The Hysteria Of Salem Witch Trials - 871 Words

A Lie Gone Awry The question on the table is, what caused the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. This is a question that has been debated about for centuries. Some think that witchcraft was very much alive in Salem although others believe that the first girls who were accusing the witches were crazy and making up stories. In this paper I am going to prove to you my point which is: the hysteria about the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 was due to a small lie or prank that went bad. The girls who started the Salem Witch Trials were just crazy. Although I am not necessarily sure whether the girls were blatantly being crazy or if they had some sort of mental illness where they legitimately believed what they were saying. These girls sparked the flame of fear in the Puritan community. â€Å"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.† Exodus 22:18. The Puritans’ reliance on the bible is undisputable. They took the word of God literally and very strictly. If God had told them so blatantly as to how they should not let witches live, then so be it, the witches must die. The Puritans would do anything to make God’s word the truth so if God had it written that witches must not live then the Puritans, being the semi-bible-brainwashed beings they were would hold to that proclamation as if it were truth. Because of the long history of Puritans doing as God says is engraved in the core of their humanity that God is right and they must do whatever they can to please and uphold his wishes.Show MoreRelatedThe Hysteria Of The Salem Witch Trials1463 Words   |  6 PagesAmong these issues, is the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials that prosecuted women to be found worshippers of the devil. The Puritans found the necessity to exercise this crusade in order to stay by their moral codes of conformity which included witchcraft to be the greatest crime, punishable by death. 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His daughters were consumed by the bizarre tales told by their IndianRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials : An Outbreak Of Hysteria1794 Words   |  8 PagesIn 1692, Salem village in Massachusetts saw an outbreak of hysteria, most commonly known today as the Salem witch trials. Over a period of several months, more than 200 people found themselves facing suspicions from those around them of witchcraft, with 19 executed, 14 arrested and many others who pleaded guilty pardoned but made social outcasts. Typically, the majority of those living in Salem were Puritans, who regarded all other activity excluding common Puritan practice as sinful distractions