Alexa Caceres
Professor Levy
American History
November 29, 2015
The Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials were responsible for a number of deaths, routing from the
thought that witches were living among them at the time. In effort to weed out the real witches it
was thought that having full trials was the best bet, however most put on trial were killed; guilty
or not. All in all a total of fifteen women and five men were hung for their “crimes”, although
stories will be discussed there were a few key contenders that will be recognized. All playing
different roles in the town, they all seem to connect in one way or another.
The Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692, and took the lives of many. These
trials began because of the hysteria over witchcraft. Salem Village, the home of the Salem Witch
Trials was located in Salem Town with a population of 600. All members of Salem were from
England and were given the opportunity to move to an English colony, “By 1640 the
Massachusetts Bay Colony had about 10,000 settlers” (Wilson 1997, 20). Salem was well
known for its farming, construction, and fishing during this time. Coming from England they
were left with the responsibility of building all their homes and other buildings so their skills
came in very handy. Most of its resident were puritans that focused on hard work and had little
time for games. The children were expected to act very mature at all times and were punished if
they showed too many emotions. Children were expected to learn their trades at a young age and
to perfect them over time, making sure they were always busy was a way they were able to
ensure their maturity. Majority of Puritans were held to high standards because they had one
goal, to please God.
A puritan’s lifestyle was one that was very strict and believed heavily in the bible. It
routed from the Catholic Church, which many began to stray away from. Puritans being one that
wanted a change, “Rejected Catholic traditions and wanted to Purify the church” (Wilson 1997,
21). During their time in Salem, the church was not just a place of worship to them it was also a
place where their government met and delegated rules and made important decisions. Religion
played such a large part in the puritans lifestyles, whether it came to rules that everyone had to
follow or just simply because it was illegal to not go every week. The church went farther to
ensure everyone attended by making it the only way to vote or be involved with the government.
These strict rules led other to believe that if something bad happened to anyone it was a
