The Salem Witch Trials A Time Of Chaos And Panic Essay

The Salem Witch Trials were a time of chaos and panic. It began in 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts. Three girls named Elizabeth (Betty) Parris, Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam began acting strange. They uttered odd words and sounds, threw things and had trance-like states. People were terrified and they didn’t know what to do. The fact that the girls had been playing a fortune telling game before the strange behavior didn’t help the cause. After Reverend Parris (Elizabeth’s father) performed a special blessing and the strange occurrences still didn’t stop, the town declared the girls to be possessed by Satan and the girls blamed three women for possessing them. 2 of the women pleaded innocent but surprisingly the Parris family slave, who Elizabeth Parris accused of possessing her admitted to being a witch. She said â€Å"the devil came to me and bid me serve him†. She described many strange colored animals who tried to convince her to sign the devil’s book. The slave claimed she signed it and so did many others and they would come and kill the Puritans and Catholics of Salem. All three women were accused of practicing witchcraft (the work of the devil), and the trials began. About 150 people were accused and put on trial and 20 people were executed. During this time people were afraid of witches because they thought Satan was present and trying to take away children’s innocence so they tried and tortured witched and declared random people â€Å"witches†. The belief ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on Crucible vs Muslim Treatment Post 9/111054 Words   |  5 Pagesfeared. Fear is the primary source of insanity and chaos. Fear alone sent the Puritan society of Salem, Massachusetts into a state of utter hysteria in the year 1692, when one of the worlds most infamous witch hunts occurred. Arthur Millers play, The Crucible, is a historical fiction depicting the events of the Salem Witch Trials. 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