Witchcraft is the name given to the power people received by worshiping and making pacts with the devil. The majority of people accused of practicing witchcraft were old women who were separated from society, many of which practiced folk medicine. Over 100,000 people were accused of being witches and warlocks and many of them confessed to working with the devil, simply to stop the torture they suffered. They were later burned at the stake. One famous event of this took place in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1690s, called the Salem Witch Trials. Eight young girls started to experience strange symptoms of seizures and trance-like states. They later blamed their neighbors as trying to put spells on them to help the witches do the devil's work. Hundreds of people were later accused of witches, and 19 were found to be guilty. Although historians believe that this event took place as a result of food poisoning that led the children to experience the symptoms, no one will ever know for sure.
This video shows the consequences of human ignorance and fear. It also gives me another example of how some people viewed magic, as it being evil and associated with the devil. While the Salem Witch Trials are an excellent example of this, this evil view of magic and witches had been in effect for long before the 1600s. In fact, it is still around today, as seen in the previous posting on the history of the Wicca, several practitioners hide their faith due to fear of persecution. These two postings are very closely related, except that this one serves as a prime example for that time period, while the Wicca is more of modern age.
When did this persecution begin? Although some of the major ones occurred during the Middle Ages during times of hardship like during the bubonic plague of the 1300s, have there been any other major examples of persecution that predate the Black Death?
Citation:
Salem Witch Trials. (2012). The History Channel website. Retrieved 6:35, April 29, 2012, from http://www.history.com/videos/salem-witch-trials.
When did this persecution begin? Although some of the major ones occurred during the Middle Ages during times of hardship like during the bubonic plague of the 1300s, have there been any other major examples of persecution that predate the Black Death?
Citation:
Salem Witch Trials. (2012). The History Channel website. Retrieved 6:35, April 29, 2012, from http://www.history.com/videos/salem-witch-trials.
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