Salem Witch Trials
By Oskar Laustrup and Jacob Neimanas
Puritans (Who were they, when, how, why did they travel to America)
The puritans were a religious splinter group, who travelled from England to the Netherlands and later to America. They travelled to America in 1620 by crossing the Atlantic. In 1628, in Massachusetts, they created a new society based on the principles of the bible. They travelled because they were being persecuted because of their religion and were afraid to lose their identity. They believed that every person's fate was predetermined by god even before they were born and also that women were more likely to serve the devil than a man. This led to women having a low status in the society. They were a farming community.
What happened in Salem and what caused the witchhunts?
In Salem, Massachusetts, the infamous "Salem Witch Trials" took place. It all began with a group of girls, who allegedly performed witchcraft with a female slave from Barbados called Tituba. This was against the values of the puritan people. The reverend of Salem, Paris, suspected the girls of performing witchcraft after he saw them in the middle of their ritual in the forest. The girls were accused of witchcraft. One of the girls, Abigail Williams, lied to the puritan people, and started accusing other people of witchcraft. The reason people believed her was because a man called John Hale said that she was chosen by God to identify the devil's servants. They started by accusing the people of low status, but after receiving power, attention and respect, they accused people of higher and higher status. In the end, people found the accusations outrageous and they became doubtful of the truth of these accusations.
What Caused The Salem Witch Trials?