The Salem Witch Trials On Society And Religious Belief

The Salem Witch trials are an infamous moment in American history , portraying old American thought on society and religious belief. Throughout the years, scholars have adopted theories to explain one of America’s greatest mysteries. In light of such theories, it becomes apparent that there is no magic to explain the decisions that the people of Salem made, but was rather fueled by jealousy of economic success and religious misguidance. Several theories explain the cause of the witchcraft accusations from friends and neighbors. One theory suggests that the bread the people of Salem ate contained Ergot Fungus that resulted in the rhythmic spasms of muscles. The Ergot Fungus derives from Claviceps purpurea, which affects â€Å"cereal grasses†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Yet, the western Salem residents were unaffected by the crop, and they were the accusers of the so-called â€Å"bewitchments† that were occurring on the other side of Salem. Furthermore, the summe r of 1692 had a dry climate without the appearance of ergot, yet, there were still accusations of â€Å"bewitchments.† Ultimately, thorough evidence indicates that the Ergot Fungus is not the source of the strange behaviors observed by the people in Salem. Psychological studies have observed the patterns of the people of Salem, and suggest that the so called â€Å"possessed† children were simply bored of their strict lifestyle and played â€Å"bewitchment† games to entertain themselves. Puritan children lived a strict lifestyle in Salem, where religion surpassed education and children were expected to act like adults. The Salem Times by Pascale B. provides an article on the history of Puritan children, explaining that,â€Å"children grow up to be mature, righteous members of the Salem community, they are expected to act like adults at a very young age. Children go to church twice a week...and pay close attention to the long, three hour sermons† (The Salem Times 1). In this case, there is no surprise that when the children of Salem began to exhibit strange behaviors, the parents and the