Salem Witch Trials DBQ

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Can you imagine being accused of committing a crime that you did not commit? The Salem Witch Trials started and ended in 1692. The harsh trials took place in Salem about twenty miles northwest of Boston, Massachusetts. What caused the Salem Witch Trials in 1692? Based on the documents read in the Salem DBQ, there were three reasons of the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria. These reasons were gender, age, and marital status; division of the town due to wealth and power; and lying or acting accusers. To begin, one cause of the Salem Witch Trial hysteria was gender, age, and marital status. One piece of evidence that supports this cause is that 23 of the accusers were single women as a opposed to six married women (Document B). Furthermore another piece of supporting evidence is that the majority of the accusers under 21 (Document B). This evidence helps to explain the hysteria and the hangings because of jealousy using a hidden agenda. Thus, gender, age, and marital status may be one of the reasons that the Salem Witch Trials occurred. …show more content…
One valuable piece of evidence that supports this cause is, “People in eastern half of Salem Village gained in wealth and political influence” (Document E). Another piece of evidence is, “The people of the western half of Salem Village farmed poorer and lost political power” (Document E). This evidence helps to explain the hysteria and the hangings because it proves of jealousy and anger, lack of power, and not as much land for the western half of Salem Village. Therefore, town division due to wealth and political power is one of the reasons that the Salem Witch Trials

Dbq Salem Witch Trials

Witch trials are a phenomenon that have plagued societies throughout history. Witch trials were not unique to one culture, but rather occured in periods of mass hysteria. They date from as early as the Code of Hammurabi from about 2000 B.C., to the infamous Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts. This suggests that the fear and persecution of witches is sociological rather than cultural. Witch persecutions do not arise randomly, but can be attributed to various external conditions. This is…

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Dbq Salem Witch Trials

During the Spring of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, panic was spreading over the rising accusations of affiliation with the occult and witchcraft (Goss 1). Salem contained many persons of the Puritan belief, and therefore had a strong affirmation in God and the devil. Along with the belief of these ethereal beings, the townspeople also had a long-held belief in the occult and spirits, which began in as early as the fourteenth century (Goss 2). Puritan belief held dark magic accountable for the bad…

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Salem Witch Trials Dbq

The Salem Witch Trials were obviously the result of religion and ignorance of mankind. Although not directly stated, through evidence and documented occurrences we can easily see that religion and the Bible had an enormous impact on the people’s actions and way of thinking. The Salem Witch Trials coincided with the harsh beliefs of The Puritans, New England’s hardcore faithfulness to rulers, and people being very gullible. Cotton Mather was a minister and intellectual in New England, where his words…

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Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials Dbq

What Caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692? It was a cool, sunny day in the Salem village. The flowers were blooming, as the sun shone brightly on everyone. Everything seemed colorful and alive. You could smell the fresh, cut grass, as the cool breeze swept around you. The taste of spring rain touched your mouth, as you heard the birds chattering. However, the day wasn't as beautiful for Bridget Bishop. Today was her examination which would determine whether she was a witch or not. She walked…

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Salem Witch Trials Dbq Essay

Evil, dark, mysterious and gruesome...these four words are only the few of many that can describe the sinister events that took place in Salem, Massachusetts between June & September 1692. The wrongful accusations of innocents in Salem led to a series of trials that resulted in the hanging of Nineteen people. The causes as to why these extreme actions were taken are yet to be accurately proven, although there are three causes that could be linked to the hysteria. These three causes are parasites…

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Essay On The Salem Witch Trials Dbq

in Salem, Massachusetts. These 20 people were put to death for the terrible crime of witchcraft. The accusations started with Ann Putnam and ended with much more. The killings stopped once the mayor’s wife was accused of being a witch. These trials didn’t only happen in Salem. This also spread to New England where thousands more were killed. The question is what caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692? The false accusations, the division of the town, and desperation for power. The Salem Witch…

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Essay On The Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials Dbq

quiet town of Salem, Massachusetts this was not unheard of in the slightest. In the year of 1692, 20 people were murdered due to false accusations. Which makes me ponder around the thought, what caused all the hysteria. Three subjects that could have caused the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 include age, gender, and marital status of the accused/assures, the towns division, and lastly the dishonesty of the young single girls. To begin with, one cause of the Salem Witch trial hysteria was…

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Salem Witch Trials Dbq Research Paper

this big thing called The Salem witch trials. The Salem witch trial was basically about girls lying, jealousy, and the town divided by wealthy and power. The Salem witch trials were about women and men who were accused of performing witchcraft. Almost 20 people were hanged and killed. In 1692 the Salem witch trial, there were many causes. For example the town division is being wealth and power, lying girls, and jealousy. There were many reasons for the Salem witch trials. But the one that stood…

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How Did The Salem Witch Trial Dbq

The next reason that the Salem Witch Trial occur during 1692 was by lying. Residents of many towns located in Massachusetts were accusing other people that they were possessed by evil spirits. This allowed the Puritans to use different methods to collect evidence that supported their idea that there were witches and devils in Massachusetts. One proclamation that the Puritans gave to the residents was that “It was perhaps their original design to gratify a love of notoriety or the mischief by creating…

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The Crucible Salem Witch War

and harmony, until 1692 where trouble erupted like a volcano, in the Puritan town of Salem. The witch trials were a result of hysteria, caused by the paranoid puritan worldview, attention seeking young girls, divisive socio economic conflict and the destabilizing effects of King William’s war. The film, The Crucible, demonstrates these factors to a certain extent but not entirely because he used the Salem witch trials as his metaphor for an explanation of the events that ensued during the Cold War and…

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