The Salem Witch Trials

Nothing in history happens as an isolated event. All of time is a continuous cycle of cause and effect, each decision and event leading to another. Eventually all the pieces fall into place to form the landscape of time. It is the job of historians to study this process and determine exactly what each piece of the puzzle is. From the building of the pyramids to America’s war on terrorism, people can eventually trace everything back through time. Of course, attempts to discover the exact causes often lead to controversy. Such is true of events such as the Salem witch trials, very likely one of the most disputed events in all of American history. That is not to say it is unsolvable. In fact, the answer is much simpler than it may seem and lies within previous suggestions. The infamous Salem trials began as a somewhat harmless power play that spiraled into something much greater. Via the forces of religious and social fear, the smallest of offenses became a whirlwind of hysteria and delusion. From there, the events continued to spiral further and further out of control, claiming casualty after casualty until it finally lost its momentum. This massive hurricane of suspicion and confusion became the tragedy now known as the Salem witch trials.

As one might imagine, it is vital to look at where it seems everything began. At the time, religious leaders such as Samuel Parris spoke out to the people of the immediate dangers of sin and their need for correction. Preachers had begun to particularly stress themes such as “the Devil’s hostility toward the Church,” and the notion that “Satan would not prevail even though aided by ‘wicked and reprobate men (the assistants of Satan to afflict the Church).’” (Roach 4). In addition, the Puritan chu...

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...lar occurrences. The point of knowing history is to learn from it, and if a culture is unaware of the warning signs, they are all but doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. The same trail of cause and effect that led so readily and easily to the Salem witch trials is just as likely to lead to an equally devastating event today.

Works Cited

Hill, Frances. The Salem Witch Trials Reader. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo, 2000. Print.

Latner, Richard B. "The Salem Witchcraft Site." Salem Witchcraft. Tulane University, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

Mappen, Marc. Witches [and] Historians: Interpretations of Salem. 2nd ed. Malabrar, FL: Krieger, 1996. Print.

"Religious Aspects." Religious Aspects. Michigan State University, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.

Roach, Marilynne K. The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-day Chronicle of a Community under Siege. Lanham: Taylor Trade, 2004. Print.