Salem trails witch hunt story?

Question

I need to talk about the salem witch trails at my uni and i have looked on the internet and there is soo much about it .. too much to think of lol

can anyone please tell me the short story of it by any chance ?

Answer 1

Witch hunts generally occured in periods of crisis, i.e. when there were epidemics of diseas, bad harvests, wars etc.  people began to look around for scapegoats.  

The Salem witch trials occured at a period of great tension in New england.  The old King of England, James II, had been deposed and replaced by William and Mary.  The old governor of Massachussets had been replaced and the new governor had not yet arrived.  There were epidems of disease raging, and there was war going on between the english and their Indian allies, and the French and their Indian allies.  This tense, strained situation was the kind where witchcraft accusations were often likely to errupt.

Late in 1691, a group of girls of Salem had been trying to forecast their own futures, with the help of a West Indian slave called Tituba.  The girls began to exhibit signs of possession, assuming odd postures, making strange noises, lying rigidly in bed for hours on end etc.  Within a few months adults were speaking of 'fits' and a local physician announced that he feared the 'Evil Hand' was at work (i.e. the devil).  Adults questioned the girls closely about the causes of their affliction, soon termed possesion by evil spirits.  The girls began to accuse people by name.

By the time the new governor, Phipps, arrived in 1692, the jails were already overflowing with suspects.  It was unusual for adults to pay so much attention to the testimony of young girls, but the situation of extreme danger that the village of Salem was in (very vulnerable to attacks by Indians and French) probably helped to foster an atmosphere of hysteria.  The first witch was hanged on june 10 1692.  A group of five convicted witches were hanged on 19 July.  Six more were executed in mid-August.  Giles Cory, who had refused to plead, was pressed to death under stones on 19 September, and on 22 September eight more convicted witches died.

The Salem jury returend guilty verdicts based on he basis of testimony given by local residents, and especially the afflicted girls.  Witnesses refered repeatedly to maleficia, including physical harm and the killing of animals, adult persons and children.

Although the trials and executions continued, by October the dissidents had grown in number and influence, and they were able to persuade Phipps to suspend the court's operations.  The governor was certainly influenced in that decision by the fact that more than a few leading citizens of the colony had been accused of following the devil, including prominent merchants and military men.  The trials stopped, and Governor Phipps began issuing pardons to those who were still in jail.

The Salem witch trials were unique in the history of New England for their size and scale.  Twenty people were executed altogther, more than in all the previous trials in New england put together.   Before 1692, there were 93 defendents altogether in witch cases in New england, only 16 of those were executed.  Witch hunting, especially on a large scale, was decidedly not the norm in North America before the Salem hysteria struck.

Answer 2

You could have a look at reading 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller. Its a play though, but really good...

Answer 3

Try reading "The Crucible."

Answer 4

I'm getting de ja vous!!