The puritans, who had left England due to religious persecution, feared their religion was under attack again and worried they were losing control of their colony. The charter was revoked because the colonists had violated several of the charter’s rules, which included basing laws on religious beliefs and discriminating against Anglicans.Ī newer, more anti-religious charter replaced the original one in 1691 and also combined the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony and several other colonies into one. One major factor was that in 1684, King Charles II revoked the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s royal charter, a legal document granting the colonists permission to colonize the area. In addition to this constant sense of fear, Salem residents were also under a great deal of stress during this period due to a number of factors. Some of the suggested theories are: conversion disorder, epilepsy, ergot poisoning, Encephalitis, Lyme disease, unusually cold weather, factionalism, socio-economic hardships, family rivalries and fraud.Īlso, In 17th century Massachusetts, people often feared that the Devil was constantly trying to find ways to infiltrate and destroy Christians and their communities.Īs a devout and strongly religious community living in near isolation in the mysterious New World, the community of Salem had a heightened sense of fear of the Devil and, as a result, it didn’t take much to convince the villagers that there was evil among them. The exact cause of the Salem Witch Trials is unknown but they were probably a number of causes. The Salem Witch Trials officially began in February of 1692, when the afflicted girls accused the first three victims, Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, of witchcraft and ended in May of 1693, when the remaining victims were released from jail. When Did the Salem Witch Trials Take Place?
The witchcraft sourcebook summary series#
The Salem Witch Trials were a series of witchcraft cases brought before local magistrates in a settlement called Salem which was a part of the Massachusetts Bay colony in the 17th century.
The following are some facts about the Salem Witch Trials: What Were the Salem Witch Trials? More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria.Įver since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a dark time in American history.
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