Examining the Causes of the Salem Witch Craze

The Salem witch trials were a dark period in American history, where innocent people were accused and persecuted for witchcraft. The outbreak of suspicion and fear surrounding witches began in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The main idea behind this outbreak was the belief that witches were among them, casting spells and causing misfortune. The suspicion outbreak started when a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by witches. They began exhibiting strange behavior, such as convulsions and fits. This caught the attention of the townspeople, who believed that their actions were the result of witchcraft.

Linnda Caporael argues that the girls suffered from convulsive ergotism, a condition caused by ergot, a type of fungus, found in rye and other grains. It produces hallucinatory, LSD-like effects in the afflicted and can cause victims to suffer from vertigo, crawling sensations on the skin, extremity tingling, headaches, hallucinations, and seizure-like muscle contractions. Rye was the most prevalent grain grown in the Massachusetts area at the time, and the damp climate and long storage period could have led to an ergot infestation of the grains.

What was going on was not simply a personal quarrel, an economic dispute, or even a struggle for power, but a mortal conflict involving the very nature of the community itself. Looking back from the 21st century, it may seem unthinkable that a doctor would point to witchcraft as the cause of a patient s illness, but Scott says that it was considered a legitimate diagnosis at the time.

This caught the attention of the townspeople, who believed that their actions were the result of witchcraft. The accusations quickly spread, and soon many others were making claims of being bewitched by witches. The main idea behind this outbreak was the fear and paranoia that gripped the town of Salem.

What Caused the Salem Witch Trials?

Looking into the underlying causes of the Salem Witch Trials in the 17th century.

In February 1692, the Massachusetts Bay Colony town of Salem Village found itself at the center of a notorious case of mass hysteria: eight young women accused their neighbors of witchcraft. Trials ensued and, when the episode concluded in May 1693, fourteen women, five men, and two dogs had been executed for their supposed supernatural crimes.

The Salem witch trials occupy a unique place in our collective history. The mystery around the hysteria and miscarriage of justice continue to inspire new critiques, most recently with the recent release of The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Pulitzer Prize-winning Stacy Schiff.

But what caused the mass hysteria, false accusations, and lapses in due process? Scholars have attempted to answer these questions with a variety of economic and physiological theories.

The economic theories of the Salem events tend to be two-fold: the first attributes the witchcraft trials to an economic downturn caused by a “little ice age” that lasted from 1550-1800; the second cites socioeconomic issues in Salem itself.

Emily Oster posits that the “little ice age” caused economic deterioration and food shortages that led to anti-witch fervor in communities in both the United States and Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Temperatures began to drop at the beginning of the fourteenth century, with the coldest periods occurring from 1680 to 1730. The economic hardships and slowdown of population growth could have caused widespread scapegoating which, during this period, manifested itself as persecution of so-called witches, due to the widely accepted belief that “witches existed, were capable of causing physical harm to others and could control natural forces.”

Salem Village, where the witchcraft accusations began, was an agrarian, poorer counterpart to the neighboring Salem Town, which was populated by wealthy merchants. According to the oft-cited book Salem Possessed by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Village was being torn apart by two opposing groups–largely agrarian townsfolk to the west and more business-minded villagers to the east, closer to the Town. “What was going on was not simply a personal quarrel, an economic dispute, or even a struggle for power, but a mortal conflict involving the very nature of the community itself. The fundamental issue was not who was to control the Village, but what its essential character was to be.” In a retrospective look at their book for a 2008 William and Mary Quarterly Forum, Boyer and Nissenbaum explain that as tensions between the two groups unfolded, “they followed deeply etched factional fault lines that, in turn, were influenced by anxieties and by differing levels of engagement with and access to the political and commercial opportunities unfolding in Salem Town.” As a result of increasing hostility, western villagers accused eastern neighbors of witchcraft.

But some critics including Benjamin C. Ray have called Boyer and Nissenbaum’s socio-economic theory into question. For one thing –the map they were using has been called into question. He writes: “A review of the court records shows that the Boyer and Nissenbaum map is, in fact, highly interpretive and considerably incomplete.” Ray goes on:

Contrary to Boyer and Nissenbaum’s conclusions in Salem Possessed, geo graphic analysis of the accusations in the village shows there was no significant villagewide east-west division between accusers and accused in 1692. Nor was there an east-west divide between households of different economic status.

On the other hand, the physiological theories for the mass hysteria and witchcraft accusations include both fungus poisoning and undiagnosed encephalitis.

Linnda Caporael argues that the girls suffered from convulsive ergotism, a condition caused by ergot, a type of fungus, found in rye and other grains. It produces hallucinatory, LSD-like effects in the afflicted and can cause victims to suffer from vertigo, crawling sensations on the skin, extremity tingling, headaches, hallucinations, and seizure-like muscle contractions. Rye was the most prevalent grain grown in the Massachusetts area at the time, and the damp climate and long storage period could have led to an ergot infestation of the grains.

One of the more controversial theories states that the girls suffered from an outbreak of encephalitis lethargica, an inflammation of the brain spread by insects and birds. Symptoms include fever, headaches, lethargy, double vision, abnormal eye movements, neck rigidity, behavioral changes, and tremors. In her 1999 book, A Fever in Salem, Laurie Winn Carlson argues that in the winter of 1691 and spring of 1692, some of the accusers exhibited these symptoms, and that a doctor had been called in to treat the girls. He couldn’t find an underlying physical cause, and therefore concluded that they suffered from possession by witchcraft, a common diagnoses of unseen conditions at the time.

The controversies surrounding the accusations, trials, and executions in Salem, 1692, continue to fascinate historians and we continue to ask why, in a society that should have known better, did this happen? Economic and physiological causes aside, the Salem witchcraft trials continue to act as a parable of caution against extremism in judicial processes.

Editor’s note: This post was edited to clarify that Salem Village was where the accusations began, not where the trials took place.

“By the 1690s, God-fearing Puritans represented a smaller proportion of the population of New England than at any point in the 17th century,” says Kathleen M. Brown, a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Good Wives, Nasty Wenches and Anxious Patriarchs: Gender, Race, and Power in Colonial Virginia. “Even though percentage-wise, the Puritan influence was weaker than it had been earlier in the century, it was still leaving a big imprint on society.”

The Puritans, who were the religious leaders at the time, believed that witchcraft was a serious sin that needed to be punished. They saw the devil's work behind every misfortune and illness, and believed that witches were to blame. This led to a mass hysteria, where anyone accused of witchcraft was presumed guilty without any evidence. The suspicion outbreak had far-reaching consequences, with more than 200 people being accused of witchcraft and 20 people being executed. The trials were conducted in a highly biased manner, with no fair trial or due process. The accused were subject to cruel and inhumane treatment, including being put in jail and tortured to confess. The main idea behind this outbreak is the power of fear and ignorance. The people of Salem believed so strongly in the existence of witches and the devil's influence that they were willing to turn on their own neighbors and friends. They were driven by superstition and a desire to rid their community of evil, but in doing so, they caused immense harm and suffering. The Salem witch trials serve as a reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria and the importance of due process. The outbreak of suspicion and fear led to the loss of innocent lives and the destruction of communities. It is a dark chapter in American history, but one that should not be forgotten. We must learn from the mistakes of the past and strive to create a society that is just and fair for all..

Reviews for "The Aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials: Rebuilding Trust in the Community"

1. Emily - 2 stars

I found "Salem witch suspicion outbreak" to be extremely disappointing. The plot felt disjointed, with too many characters and subplots that were never fully developed. The writing style was also lacking, with awkward phrasing and repetitive descriptions. Overall, I felt like I was reading a rough draft instead of a polished novel.

2. Roger - 1 star

I cannot express how much I disliked "Salem witch suspicion outbreak". The story was slow and uneventful, and the characters were irritating and poorly developed. Additionally, the historical inaccuracies were hard to ignore. It felt like the author barely did any research on the Salem witch trials and instead inserted clichés and stereotypes. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

3. Sarah - 2 stars

I had high hopes for "Salem witch suspicion outbreak", but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The pacing was incredibly slow, and the story lacked tension and intrigue. The characters were flat and unrelatable, making it difficult to connect with them or care about their fates. The author missed an opportunity to explore the psychological impact of the witch trials, instead opting for a superficial retelling. Overall, I was left disappointed and unsatisfied with this book.

Gender and Power in the Salem Witch Accusations