The Salem Witch Trials: Product Of Mass Hysteria

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The Salem Witch Trials accused were prosecuted and executed for allegedly practicing witchcraft, when little to no evidence of it existed. This historical period resulted in twenty people, mostly women, being hung for witchcraft. These trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. By September 1692, the hysteria had begun to abate and public opinion turned against the trials. Many historians believe that the trials, and eventual executions, were the products of mass hysteria, characterized in this time and place by satanic and demonic activity. Neighbors accused neighbors; even church members accused other church members of witchcraft. Others were accused, but fled the area before they could be arrested. During this time Sarah Osbourne, one of the first to be …show more content…
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