies in the fact that the accusations and trials were based on superstition, hysteria, and unfounded evidence, going against the principles of justice and rationality.