Salem Witch Trials Dbq Essay

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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 that grew on the rye consumed by people, a slave women bewitching young girls, and the boredom of people.
One of the possible causes for the hysteria could have been by the parasite Ergot that grew on cereal grains like rye;as stated in Document N. A convincing piece of evidence can be found in the document states that this parasite has been known to cause ergotism. The symptoms of Ergot when consumed are quite similar to the symptoms of the afflicted recorded in Salem. The disease was more susceptible to women and children, which would explain as to why more women were accused of witchcraft then men. The daughter and niece of Samuel Parris the first young girls who began the accusations of innocents were believed to have come in contact with the parasite. Another piece of …show more content…
For example one other cause that may have caused the hysteria could have been illnesses and struggles that happened in the town of Salem. Illnesses like smallpox and conflicts between groups of people were said to be caused by the women who uses sinister forces from satan. This is based of my prior knowledge. However, I believe that the main causes of hysteria and hangings in Salem would be the parasite that contaminated the rye and water of Salem, the fortune teller Tituba’s confessions and the boredom of people in
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