Unjust Power and Gender Relations in the Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials have entranced fear skepticism and fear into the world of American history, for scholars and non-scholars alike. Yet on how the account of how these witch trial started and continued for such a long time is due to the fact of gender relations, and the abuse of power. These two things affected the start and outcome of this historical debacle.People often have many misconceptions on what exactly happened in The Salem Witch Trials, many of those being the victims and the ways they were tried and put to death.

Other misconceptions are about how the whole thing started. So to make my essay more understandable I am going to clear up these misunderstandings. Both men and women, and including some dogs, were victims; and were hung, or shot, and not burned to the stake. And lastly there is no exact evidence to how it started, but the most supported scenarios is that it was adolescents reaching for attention or that the hallucinations and effected of the women and men accused for being witches, were due to ergot poisoning. This ergot when contaminated into food and aten “can lead to a convulsive disorder characterized by violent muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions, hallucinations, crawling sensations on the skin, and a host of other symptoms, are present in the records of the Salem witchcraft trials( Caporael 1).”

These are the few misconceptions cleared up so that you may read this with more understanding of The Salem Witch Trials.In Massachusetts of 1692 the chaotic start which came to be known as ‘The Salem Witch Trials’ started. It all began in mid January when reports of young girls were reported of being ‘ill’ and acting strangely. With these young girls symptoms such as “having fits, including violent contortions and uncontrollable outbursts of screaming(Salem 1),” the only diagnosis they could came up with was bewitchment. came and lasted for only three months, from June to September. Yet it was the start of a long and terrible trail of the misfortune poured onto Salem.In Salem, women had lower statuses than that of men. The roles they had in society was that of being a mother, midwife, maid, caretaker, or something as low as an outcast or prostitute. They were ” as a whole considered easier targets for Satan due to being viewed as weaker than men physically, spiritually, and morally (Schultz 1).” That was of one of a few reasons why women were more likely to be blamed and accused for being a ‘witch’. During the Salem witch trials of those who were executed, accused, and afflicted most to confess to being a ‘witch’. As for men, they too were accused of also being a ‘ was Giles Corey. He would neither plea for his innocence or his guilt so that the court would not take his land from his family.

This is one of the most memorable deaths in the Salem Witch Trials. Other men’s deaths were only by being hung which was 4 Both the men and women of Salem were victims in its trials, they both suffered greatly. Yet some more than others. held in cells or worse, hung. men. Yet women had stricter views on sins, than men. Meaning they thought even the littlest thing like cursing was took its toll on the accused.Yet none of these things in Salem would be as exaggerated and possible without the role its government played. The judicial system of Salem, Massachusetts was a innocent, even receiving girl to her death, and determine the fate of many other citizens in Salem, MassachusettsTo conclude my research paper I will answer my research question. How did gender relations and power abuse affect the salem witch trials? To keep it short it affected it disaster of one of the most memorable things in American history, The Salem Witch Trials.

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