Salem Witch Trials
2 min read
By Lea Bracken
The Salem Witch Trials are an interesting but negative mark on our country’s history. A lot of people know the story behind it, and some don’t. The story of the trials begins in Salem, Massachusetts. Thats where the trials got part of their name from.
The Salem witch trials were a result of mass hysteria. Mass hysteria is when a large group of people experience the same unusual behaviors. For example, all the prosecutors were fully convinced that the victims were witches. The hysteria may have been a result of many things such as fighting between the Puttmans and Porters. Tales of witchcraft that were always spread around were also a cause of their hysterics. These people genuinely thought that the people they were killing and accusing were truly witches and had evil schemes to harm others. The people of Salem became paranoid of any behavior that seemed “abnormal”. When interviewing Aleasha Harvey, a student from law enforcement, she said “It was a trial in like the 1600’s where people were accused of being witches and they got hung”.
It all started in spring of 1692 and ended in May of 1693. There were multiple people accused during that time, but the very first person who was accused was Bridget Bishop. Bishop was around 60 when she was accused, then when she was found guilty she was the first to be hung. After Bishop was executed, multiple people followed behind. More than 200 people were accused and 19 were hung. When interviewing Mj Pooley, a student from cosmetology, about what her opinion was, she said, “I don’t think that should have happened, but people were uneducated back then and looking back now it was an important part of history because now we are educated in witchcraft and what it actually is.”
During the witch trials, adults weren’t the only ones to get accused. Children from 4 years old to 11 years old were condemned for witchcraft. The youngest being 4 years old, Dorothy Good, who was only imprisoned until her father could pay her bail. She later in life delt with mental health problems.
Even though the Salem witch trial’s are an interesting topic, it was also a tragedy for the families who got accused of doing witchcraft. The Salem witch trials marked the end of 19 people’s lives. To this day many people find interest in the trials and the people who didn’t survive.
