The Salem Witch Trials

In the spring and summer of 1692, 20 men and women were killed on Gallows Hill, near Salem Village, for witchcraft. Many more were also accused of witchcraft. Some rotted in jail for months without trials. It started when Betty Parris became ill with strange symptoms. Soon her friends became ill with about the same symptoms. This was during the war with the Indians so the villagers already believed the Devil was close at hand and it …

…so naturally they would try to get rid of these witches. This shows that Puritan society is partly to blame for the Salem witch trials. From this unit, I learned about the power of suggestion. Like I mentioned before, one person says something about witches and they all go along. Just like that video we watched about the trials. One person felt something, and then everyone after him tried to top the one before him.