Free History Essay Sample: The Causes of the Salem Witch Trials 1692

In 1692, Between 1692 and 1693, the Salem witch trials took place in Colonial Massachusetts. Over 200 persons were accused of practicing witchcraft, with twenty of them being executed. The Salem Witch Trials would be fueled by residents' suspicions of resentment toward their neighbors, as well as their fear of outsiders. Belief in the supernatural- and specifically in the devil’s practice of giving certain humans (witches) the power to harm others in return for their loyalty had emerged in Europe as early as the 14th century, and was widespread in colonial New England. The colony eventually realized the trials were a blunder and reimbursed the families of those found guilty. While the events at Salem seem confusing and extraordinary, there were many reasons as to why the accused did what they did. Many conspiracies lead people to believe those were the causes of their actions. The Salem Witch Trials primarily had to do with a combination of mass hysteria, economic and social division in the Puritan society, and Hallucinogenic Fungi, all of which led to accusations, imprisonment and executions. While there were many reasons as to why these trials happened, these are a few of the primary ones. Proper context is ness

Before I get into the causes of the Salem Witch Trials, I would like to give some background about the accusations and the executions that followed as a result of the trials. On February 29, 1691, Betty Paris and Abigail Williams exhibited severe convulsions and other strange symptoms, the young girls were proclaimed to have been bewitched. Soon after, other townspeople began to show similar symptoms, which stirred the accusations. Arrest warrants were issued in Salem Town for the first three accused witches: Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. Those who pleaded “not guilty” were swiftly tried and convicted, and many were executed. More than two hundred people were accused of practicing witchcraft during the trials. Thirty were found guilty, nineteen of whom were executed by hanging. But what really caused the quiet Puritan town to fall into total paranoia and persecution?

Mass hysteria was one of the major aspects that went along with the causes of the Salem Witch Trials. Beliefs such as attributing foiling crops, family illnesses, or death to witchcraft, helped fuel the hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Mass hysteria has been defined as the rapid spread of conversion disorder. In such episodes, psychological distress is converted or channeled into physical symptoms, which were shown in the afflicted girls. The hysteria experienced by the girls may have triggered a collective delusion among the villagers that witches were in their midst. These actions in the girls led villagers to believe that the hysteria could have been an explanation to the mysterious affliction of the village girls. As the girls had noticed friends exhibit certain unexplained behavior, it might have led to them believing that they too were suffering from the same symptoms. Girls that were not affected by any symptoms may have felt jealousy from not getting enough attention, which could also have led them to acting out and believing that they had similar symptoms to afflicted village girls. Other than the girls primarily acting out due to the hysteria, there were also issues and negative effects that came along with the hysteria. Part of the negative effects that followed along with the hysteria were religious extremism, false allegations, and lapses in the due legal process. Unexplained behavior amongst the village girls was tied to the conspiracy of mass hysteria and witchcraft. 

Furthermore, the economic and social division played a major role in what the Salem Witch Trials turned out to be. The small community was strongly divided into different groups who struggled with each other from dominance within the village. Salem was split into Salem Town and Salem Village. Salem Town was populated with wealthy merchants and families. Salem Town was widely recognized as one of the most successful trade ports between Europe and the New World. Residents of Salem Village were mostly poor farmers. The poor rural community consisted of scattered farms and houses. Much of the effects on which the trials had on the town were negative such as destroying the community, individuals, and the government. Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, in their classic study of Salem witchcraft, identify the origins of the village's divisions, which resulted in the witchcraft outbreak in the historical change of New England’s economy toward business and industry. Salem Village’s poorer, more conventional, religiously affiliated farming population retaliated against Salem Town’s wealthier and economically progressing culture and its followers in Salem Village. “What was going on was not simply a personal quarrel, an economic dispute, or even a struggle for power, but a moral conflict involving the very nature of the community itself. The fundamental issue was not who was to control the Village, but what its essential character was to be.” This excerpt from Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum explains how the villagers not only had to face personal issues but also had to face problems and struggles within the village. Between Salem Town and Salem Village, the townspeople believed they were superior to the villagers. The growth of economics in the town enraged the farmers and people of Salem village. The town had complete economic control over the village. Everything was handled by the merchants of the town besides growing crops. For several years, the village tried to get permission to build their own Puritan church, which was granted in 1672.  This stirred up friction with the merchants since most believed the villagers should not be permitted any form of independence. As far as social division goes, some suggested it could have been that the afflicted girls and townspeople simply enjoyed the power they held over the entire village. Power hungry individuals contributed to the start of the trials. Economic and social tensions between the townspeople and the villagers helped provoke the trials. 

What could have been believed to be one of the key sources that spiked the trials was hallucinogenic fungi. Known to cause convulsions, hallucinations, and pinching sensations, this fungus (hallucinogenic fungi) is sometimes used to create LSD. Some theories say the townspeople had gotten poisoned by eating large amounts of moldy rye which contains a chemical that can cause hallucinations and erratic behavior. The ergot poisoning may have caused the bizarre physical afflictions associated with being “bewitched.” Many symptoms of the ergot poisoning were similar to what was happening to the girls. The more that the villagers of Salem ate the contaminated bread, the more they ingested the toxin and then experienced its side effects, including hallucinations. But, the ergot was localized, meaning not all the villagers were under the influence due to not all the grain in the area being tainted. Majority of the accused witches lived to the west of the village. They usually would have gotten their grain supply from farmers who lived west of the village. There were found to be many consistent behaviors with ergot poisoning. Convulsive ergotism impacts the nervous system. People who got poisoned by the moldy rye were known to have fits and muscle spasms.