Cynthia Obiozor

Dr. Cole

History 1311

September 16, 2003

After the Fact Salem Witch Trials

To  this day the exact cause of the Salem Witch Trials in uncertain. There is much speculation and mystery when it comes to discussing the Salem Witch Trials. People were accused, convicted, and executed all in the name of Witchcraft.  After reading the timeline and searching on the internet I believe that the Salem Witchcraft Trials occurred because of the depth of Salem Puritans' belief in witchcraft and the Devil.  

The Salem Witch Trials began in January 1962 when  a nine year old named Elizabeth Parris and an eleven year old named Abigail Williams started behaving strange, going into “trance-like states and mysterious spells,” and within a short time other Salem girls began to act in a similar fashion.  In this day and age if something like this were to occur a physical and mental examination would take place. The knowledge and technology we have now was not available in 1692 so of course something had to be causing the sickness. Because  nothing like that have ever been seen before and because doctors  were not able to find any symptoms or causes of the behavior, physicians concluded that the girls were under the influence of Satan. Now days a diagnosis of this sort is  not feasible. In a way the people of Salem were obsessed with the Devil they blamed the Devil for a lot of hardships that they faced.

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        In February of the same year prayer services and fasting were held by Rev. Parris so that evil forces would be removed from the two girls.  A man by the name of John Indian, in an effort to expose Abigail and Elizabeth made a witch cake made of rye meal and their urine.  This witch cake was meant to reveal their true witch identites.   Only a society with a belief so strong in witchcraft and the devil would come up with an idea to make a cake out of urine and rye meal and expect it to actually ...

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