The Witches Arrive: A Conflict in Salem

Elizabeth Davis

Website 

Junior Division

 The Witches Arrive 

The year was 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts when people were being falsely accused, tried, and killed for offenses they did not commit. The conflict started when two girls fell sick and the doctor diagnosed them with witchcraft. It was an easy trap for a grasp on society. 

 

While witchcraft had already been seen in other places in the world such as Europe, it was a big outbreak for the politically unstable town. The idea of witchcraft being in Salem spread, and a group of eleven people soon started acting as though “afflicted.” Of these eleven, three became the main accusers – Ann Putnam, Abigail Williams, and Betty Parris. The accusers charged other townspeople with witchcraft, often suggesting that they had tormented people at night, made farm animals sick, and even one case of a man killing his wife.

Map of Salem pictured below

 

 Table of Contents

The Conflict and Compromise: In a Nutshell 

Accusations and Trials

Bridget Bishop: The First Witch Tried

The Witch Trials Come to an End

"Modern-Day" Witch Hunts

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