SIENA HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY
THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS: SOCIOECONOMICS, RELIGION, AND FEAR
A PAPER SUBMITTED TO SISTER JEANNE LEFEBVRE FOR HISTORIOGRAPHY AND METHODOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
BY
NICHOLAS KNEZEVICH
ADRIAN, MICHIGAN
MAY 2006
Abstract
The Salem Witch Trials were caused by socioeconomic problems that were intertwined with the fabric that held early American life together: religion. Puritanism's lack of set doctrine lent itself to the possibility of corrupt leadership. In 1692 this is exactly what happened. Frightened by the possibility of losing his position as preacher to the Salem Village, Samuel Parris exploited the gravest fear that was held by people of that time period: Satan and witches.
The Trials were a mess from the very beginning, with random accusations thrown at people from all over the village. The examiners used the worst type of evidence, spectral, to send innocent people to their deaths only to realize years later the flaws of......
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Approximate Word Count: 2837
Approximate Pages: 11 (260 words per double-spaced page) |