Salem Witch Trials Persuasive Essay

805 Words2 Pages

many people could have actually been saved instead of being executed unfairly. It was unjust the way the court worked. Other people’s lives depended on the witness testimonies, and if false things were said, there was no evidence to prove otherwise. It was suggested that the cause of the Salem Witch Trials was an act of illness. As mentioned before, there was a smallpox epidemic going on during that time. The trials could have been used as a distraction from what was truly going on in the community. Not only that, but there could have been a mental illness as well. It was suggested, “The Salem Witch Trials was a classic example of scapegoating. Fear combined with a “trigger,” a traumatic or stressful event, is what often leads to scapegoating. Fear of the Devil, and witches who did his bidding, was very real in …show more content…

The Puritans were notably fearful of the devil. The traumatic event that triggered this was possibly the epidemic and the removal of the royal charter. If it was not that, it could have been a different disease that struck the Puritans. “Another possibility is that the girls contracted encephalitis, a disease carried by mosquitoes. Encephalitis can cause fever, headaches and confusion” (Krystek). The confusion could have lead them to think that they were indeed witches or that they witnessed witchcraft. When the accused were interrogated by some of the people in the community, it was not a peaceful encounter. They forced a false confession from innocent people, it was a smart way of interrogation. A way the examination went was, “And then they would try to push the person to see, ‘Well, haven't you done some sin? Haven't you let the Devil in the door even just a little bit?’ Then these women who were good Puritan women kind of had to admit that, ‘Yeah, okay, maybe a little bit I let Satan in the door’” (Reis). The people from the community manipulated the accused. These women were vulnerable, and were clueless. When they questioned

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