If you need an explanation other than "because they were morons"...
Salem was a Puritan settlement. The Puritans, like nearly all other Christians at the time, believed in demonic forces, of which witchcraft was merely one manifestation.
They didn't. There were no real witches in Salem. Get that through your skull now.
1. The accused were not the ones who went mad. The supposedly bewitched accusers went mad. 2. There is no concrete proof there was any poison, but one theory suggests Ergotism, poisoning from ingesting ergot fungus.
A sort of unknown affliction began. Theories of the cause of that affliction include ergotism, factionalism, hierarchy and encephalitis. The affliction lead to hysteria because of many unfortunate things going on in Massachusetts. The charter was revoked, there was a scattering of smallpox and indian attacks.
Theories that the affliction was cause by Ergotism and theories about Encephalitis have been presented but no theory has been proven.
Not at all. First, there is only one certain case where there was physical torture, out of over a hundred total. Giles Corey was pressed to death when he would not enter his plea in court, and this could not be tried. It is only suspected, but there is evidence that Roger Toothaker, who died during his imprisonment, was mistreated in some way as to cause his death. Second, there were no witches in Salem. None of the accused were witches either by Puritan definition or any modern definition.
There was only one immediate cause of the trials: the affliction of the supposed bewitched. So called witchcraft threatened the church, the government, and the social laws of communities. People viewed witchcraft as a real and legitimate issue, and it was tried like any other crime.
1. The accused were not the ones who went mad. The supposedly bewitched accusers went mad. 2. There is no concrete proof there was any poison, but one theory suggests Ergotism, poisoning from ingesting ergot fungus.
The Salem Trail started when people gave other people that lived in the village an odd/ strange look and decided to claim them as a witch. EDIT: The Salem Witch panic, that lead to the trials, began when girls in Salem began having so-called "fits." The best comparision I can make is to epilepsy. The people of the day blamed witches and asked the girls for names. The afflciction spread and many were accused. 19 ended up convicted and hanged. Today, we do not know for sure what cause the affliction, except that it wasn't witchcraft.
In 1692, there was mass hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts and twenty innocent men and women were executed as witches. The exact cause of the mass hysteria is unknown to this day. All 20 people were pardoned After they were executed.
In 1692, there was mass hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts and twenty innocent men and women were executed as witches. The exact cause of the mass hysteria is unknown to this day. All 20 people were pardoned After they were executed.
A sort of unknown affliction began. Theories of the cause of that affliction include ergotism, factionalism, hierarchy and encephalitis. The affliction lead to hysteria because of many unfortunate things going on in Massachusetts. The charter was revoked, there was a scattering of smallpox and indian attacks.
Theories that the affliction was cause by Ergotism and theories about Encephalitis have been presented but no theory has been proven.
It depends on which theory of affliction you're taking about. Many theories state that mental illness was the cause. Hysteria is also bandied about.
It was more than likely mass hysteria, fear of the unknown, superstition, and the same sort of nonsense beliefs that caused the execution of about 45,000 people to be killed as witches and warlocks in Medieval Europe. The people in Salem, Massachusetts were related to the same Europeans that killed those 45,000 innocent human beings. Today, ordinary innocent people in certain parts of the world, mainly Africa and Asia, are suspected of being witches and warlocks, and often killed as a result.
Not at all. First, there is only one certain case where there was physical torture, out of over a hundred total. Giles Corey was pressed to death when he would not enter his plea in court, and this could not be tried. It is only suspected, but there is evidence that Roger Toothaker, who died during his imprisonment, was mistreated in some way as to cause his death. Second, there were no witches in Salem. None of the accused were witches either by Puritan definition or any modern definition.
Sometime toward the end of January, 1692, Betty Parris, nine year-old daughter of the Reverend Samuel Parris, became ill. She suffered from convulsions that contorted her body. At times she would cry out and cower under chairs as if frightened of something. Soon her thirteen-year-old orphaned cousin, Abigail, who also lived in the Parris household, showed the same symptoms. Reverend Parris and his wife did not recognize the malady and had the girls examined by several doctors. The physicians could find nothing wrong with the girls and by mid-February Dr. William Griggs declared that he thought "the evil hand is upon them." After that the word spread quickly through the tiny community of Salem Village: "There are witches among us."Answer:The cause of the panic that lead ot the trials in Salem was the affliction of girls in Essex County. The cause of the affliction is unknown. Theories include Ergotism, Encephalitis and mental illness.
Scourge- A cause of affliction or calamity.
There was only one immediate cause of the trials: the affliction of the supposed bewitched. So called witchcraft threatened the church, the government, and the social laws of communities. People viewed witchcraft as a real and legitimate issue, and it was tried like any other crime.