Dbq Salem Witch Trials

The concept of witchcraft is a contentious subject, but research shows multiple explanations for the widespread phenomenon. For example, afflictions including poisoning or an encephalitis epidemic, may have prompted uninformed physicians, including Dr. William Griggs, to become confused, therefore concluding witchcraft to explain the seemingly unnatural occurrence. Griggs is often attributed to being “the man who made the diagnosis which led to accusations of witchcraft” since, although lacking in specific knowledge, physicians were the only ones besides religious leaders deemed qualified enough to diagnose witches (Dashiell 1). Conversely, these esteemed individuals may have felt pressured by the panicked townspeople to diagnose those stricken

Facilitating the dispersion, confessors acknowledged their guilt and demonstrated their abilities, manipulating people into believing their testimonies. For example, in several trials “the accusers were sometimes struck dumb, deaf, [and] blind”, inflicting fear among the masses of witnesses (Lawson 1). These witnesses informed others of the horrors of the afflicted, allowing for the already widespread pandemic to expand. Following the foremost apprehensions of witchcraft, many people confessed for obscure reasons, some even admitting having signed the “devils book”. According to author Deodat Lawson, citizens were prejudicially accused of witchcraft on appearance, both old and young charged. Although the motives for these confessions are an enigma, a few historians believed people may have utilized the panic to get revenge on others. The swift rise and fall of the Salem witch trials displayed similarities to current day trends because while they quickly gathered popularity, they soon declined. Moreover, the locals, possibly overtaken by the issue, may have overreacted to any events or persons vaguely out of the ordinary. Despite the decline in witchcraft, the trials did not truly end until years later as a paucity of trials ensued in future