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salem witch trail. The Salem Witch Trails took place in Salem, Massachusetts,
1692. In February, there was a group of girls in Salem ...
The Salem Witch Trial. The Salem Witch Trial The Salem Witchcraft was a series
of undesirable events, which was powered by paranoia and fear. ...
Salem Witch Trials. ... Another important part religion played in the Salem Witch Trials
was that it had a hand in who got accused of being a witch. ...
Salem Witch Trials. ... Records from the time of the Salem Witch trials show that location
seemed to be a main factor in who was accused to be a witch. ...
salem witch trials. Salem Witch Trials Early in 1692, the witch hunt started in
Salem, Massachusetts. ... The aftermath of the Salem witch trials was harsh. ...
Submitted by oppapers on May 8, 2002
Category: American History
Words: 775 | Pages: 4
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Paranoia
Paranoia is the underlying factor of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Samuel Parris had a great terror of Satan arming his foes to destroy both him and his church. He was obsessed with any sinfulness that he saw.
Although it was not just Reverend Parris that had these beliefs. It was the paranoid society, which he was a member of. The Puritans were paranoid of being different. Conformity was a large part of their life because they were all driven into the same religion. Originality is a natural human characteristic that was stripped of their being. They believed that if they didn't do what society said was the right thing to do that they would be punished in the afterlife. Because of their geographical location, they could not choose what society they belonged to, whether they liked it or not. If they did try to leave, chances are they would die in the harsh New England wilderness. They also feared the natives of the area. This caused many people to grit their teeth and bear the Puritan ways. Also this was the only way of life these people knew. They had never been in an atmosphere that flourished in new ideas. Therefore, they never had beliefs of their own. They were limited in the choices they made. If it weren’t for the underlying fears of being different than the Witch Trails of Salem would have never occurred.
Ironically the Puritans were victims of the very society that they traveled across the Atlantic to escape. The roots of evil were still implanted in them. The church was all that had changed, and it had changed for the worse. Bertrand Russell once said, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you don’t believe it completly.” Since the Puritans beliefs were absolute, it devastated
their society. There was no room for new ideas. New ideas would directly contradict their religion. That is why anybody that was different was considered a witch and consequently killed. They died because of mass paranoia....
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