Austin Notenboom research *

September **, **** outline for research

paper

1. The Salem witch trials, witchcraft or mass hysteria.

a. Mass panic and social disturbance flamed the witchcraft hysteria, a

testament that children should not be treated as adults.

2. Introduction

a. In the year 1692, nineteen people died by hanging found guilty of

witchcraft,

4 more died while awaiting trail. And an old man was pressed to

death under rocks.

b. Abigail Williams, Betty Paris and Ann Putnam accused 150 people in

total

who where jailed during the spring and summer of 1692

c. What social disturbances caused this and did reverend Parris fan

the flames of

the trials.

3. Life in Salem Village in 1692.

a. The residents of Salem Village, where mostly poor farmers and

Puritans led by reverend Parris.

b. Puritans and their rigid moral code, believed that the devil was as

real as good and that the devil selected the weakest folk, to do

his work.

c. Tituba, a slave; Sarah Good, a homeless beggar; and Sarah Osborne,

a sickly old woman who married her servant all social outcasts,

where the first women to be accused of witchcraft.

4. Strict Puritan code caused the children to act out.

a. Searching for attention, the children faked their maladies to draw

attention to themselves.

b. After accusing Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne, the girls

realized their powers over the adults.

c. As attention grew allowing them to skip on chores and focus their

time to coming up with more names to accuse of witchcraft.

5. Alternative perspective

a. The original three accused women where truly practicing witches.

b. Abigail Williams, Betty Paris and Ann Putnam where instructed by

reverend Parris to act out, in order for him to became a more

powerful minister by getting rid of his enemies.

c. Tituba, the servant slave. Truly was a witch and tried to teach the

girls her craft.

6 Conclusion

After thoroughly enjoying the attention bestowed on them after their

original accusations, Abigail Williams, Betty Paris and Ann Putnam

continued accusing town folk of witchcraft. As time progressed they

realized that stopping what they had started was impossible.

7. Bibliography

Books

Jane Yolen: The Salem witch trials AN unsolved mystery from

history

Simon and Schuster 2004

Laurel Van der Linde: The Devil in Salem Village

Millbrook Press, 1992

Marion L. Starkey The Devil in Massachusetts

Doubleday, 1949

Electronic

"The Salem Witch Trials" Discoveryschool.com September 2006

Contact this candidate