McCall Martin

English 1010 2:30

Issue Exploration Essay
Due Dec. 4, 2013
The Salem Witch Trials: Causes

“Thou shall not suffer a witch to live.” (Birnes 67) This is a term from the Bible people

took literally in Salem, Massachusetts 1692. The people of Salem strongly based their lifestyle

on their Puritan religion and on the works of God. The men worked hard on their houses, land,

and livestock. They were the voice of the household and were to be obeyed by their wives and

children. The women did all household chores, cooked the family meals, and took care of the

children. The children of Salem were to obey their parents, and were not to play. Children in

this time of Salem lived a dull childhood, where they grew bored very quickly.

The boredom felt by this town was soon replaced by fear and tragedy, starting in the

Parris household. Reverend Parris had a wife, a young daughter named Elizabeth, and a young

niece named Abigail living in his household, along with an Indian housemaid named Tituba.

The two girls led the same grim childhood as all the other children of Salem, but Tituba was

about to change that. Tituba was from an Indian culture. She began enchanting the two young

girls with her tales of magic, fortune telling, and her ability to perform “white magic.” The girls

became fascinated with Tituba and the things she shared with them. Since the girls had grown

up learning about the Puritan superstition of witches and the devil, they kept the magic their little

secret.

It wasn’t long before a couple more young girls came around to listen to the stories

Tituba told. They were fascinated by them. She gave the girls something to excite them which
they never had because of the Puritan way of life. Eventually the girls began to fear the things

they heard and saw, along with feeling guilty for participating in magic. They believed they

were betraying their religion and families.

Abigail and Elizabeth came down with a terrible sickness that brought them suffering.

They faced muscle contractions, stared at the ceiling for long periods of time, and had constant

twitching and fits. Reverend Parris called in a doctor who declared, “The evil hand is upon

them.” (Birnes 70) The afflictions began to spread to other young girls across the town. Abigail

and Elizabeth’s symptoms kept getting worse, their bodies stiffening and contorting. They cried

out with sudden pains. The people of Salem began to panic. They demanded to know who the

devil was working his evil through and “afflicting” them.

The girls were forced to tell Salem town who had afflicted them. They gave three names:

Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba. Sarah Osborne wasn’t a loyal church goer and pleaded

innocence, stating that the devil could have disguised himself as her. Sarah Good was an

unsightly woman that went around the town asking for food and shelter for herself and her

children. If people denied her she would mutter spiteful words. Sarah Good pleaded innocence

and tried to blame Sarah Osborne. The afflicted girls in the courtroom began to cry out

whenever she spoke, claiming she was guilty. Even her husband testified against her claiming he

was afraid she was in fact a witch. Tituba pleaded innocence at first but then changed her plea

to guilty. She began to tell the Salem people that the devil came to her and asked her to serve

him in exchange for wonderful possessions. She then signed the devil’s book red, like blood

when a tall black man came to her. In this book were the other two accused names, as well as

nine more that Tituba was unable to see. All three women then went to jail to await their fates.
 The town fell into a fit of terror and hysteria wondering who the other nine witches were.

A new victim, Ann Putnam, began to cry out that she too had been afflicted by a witch. She

immediately accused an active church member named Mrs. Corey. Mrs. Corey was taken under

arrest and put on trial, where she plead innocence. Whenever she spoke, the girls acted out in

screams and fits. Mrs. Corey was declared guilty and sent to jail. Ann then accused another

active church member named Rebecca Nurse. Rebecca Nurse was a highly respected woman

with a large, loving family. Rebecca, who was skeptical of the witch accusations, was accused

of harming the girls. When she was put to trial, Ann’s mother also testified against her. Rebecca

pleaded innocent, but whenever she would talk, the girls would cry out and mirror her every

movement. She was also sent to jail.

By this point the word of witchcraft had spread to the entire colony of Massachusetts.

Two high-powered judges came to Salem to help with the trials. And at this point still more

people were accused and put in jail. As the list of suspicious people went on, Ann Putnam

accused a former minister of the town who moved out of Salem years before. Reverend George

Burroughs had in fact had a disagreement with the Putnam family years earlier. He was known

as being abusive to his wives and even killing them. He was not a well-liked man in Salem and

soon decided to move out of Salem to Maine where he became a minister again and remarried.

When he was put on trial and plead innocence, the girls began to cry out. So he was also found

guilty and put to jail.

Another woman, Bridget Bishop, who was known for wearing bright colors all the time

and provocative clothing, was accused. She was found to have a “witch mark” on her body.

When they investigated her home, the Salemites found images with pins stuck through them

between her walls. She was sent straight to Gallows Hill and hanged, along with Rebecca Nurse
and Sarah Good. Sarah Good told the Reverend hanging her that she was innocent, and if she

was put to death God would give him blood to drink. Eerily enough, he died a few years later of

a throat hemorrhage, choking on his own blood.

There were many hangings going on at Gallows Hill at this time. When Mrs. Corey’s

husband was prosecuted and put to trial, he didn’t say a word. He was sentenced to be crushed

to try and bring the truth out of him. After his courage and suffering of two days until his death,

the people of Salem began to oppose the witch trials. Once people started opposing the witch

trials more and more the people realized what they had unfortunately done. Governor Phips

ordered the jails to be emptied of all suspected witches. Over 150 people were freed, but before

they were able to leave were required to pay for the food and expenses while in jail. Most of the

people who went to jail couldn’t afford their freedom; so they were to stay in jail.

The witch hysteria had taken a huge financial toll on the town of Salem. Everyone that

went to jail had their property, belongings, and money confiscated. People began their grieving

process of the tragedy of Salem that lead to 19 hanged, 1 crushed to death, and over 150 jailed.

Salem was left with nothing but guilt and despair that lasted many years after the massacre.

To this day experts and historians have tried to gather as much information as they can to

determine what caused the tragedy. No one really knows what caused the events, but there are

many experts trying to figure it out. There are many theories telling what caused the events. The

most popular theories are of ergot poisoning, dishonesty from the girls, as well as psychological

illness. Despite all the theories, there has never been one that has proven to be true.

Many experts believe that ergot poisoning was the cause of the witch hunt in Salem.

Ergot was a fungi that proved to be hallucinogenic. Many sources talk about the apparitions the
afflicted girls witnessed. Some sources claim ergot was the cause of these apparitions. In The

Haunting of America: From the Salem Witch Trials to Harry Houdini by William J. Birnes and

Joel Martin, the authors tell how many historians believe that the causes of the Salem events

were brought on by the poisoning of ergot that had effected the afflicted girls and even some of

the adults that claimed to see apparitions or even the devil. In The Enemy Within by John

Demos, the author talks about the possibility of ergot poisoning. John explains about his

readings of a biologist named Linnda Caporael, who made theories that the cause of the Salem

events were because of ergot. Ergot grows with various conditions of climate and soil, it is best

known to be found in rye which could eventually be baked into food by the Salem people.

Linnda claimed that ergot had effects like the famous hallucinogenic drug LSD, and its many

side effects could have the same results as that of the afflicted girls.

Another popular hypothesis some historians hold to is the belief the girls were dishonest

and acted out because they were finally being given attention. The era these girls lived in was

very dark; women were to obey their husbands and listen to them. The children were ignored.

Once they realized they had a sense of power, they relished it. They created stories and were

convincing actresses. In William J. Birnes and Joel Martin’s book The Haunting of America:

From the Salem Witch Trials to Harry Houdini, Birnes and Martin describe how the girls were

finally the center of attention and had power so great it was higher than most adults. Children of

this time lived a childhood where they were never listened to. So by acting out they got more

attention. Women of this time were entitled to very little freedom and acting out gave them more

attention than grown women. In John Demos’s book, The Enemy Within, John explains finding

research from a man named Thomas Hutchinson in the 1760’s. Hutchison also believed that the
girls were acting out for attention. They acted out so people would feel bad for them as well as

indulge their behavior.

Many historians and experts believe that psychological illness was a cause of the Salem

events. The girls were “afflicted,” they all believed other people were causing them harm.

Many historian psychologists believe that these girls had a mental illness. In John Demos’s

book, The Enemy Within: 2,000 Years of Witch-Hunting in the Western World, John explains his

research from a physician named George M. Beard. George wrote how he believed the afflicted

girls were deranged. George stated that the girls grew up in their religion and became so fearful

of their religion about demons and “the invisible world” (Demos 192) that they became insane.

In Bernard Rosenthal’s book, Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692, Bernard wrote how

he believed Ann Putnam had a psychological illness along with her mother. There was a belief

that Ann’s mother had beaten Ann and her six week old sister, who had died. Bernard stated that

when they were accusing people of hurting others, including Ann, they were both trying to place

their guilt on someone else. They used this as a coping mechanism to deal with what Ann’s

mother did.

The Salem witch trials remain very mysterious. The number of people that were

put to death because of the girls’ actions was surprising. The actions of the afflicted girls was

wrong, but not as much as the people in high positions that determined the fate of the accused

witches. The mystery of the Salem witch trials has fascinated many people. They have wanted to

learn what really caused the outbreak. Although the subject is fascinating, the underlying facts

have been little-known. The strength of the Puritan religion led to the deaths of 19, and ruination

of other lives due to the theory they were all in fact “witches.” Many historians are still trying to

prove what caused those events. Some theories aren’t well supported, such as the acting out
theory. The one that makes the most sense is the theory that these girls developed some kind of

psychological illness due to their fears in their Puritan religion. This religion is filled with the

battle between God and Satan, good and evil. These people believed they were to listen to God

or be cast down to Hell. The people of Salem were brainwashed by their own religion to the

point where they killed innocent people because of their superstitions.

The witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts was a time of grief and sadness. People

experienced many tragic events and feelings. The Puritan religion filled the town of Salem with

fear so strongly that people’s lives were at stake. The people of Salem stopped at nothing to

destroy the demons that haunted their small village. To this day, the underlying reasons for the

trials and hangings are still a mystery, with a touch of tragedy for the fate of the accused.
 Works Cited

Source one: Baker, Emerson W. The Devil of Great Island: Witchcraft and Conflict in Early

New England. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2007. Print. Pages 177-201.

Source two: Birnes, William J., and Joel Martin. The Haunting of America: From the Salem

Witch Trials to Harry Houdini. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 2009. Print. Pages

66-101.

Source three: Demos, John. The Enemy Within: 2,000 Years of Witch Hunting in the Western

World. New York: The Penguin Group, 2008. Print. Pages 157-228.

Source four: Roach, Marilynne K. The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-By-Day Chronicle of a

Community under Siege. New York: Cooper Square Press, 2002. Print. Pages xvi-xlvii.

Source five: Rosenthal, Bernard. Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692. Cambridge:

Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1993. Print. Pages 32-41.