1 / 12

Salem Witch Trials

Salem Witch Trials. Salem, Massachusetts 1692. Why Salem Still Haunts Us. Fascination with Witches A Stain on American History How Could an Entire Community Engage in Such Horrific Acts? 140 people accused of practicing witchcraft Twenty accused witches executed. Salem—the Village History.

Download Presentation

Salem Witch Trials

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Salem Witch Trials Salem, Massachusetts 1692

  2. Why Salem Still Haunts Us Fascination with Witches A Stain on American History How Could an Entire Community Engage in Such Horrific Acts? 140 people accused of practicing witchcraft Twenty accused witches executed.

  3. Salem—the Village History 1630: John Winthrop is elected the first governor. “A Model of Christian Charity” “City of a Hill” 1641: English law makes witchcraft a capital crime. November, 1689: Samuel Parris is named the new minister of Salem, and Salem Village Church is formed.

  4. In Times of HardshipCan we watch each other without judging each other? In times of hardship, in tight knit communities, people began to look for people to blame for their problems. People believed that witches had a secret pact with the devil Hardships Blamed on Witches: Failed crops The death of livestock People becoming ill Sudden accidental death

  5. Puritan Life Society centered around the church. The younger generation did not share the same strict religious views.

  6. Strange Behavior In January of 1692, a group of girls in Salem Village, MA began to exhibit strange behavior blasphemous screaming convulsive seizures trance-like states mysterious spells. Physicians concluded that only the influence of Satan could be responsible for the girls’ afflictions. Pressured to identify the source of their affliction, the girls named three women as witches.

  7. Causes for the Girls’ Actions Witchcraft Jealousy Repression Hysteria Guilt Boredom

  8. Map of Salem Can any deductions be made from this map?

  9. Characteristics of “Witch” Trials Pressure of Social Forces Stigmatization of the Accused Climate of Fear Resemblance to a Fair Trial Simulated Evidence/Expert Testimony

  10. Why the hysteria ended Doubts grow when respected citizens are convicted and executed. Accusations of witchcraft include the powerful and well-connected. The educated elite of Boston pressure Gov. to exclude spectral evidence

  11. What Would You Do? • Flee Salem • Accuse someone else. • Confess, even though you are innocent. • Plead innocent and stand for trial. • Refuse to stand trial and face the consequences.

More Related