Premium Essay

Jealousy: The Salem Witch Trials Of 1692

Submitted By
Words 625
Pages 3
Jealousy has been around for centuries. Jealousy is a hideous thing that can cause people to do things that some of us would never imagine doing today. Or maybe some of us would, but only to an extent. One of the most known events more than likely known by this was the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The Salem Witch Trials were caused by many other things as well. However, the main causes of the trials were town division, lying girls, and jealousy. As above, the first reason for the Salem Witch Trials was town division. “The people in the western half of Salem Village farmed poorer land and lost political power” (Document E). What this means is that ultimately the poor were accusing the rich of witchcraft because they felt threatened and wanted to hold more power than they did. Most think that it was because the women of the town wanted to get to the men for the money, but the accusations were not only made by women. In Document B it is shown that approximately 20% were male, but the majority were still female. So what did the men want? Land? Or perhaps the wives? Since nobody alive was actually a witness, all there is, is historical information that is hoped to be accurate. …show more content…
Whether it be big or small depends on who they are as a person, but everyone does it and because it's so normal we don't consider it very “morally wrong”. Except, when it comes down to life or death. The second cause of the Salem Witch Trials were easily described as lying little girls. Some people might wonder what would cause the girls to do such a thing. The answer is easy: attention. For some unknown reason, these girls were almost always believed, mostly because everyone was clinging to the madness. “Once or twice they were caught in their own snare; and nothing but the blindness of the bewildered community saved them from… well deserved punishment… There can be doubt that they were great actors” (Charles W

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Salem Witch Trials: Salem, Boston 1692

...The Salem Witch Trials happened at Salem, Boston 1692. The fear in the people had made them suspect others as witches. In the Bible it states that witches were pure evil and that people who were Christians had adapted that witches and demons. . Another thing was revenge and jealousy toward the accused people. The causes of the Salem Witch Trials were revenge, fear, and religion. Revenge is one of the causes of the Salem Witch Trials. For example, all the girls that were at Bridget Bishop’s examination may have acted out of jealousy or boredom. According to Charles W. Upham’s Book, “ It is dreadful to reflect upon the enormity of their wickedness … there can be no doubt that they were great actors.” . The girls had purposefully lied...

Words: 402 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

...Ryan Hasenbeck American Experience Family Feud in Salem In 1692, nineteen people were tried and executed as witches and hundreds more spent months in jail as accused witches. No one knows what exactly caused these Salem Witch Trials, but there are many theories ranging from the most ignored girls of Salem wanting power to actual witchcraft. The most likely theory about these trials however, is that there was a rivalry in Salem politics. Two families, the Putnams and the Porters dominated Salem politics, and there is evidence that the Witch Trials were a method used by one family to attack the other. A power struggle between the two most powerful families in Salem evidently caused the hysteria of the witch trials because the Putnams felt overshadowed by the Porters, the Minister supported by the Putnams was losing power, and there is a relationship in the location of the accusers of witchcraft verses the accused and defenders of the accused. Salem was a very split colony, dominated by two powerful families, the Porters, and the Putnams who lived in their shadow. There is evidence that proves...

Words: 656 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

DBQ Essay: The Salem Witch Trial

...Salem Witch Trail essay You are a witch.Would you do anything for jealousy attention or revenge? The Salem Witch trial was a time where many people of the village were being accused of witchcraft it was a very hectic period of time. The cause of the effect of salem witch trials of 1692 was revenge, attention, and jealousy. We all know about revenge and perhaps we all have done it in some point in our life. Salem witch crafts hanging were common and it is related to revenge because once a person was pressed to death most of his or her family would be executed. Document A there were many people who were related and executed like Mary Parker and Alice Parker. So this goes to show how revenged occurred because it did not matter if you were not a witch.This document shows that some people were related and that caused them to accuse their family members,and in document A it also that many whom were lady,which could...

Words: 605 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Comparison Of Philip English And The Salem Witch Trials

...Philip English and the Salem Witch Trials Philip English came to Salem in 1670. He married Mary Hollingsworth and had two daughters. Between the times he arrived and when the accusations of witchcraft began in 1692 he had become fairly wealthy and was an active member of the town. It can be said that the Salem witch trials were a result of differences between town members in regards to wealth, religious beliefs, politics, and plain jealousy. Two prominent families, the Putnam’s and the Porters, were at odds over the control of Salem. The eldest daughter of the Putnam family, Ann Putnam Jr. had accused sixty two people of afflicting her. It would seem that most accusers were in some way linked to the Putnam family. Philip English and his...

Words: 323 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Why Do People Choose To Be Evil

...An old Cherokee told his grandson: “ My son, there's a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is evil. It’s anger jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority,lies and ego. The other is good. It's joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, and truth.” The boy thought about it, and asked“ Grandfather, when wolf wins?” The old man quietly replied “ The one you feed.” People choose to be evil. In recent and past events like the Ku Klux Klan, Salem Witch Trials, and the Trump wall people chose evil. The first event in history the proves that mankind is evil is the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan also known as the KKK were a resistance against the government who were trying to get blacks to be treated like equals. The first klan was founded in 1866 in Pulaski, Tennessee. The first klan was mainly against the black leaders who were immigrants. They wanted to bring back the white supremacy and white nationalism back to the...

Words: 1150 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Salem Witch Trials History Paper

...Salem Witch Trials Paper In January of 1692, a group of young girls in Salem Massachusetts started having strange fits. Unable to find anything physically wrong with them, it was suggested that they might have been bewitched. Soon afterward, two of the girls named 3 women who they claimed had bewitched them. It all went downhill from there, with the entire region descending into finger pointing and mass arrests. What could cause a whole town to accuse one of the most respected women, two dogs, and even a four year old girl of witchcraft? (for which the punishment was death?) What caused the Salem Witch Trials? One theory suggests that Ergotism may have played a part. Ergotism is long term poisoning from ergot, a parasitic fungus that grows on certain grains – especially rye. A once common condition, symptoms of ergotism include crawling sensations in the skin, tingling of the fingers, vertigo, hallucinations, mania, depression, psychosis, and delirium – all of which were displayed by the girls in Salem. Children and pregnant women are the most susceptible to the condition, and females in general are more likely to come down with it than men according to some reports. Warm, damp, rainy springs and summers promote ergot infestation, and records indicate that Salem had this kind of weather the year before the trials. At least initially, this can (partially) explain how the witch craze started. Other reasons can be seen simply by looking at who was accusing whom. A great deal...

Words: 593 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Salem Witchcraft Trials

...Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 during the Witchcraft Trials must have been a mysterious but, scary place to live. Over the year historians have attempted to uncover the reason behind the witchcraft hysteria, some blamed it on political motives, childhood boredom, and biological reasons. The entire witchcraft hysteria started over unexplained affliction doctors couldn’t explain. Allegations were made against mothers, wives and daughters, rich widows, sea captains, army officers and ministers in the upper society no one was safe. The most surprising allegations of witchcraft took place among educated people in the mist of the scientific revolution. I will attempt to discuss several reasons for the hysteria then you can decide for yourself or at least have something to think about. When Betty Parris, age 9 the daughter of a fanatical minister, Samuel Parris accused her first witch, was it her imagination or something else. Betty would secretly play fortune telling games with her fathers salve Tituba from Barbados. Perhaps, she became guilty and the anxiety caused her to become ill, after all her father viewed everything as either good or totally evil, and the punishment for playing such games would be severe. So when she started complaining of knifelike pain throughout her body, temporary loss of speech, sight and hearing. Dr. Griggs was called in to examiner her and finding no logical explanation he blamed her illness on witchcraft. Samuel Parris, being a minister was...

Words: 3304 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

The Crucible

...versions of the Salem Witch Trials that took place in Salem Massachusetts during 1692. Miller magnified the films historical events by showing how quickly paranoia, dishonesty and fear can escalate amongst the characters in the town of Salem. During the17th century time period, Salem was a puritan based community that lived in an extremely restrictive society. The system of the government was a theocracy. They believed they were chosen by God for a special purpose in this world. The puritans viewed the world in terms of good vs evil. They were required to faithfully attend church and study the word of God. If they failed to comply with those terms, they were accused of practicing the devil’s magic. In the film, several of the village girls were caught dancing in the forest outside of Salem in the middle of the night. One of the characters in the film, Betty had lost consciousness during the ritual and remained in a trance ever since. The town’s physician examined Betty and could not determine why she was unconscious. He suggested she was bewitched. In the puritans eyes, dancing and singing chants were frowned upon and viewed as unholy. Many believed if an induvial danced and chanted in the forest they were practicing witch crafts. The people of Salem in the witch trials were swayed by momentary feelings and were falsely accusing innocent people of “witchery”. In a time of greed, lust, jealousy and fear; it would be easy to accuse someone you did not like of being a “witch” in the sense...

Words: 654 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Lack Of Social Responsibility In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

...organization or individual, has an obligation to act for the benefit of the society as a whole. A historical example of failure to be social responsible is Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, during the World War II era. During that time Hitler’s ideology and lack of social responsibility towards the citizens led to the death of millions of people. The citizens of Germany were incapable of taking responsibility and standing up for the millions of people that suffered and died. The society of WWII Germany is similar to that of Salem’s in The Crucible written by Arthur Miller because one of the larger issues in the community is the lack of social responsibility from the citizens and judicial system causing the hysteria and deaths in the Salem witch trials of 1692....

Words: 631 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Witchcraft In The Crucible

...Arthur Miller, depicts the overall history of the Salem Witch Trials, it does have historical inaccuracies within the characters and their relationships that change the way we perceive history. Witchcraft has been present since the Paleolithic period but it began to show up in colonial America in the middle of the 17th century. It became a capital offense as far back as 1642. Shortly after becoming a law, the first execution was made in Connecticut. This case was disturbing because it influenced everyone, in puritan societies, to believe that Satan was close at hand and physically able to act in the real world.. At the time, Salem was a Puritan community in which was built upon those who fled religious execution therefore the religious authority and the government was not separate. Those who would question local authority were blamed for questioning royal authority. Eventually the hysteria spread to Massachusetts in 1692 after two young girls had been acting in alarming and been in physical pain. The physician concluded that the girls were not victims of a physical or mental illness but victims of witchcraft.2. These two girls were Abigail Williams and Betty Parris. Abigail Williams, who was 11 years of age, had a...

Words: 862 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Crucible John Proctor Integrity

...Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” is about the mass hysteria of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony around 1692. The conflict arose after many young girls went around accusing people of witchcraft. As fingers were pointed and accusations were made, many people were put on trial and hanged to death. One of the characters in the play who is put on trial is John Proctor. Proctor is a highly respected individual who is proud of his good name. As the story of the play develops, secrets of John's past are leaked and threaten to ruin his reputation. However, Proctor refuses to lose his integrity. To combat the accusations made against him, Proctor displays characteristics of honesty, bravery, and dignity....

Words: 605 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Crucible

...The Crucible Research Paper Assignment During 1692, mass hysteria emerged in Massachusetts over the growing beliefs of witchcraft. People who believed in witchcraft had the notion that that the Devil could give certain people known as witches the power to harm others in exchange for their loyalty. This craze was probably inspired by a similar incident in Europe that just recently ended at the time. Within one year in Salem, over 200 people were accused of being witches and 19 men and women were convicted and hanged at Gallows Hill as punishment. In addition, a man over 80 years old was killed after put under mass amounts of weight as a result from denying the charges put on him. These accusations were all lies that resulted from the ongoing frontier war, economic conditions, congregational strife, teenage boredom, fear of Native Indian attacks, and personal jealousies. In 1689, a few years before the whole witchcraft hysteria began, the English rulers William and Mary proclaimed war with France in the 13 colonies of the United States. Known as King William’s war, it caused hundreds of people to migrate into Salem, Massachusetts for refuge. The population in fluctuation affected the economy because resources became scarce. As a result, people started to become sick and social relations became tense. In response, people became aggravated and a lot of quarreling occurred. In addition, the people were very scared about being attacked by the Native Americans. People started to...

Words: 502 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Crucible: Why Women Were Accused

...Between the months of February 1692 and May 1693, a small town in Massachusetts called Salem Village held hearings and persecuted citizens accused of witchcraft. Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris, engaged in a ritual in the woods and fell ‘ill’ a few days later. They experienced unusual fits that included screaming, throwing things and contorting themselves into odd positions. The minister of a nearby town believed it was the result of witchcraft. In order for the other girls who participated in the ritual to stay safe from being accused of witchcraft, they claimed that they were being tormented by witches in the town. An investigation began and quickly, three women became suspects. Sarah Osborne, Sarah Good and Tituba were women with reputations, or cultural differences that caused them to be outcasts. Those traits could have arguably been the only reason they were accused of witchcraft. Four others, including a child, were arrested when they doubted the credibility of the girls’ claims. The child was arrested...

Words: 878 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Jurat In Curia Analysis

...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

Free Essay

New Start

...Chapter 1 I Get What I Pay For Welcome to Red Grove. Population 200 “Now, two hundred and one,” I murmured as I passed the painted wooden sign in my trusty red Jeep. Small towns like Red Grove always made me think of horror movies as if a gap-toothed, overall-wearing butcher might hobble out of his deep woods shanty, pitchfork in hand, at any moment. The town had an off the charts creepy factor. On my right, a dark forest worthy of the Brothers Grimm. On my left, a cemetery edged in a weathered wrought iron fence. I think there were more than two hundred headstones. More dead than living. Nice. There must be some mistake. I came here to start over. Could a new life be hiding behind the unappealing rural exterior? My promised house remained a mystery. I double-checked the notebook with my father’s scrawled directions resting on the passenger’s seat next to me. Technically, I’d lived in Red Grove as a child, but we’d moved before I turned two. I didn’t remember the town at all or the residents, living or dead. I shifted my attention back to my driving. “Holy shit!” I proclaimed as I overcorrected the wheel, and my foot drifted from the gas. The man on the side of the road was so attractive I could’ve died—literally. He was planting something. A tree, I think. Every time his shovel hit the dirt, a ripple coursed through his shoulders and down his stomach. I raised an eyebrow at the glint of sun on tanned, shirtless skin. Dark hair, low slung jeans. I tried not to...

Words: 50411 - Pages: 202