...Fares Alkatanani Ap Language March 19, 2024 Mrs. Evans What were some of the possible causes of the witch trials? Le Beau, Bryan F. “Factional Politics Provoked the Crisis in Salem Village.” The Salem Witch Trials. Edited by Laura Marvel. Greenhaven Press, 2003. pp. 113-117. 30 - 36. LeBeau examines the role of internal conflicts within Salem leading up to the trials. He argues that economic tensions and land disputes charged the Salem witch with hysteria. The article takes a further look at power struggles between Salem Town and Village and how they only deepened social tensions, contributing to the occurrence of the trials. The political state of Salem is in crisis. Many were in disagreement, causing high tensions. Salem is divided into...
Words: 1296 - Pages: 6
...THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALSIntroductionThe Salem witch trials have been drawing attention of researchers and historians for manycenturies due to the unexplained nature of the events and their continuance. From the 17thcenturyuntil now scientists present and explore different possible reasons which caused the witch hysteriain Salem and brought harm to many people.The Salem witch trials were a series of prosecutions which began in Salem town, stateMassachussetts, in 1692, and the consequences of the trials lasted till 1697. In 1692, two little girlsstarted to demonstrate weird and frightening behavior including convulsions and hallucinations.Very quickly several other girls and some adults developed the same symptoms, and...
Words: 882 - Pages: 4
...The Salem Witch Trials was a crucial piece of American History. It was like inviting hell on earth and having a nightmare brought to life. It’s something that shouldn’t be repeated. There’s many unanswered questions to the real reasons the Salem Witch Trials began that experts discovered numerous theories. The lifestyle of the puritans, the disease that overcame, and the communities differences are all real reasons behind the Salem Witch Trials. In the late 17th century times were changing. It might have seemed for the better in some places, and in others not at all. America in 1692 was like freedom with ankle bracelets. Puritans came from Europe wanting to get away from the harsh ways of their homeland, and start a life with their own set of rules on the other side of the world. Yet, their rules were less crucial, but still strict. The young females thought and wanted their generation to be different. The puritans were austere on females especially on vanity. But since this was just the beginning of when people started coming Europe they had the same things in mind like freedom, new opportunities, and a new life just not the same ideas. The young ladies had gotten...
Words: 739 - Pages: 3
...Katherine Anderson 12/12/14 American History: A Repetitious Pattern Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” Although this quote could be applied to many different events in history, it can indisputably be compared to two of the most infamous in America’s past: The Salem Witch Trials and the “Red Scare,” or Joseph McCarthy and the House of Un-American Activities Committee. These two periods of American history are remarkably similar in numerous ways. The Salem Witch Trials in 1692 and the Hunt for Communists during the 1950’s-60’s shows something man, for some reason, continues to not realize about history: it repeats itself. The Salem Witch Trials began in the spring of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. There were many factors that made Salem Colony fertile-soil in which terror and hysteria could arise and thrive. King William’s war recently took place in New France (Canada) and the people feared they would strike Salem Colony next. The people were also horrified that the Native Americans would attack at any time. There had been a recent smallpox epidemic. There was a sense of rivalry towards nearby Salem Town, a community in which there was more money. These prominent factors made life stressful for the puritans and certainly tension was high among the people. It is no surprise that when the word spread of the “diagnosis” of the first witch, Betty Parris (which was the daughter of Samuel Parris), dread and suspicion enveloped...
Words: 1308 - Pages: 6
...The idea of witchcraft originated from unexplainable events due to stress and hardships, which demonstrates human tendency to place blame on other people for things beyond their control. Although Salem was not alone in its idea of witchcraft, it is definitely the most memorable. The Salem witch trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 (2009). Tensions in the area were high in the colony due to disease and fear. This angst caused people to place blame on anything they could. Since religion was such a high priority in the colony, they looked to it for their answer. People were also doing physically unexplainable things. Modern medicine was not available and they did not have an explanation for diseases and other conditions like there are today. All of this fear and uncertainty led to the idea of witchcraft. Stressors on the Conoly Salem was originally settled by the Puritans in 1628. Their charter was revoked due to religious reasons in 1684. A new charter replaced the original one in 1692 (2013), which caused tensions in the air to be high and Puritans felt like there under attack. They had left England due to religious persecution and did not want to deal with the same issues in their new colony. This caused feelings of anxiety to fill the colony....
Words: 650 - Pages: 3
...commonly associated with the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, there were also other trials throughout the century across colonial New England. It is important to look at some of these other trials also in order to see their cultural and historical impacts. The impacts are often overlooked because all of the attention tends to be put towards the Salem trials. One trial in particular, the 1669 trial of Katherine Harrison, is interesting to look at because of its particular circumstances. Although the essays by two respected historians, Jane Kamensky and Carol Karlsen, never address the trial specifically both seem to offer explanations for Katherine Harrison’s particular witchcraft circumstances. In order to fully compare the accuracy of their explanations to her situation a few things need to be addressed. First off there shall be a brief history of witchcraft in New England, then a clear description of the case against Katherine. Following that there shall be a summary of the historians’ individual viewpoints from their essays. Then finally, and most importantly, is the evidence of why Karlsen and Kamensky have explanatory power in the Harrison case. Witchcraft trials started around 1648 in New England and were fueled by the strong faith of the Puritans. The Puritans, a devout religious group, believed that Satan was an angel who had turned against god, and that witches had been possessed by Satan. In turn, accusations typically arose from social tensions between neighbors and often...
Words: 1449 - Pages: 6
...While presenting a grotesque or deceitfully charming exterior, as well as having a malicious nature, monsters have forever played upon the curiosity and fear of humans. As ‘creatures’ who have appeared as the antagonists in our books, movies, histories, and cultural imaginations in more general terms what truly defines a monster? Is it the abhorrent appearance or the inhumane characteristics that has caused them to be the object of nightmares and interest? If so, are they truly what should be feared? One of the most iconic monster novels of the early modern period, published at a time when technological innovation was becoming immensely prominent is Frankenstein. Contrary to popular belief, the titular character, Frankenstein, is the name of Victor Frankenstein, the doctor who...
Words: 1376 - Pages: 6
...words, which were inscribed in history over four hundred times, belong to one man only. “Jurat in Curia.” Signed: “Thomas Putnam.” Thomas Putnam, born in 1653, was a third generation member of Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was the eldest son to Ann Putnam and Thomas Putnam Sr., one of Salem’s wealthiest residents, in a family of eight children. After Ann died, Thomas Putnam Sr. had another child with who became Mary Putnam. This last child, Joseph, was born when Thomas...
Words: 1187 - Pages: 5
...September 21, 2014 CRR #1- The Crucible I. Author/Introduction Arthur Miller; an American playwright, born in the early 1900’s, 1915 to be precise. He was born into a very wealthy family. He was not very wealthy for a very long time, after the stock market crash in 1929. He had to do odd job to be able to pay for his college. After college, he career was a little rocky after his first play The Man Who Had All the Luck closed after four performances. After a while, his show All my Son earned him his first award. He wrote over 50 different works ranging from plays, novels, articles. His best play was Death of a Salesman which earned him a lot of fame. Another popular play he wrote was The Crucible. This play was a reflection of the Salem witch trial back in 1692. He was considered a communist because he advocated principles of equality among the classes, and social justice. He was married three times. He was once married to the popular actress Marilyn Monroe. Arthur Miller died in 2005 at the age of 89. II. Vocabulary Gibberish- meaningless or unintelligent talk. Trepidation- trembling or quivering movement. Subservient- serving or acting in a subordinate capacity. Shudder- to tremble with a sudden convulsive movement as from horror, fear, or cold. Calumny- a false and malicious statement designed to injure the reputation of someone or something. Titillated- to excite or arouse agreeably. Sniveling- to weep or cry with sniffling. Shrivel- to contract and wrinkle...
Words: 1792 - Pages: 8
...societies, Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, is described in the play, “The Crucible.” Written in the McCarthy era, this play highlights the injustices during the Red Scare in America. As history continues to unfold, more links can be drawn between the message of “The Crucible” and today’s discrimination. The allegorical qualities of Arthur Miller’s, “The Crucible,” relate strongly to McCarthyism, but still have relevant connections to...
Words: 1432 - Pages: 6
...accused of performing witchcraft and were jailed, nineteen people were executed . The accusations that led to the Salem Witch Trials were brought on by a combination of preconceived knowledge on the topic, religious beliefs, and precocious imaginations. These accusations shed light on the natural human need to find explanations for misfortunes occurring during the time period and to justify themselves in a Puritan dominated society. In 1689, only three years before the events that occurred in Salem, a similar case of possession happened to the four children of John Goodwin of Boston. The children, the oldest aged thirteen and the youngest five, began displaying symptoms of a diabolical illness and caused the adults in the community to gather together to not only pray for the health of the children but to determine the cause of their illness. It was soon discovered that the eldest Goodwin child had an argument with the elderly women who did the family’s laundry and received harsh words and insults from the laundress . The accused was Mary Glover, a single woman who had emigrated from Ireland to New England. During her trial, Glover spoke in her native tongue, Gaelic and often whispered words. This was seen as characteristics of a witch in the eyes of the court. Soon after her execution Puritan minister Cotton Mather, who questioned Glover before and during the trial, wrote a report that depicted the symptoms of the Goodwin children and his views on witchcraft, called Wonder of...
Words: 2688 - Pages: 11
...In act two Elizabeth and Proctor are in their home and the tension in the house was suffocating. John is upset because his wife still has not forgiven him for the affair despite him trying to be a better person and attempting to please her. Elizabeth displays vanity in her actions and words towards John. She has too much pride to give John a chance. Act four helps John and Elizabeth mend the wounds in their marriage and she admits her vanity kept her from releasing her grudges against John. She was portrayed in the play as a modest and honest woman. Her pride kept her from having a better marriage after the affair. I can see how it would be difficult to overcome such a fear but Elizabeth could have protected not only her feelings but Johns’ as well by not having such...
Words: 658 - Pages: 3
...Instructor Course February 12th 2013 17th Century European Witch craze Abstract The 17th century was the height of witch craze in Europe, where many were executed and persecuted for witchcraft. Approximately eighty five percent of those executed for witchcraft were women and this frenzy continued in Europe all the way to the early twentieth century. The loss of life was so severe that it has been referred to some researchers as a holocaust. Did this hysteria against witchcraft reduce their numbers? No. The more violently they were executed, the more in number they became. Most of those executed were women and this form of massive attack on women signifies a type of genocide; one that focuses on gender rather than on a religious or ethnic group. In Reformation Europe, women were overwhelmingly tried as witches. In France and Germany, more than eighty percent of those executed as witches and in England, ninety two percent of those executed for witchcraft were women and in Russia, approximately ninety five percent were also put to death (Trevor 214). The practice of witch hunts subsided by late seventeenth century and by early eighteenth century, witchcraft trials were rare. The causes for the decline of witch hunts are numerous and complex. This paper will attempt to analyze the witch craze phenomenon concentrating on several questions: why did women suffer the majority of the executions? Why did the witch craze end in the seventeenth century? Why was there a sudden increased...
Words: 2946 - Pages: 12
...The Crucible and the Detroit riots have a lot in common, whether it be from comparing the mass hysteria, or people being falsely accused of terrible acts, the similarities are unmistakable. A small rumor can have giant effects and push people beyond a breaking point. Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is a very good example of how people react when they don’t know how to respond and they see violence as the only resolution, such as the residents in Detroit did during July of 1967. The two events are very similar if you consider the mass hysteria and several other factors. The Detroit riot of 1967 was a series of violent clashes between the city’s residents and the police department (Emeka). It remains of one the most violent uprisings in the...
Words: 636 - Pages: 3
...U.S. History and Constitution HIS120 Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) At the end of the course, students will be able to: SLO1. Describe the cultural, geographic and climatic influences on Native American societies. SLO2. Compare and contrast religious, social and cultural differences among the major European settlers. SLO3. Describe the events that helped create American nationalism and lead to the American Revolution. SLO4. Explain the Constitutional Convention, the Articles of Confederation, and the emergence of a democratic nation. SLO5. Explain the U.S. Constitution as it related to the separation of powers, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights, and the major principles of democracy. SLO6. Evaluate the Jeffersonian dream of expansion and its effect on Native Americans SLO7. Describe Jacksonian democracy and the creation of a two party system SLO8. Explain slavery and associated issues that led to the Civil War and its aftermath. Module Titles Module 1—Early American exploration and colonization (SLO1) Module 2—British colonies (SLO2) Module 3—Road to the Revolution and the American Revolution (SLO3) Module 4—Early Republic (SLO4 and SLO5) Module 5—Jacksonian America (SLO 6 and SLO7) Module 6—Road to the Civil War (SLO8) Module 7—Civil War (SLO8) Module 8—Shaping American history: Signature Assignment (all SLOs) Module 1 Early Exploration and Contact with Native Americans Welcome to HIS 120: U.S....
Words: 6289 - Pages: 26
