The+Salem+Witch+Trials1

=Salem Witch Trials= //by: Natali, Leanne, Kelly, and Adam//

During January to June of 1962, about nineteen men and women were convicted of witchcraft in Salem Massachusetts. They were all sentenced to hanging at Gallows Hill. Others who were convicted faced being pressed to death by heavy stones. Many other accused men and women were thrown away in jail for long periods of time without a trial. 

Twenty-four accused witches lost their lives. People believed that the Devil had something to do with every misfortune. They felt that some misfortunes could have been God's punishment for sinful behavior. People were supposed to repress their emotion and opinions. Two girls, Abigail Williams, age 11, and Betty Parris, age 9, were captivated by Tituba's (a slave) magical stories. They were forbidden which filled the girls with fear and guilt. This could be the reason for they hysterical behavior. The first women to be accused were different and outcastes of society. The girls sparked these trials but the adults set it all in motion.

The Salem Witch trials began when a group of girls started to show bizarre behavior such as convulsive seizures, profane screaming, as well as trance-like states. Because the doctors examining the girls found no regular diagnosis, the community reasoned it must be work of Satan. One of the girls said she had seen the devil himself as well as there being a community of witches living in Salem village. This was the beginning of all the accusations the town made against their citizens until the trials finally subsided many deaths later.



Linder, Douglas O. "The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692." Web. 15 Dec. 2009. .
 * __//Works Cited//__**

 "Salem Witch Trials - Learning Adventures." //Discovery Education Classroom Resources//. Web. 16 Dec. 2009. . "The Salem Witch Trials, 1692." //EyeWitness to History - history through the eyes of those who lived it//. Web. 16 Dec. 2009. .