A Citizen of Salem, MA During the Witch Trials
HIS 1110, American History
A Citizen of Salem, MA During the Witch Trials It is a belief to some that the Salem Witch Trials were more economic in purpose than a religious persecution. I also believe this because of several reasons. The main reason that I believe that they were more economic than religious is because the people that were being accused of witchcraft for using their powers of witchcraft on others in the town were being accused whenever something went wrong in the town. Most often, when a witch was accused of doing witchcraft, their family had to pay as well. The family would have to sell their homes because of this. When they sold their house, it would give the people in the town more land and allowed for others that were not in the town to move into the town.
There were two parts of Salem. Salem Town and Salem Village. Salem Towne where the wealthy lived and where most of the trade took place. Salem Village is where mostly poor farmers lived and where they made their living growing crops.
It is said that the witches were persecuted for their actions by the other people of the town. Parents of young children claimed that the witches cast spells on their children. These people said that the out brake of smallpox epidemic was caused by spells casted by the witches. They say that the witches were causing people to hallucinate and everyone feared that they would be effected by the witches.
Persecutors of Salem wanted to put anyone who was believed to be practicing witchcraft to be put in jail. These witches were considered to have a bad affect on society and the village people wanted to try to free their village of the fears from the witches. I don’t believe the persecutors were going after the witches for not believing in the same God but because they felt that the witches were