Tragedy in Salem

Salem, Massachusetts in the year of 1692 was the scene of a terrible tragedy. The events that took place ended with the loss of twenty-four lives. The village was rife with accusations of witchcraft which caused hysteria that escalated into the trials of many women and men. There are different theories for the cause of the Salem Witch trials, of which economic, social, religious, and political circumstances are involved. A combination of factors is the most likely cause of the hysteria that followed the illness of two young girls.

The origins of the hysteria that overcame Salem Village began in January 1692 when the young girls, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, began to display bizarre behavior. The Religious Movements Homepage, University of Virginia, described the state of the girls as “having fits of convulsion, screaming, and hallucination (para. 8).” A doctor examined the girls and could not come up with a natural cause for their affliction.

In light of the Puritanism of the village and the belief that Satan was just as real as God, the community came to the conclusion that they were bewitched. When pressed to reveal who had bewitched them, the girls accused three women, Titbua (the Parris family slave), Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. This began the horrifying months of accusations and trials in Salem Village.

The strongest theory of the cause of the tragic events is the stringent Puritan code that the villagers lived by. The church was the foundation of life in 17th century New England. Most of the people in Massachusetts were Puritans and the lifestyle was very strict. Puritans believed that all sin should be punished and it was actually against the law not to attend church. The Puritans kept a firm connection between church and government and thus could control the activities of the community.

Any misfortune was looked upon as God's will and the community would not help the unfortunate. Under these conditions, the accusation of witchcraft was a very serious one, punishable by death. The Puritan leaders must have felt compelled to stamp out any vestige of Satan within the community. The community had other problems at this time and the possibility of witchcraft afoot would have caused much fear and panic.

Another theory for the cause of the tragedy is the fact that the community at this time was divided into two parts; Salem Town and Salem Village. Salem Village (also called Salem Farms) was treated separately because the citizens were mostly poor farmers. “Salem Town was a prosperous port town at the center of trade with London. Most of those living in Salem Town were wealthy merchants (Discovery Education, 2006).”

Salem Village had spent many years trying to become independent of Salem Town. Salem Town was dependent upon the farmers for food and yet they determined crop prices and collected taxes from the village. There was also a division with Salem Village. Citizens who lived near Ipswich Road were closer to Salem Town and they became more prosperous.

The others who lived further away feared that the “worldliness and affluence of Salem Town threatened their Puritan values (Discovery Education, 2006).” One of the families that were in most opposition to the economic changes was the Putnam family. This family was a strong influence behind the witchcraft accusations.

At this time a new minister was selected for Salem Village. Reverend Samuel Parris was a strong opponent to the economic prosperity of Salem Town and claimed it to be the influence of the Devil. Most of the accused witches lived near Ipswich Road and the accusers lived well into Salem Village. The economic jealousies and the influence of a stern minister played a great role in the trials that ensued. With the influence of Reverend Parris and his fueling the fire of dissention between the factions, the families of the village must have been under more than the usual strain to live perfect moral lives.

This leads to the third theory that has been set forth concerning the cause of the witch hysteria of 1692. The children of these circumstances had to live by the same standards as the adults. Their lives were filled with chores and not much else. They were not allowed to show emotions or disobey for they would be punished severely. The children did not usually play because this was looked upon as a sinful distraction (Discovery Education, 2006).

Many knew how to read, but the bible or other religious materials were the only books available. This was the setting for Betty Parris and Abigail Williams. The lure of the stories and fortune-telling of Tituba were probably quite stimulating for bored and restless children. It is theorized that this caused guilt in the girls and lead to their strange behavior.

Living in a time when such activities were demonized, these girls could very well have convinced themselves that they were bewitched. It is also speculated that once the adults showed them this much attention, they continued their behavior until it was impossible to stop the horrible events as they unfolded. These girls may have created the initial witchcraft accusations, but the adults in the community let this escalate into a tragedy.

All three of these theories have valid points. A community divided within itself by economic jealousies, the Puritanism that supported this division and its harsh view of human failings, and children that were deprived of entertainment and joy in life, all could have lead to the hysteria that followed the young girls' afflictions. This unfortunate mixture of circumstances caused the tragic death of twenty-four innocent lives and forever left its mark on American history.