In: Chemistry
Salem Witchcraft How could several adolescent girls cause such disorder in a male dominated society?
The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were iconic events in American History. They have been the subject of historical articles, religious debates, novels, plays and films. In both the world of academia and pop-culture of American society, the Salem Witch Trials have fascinated audiences from right after they occurred through the twentieth century. In some ways, the very fact that interest in this event has spanned across both time and disciplines makes the trials worthy of study. Although the United States is a young country, there is a lot of rich history. Yet, the American population still returns to the Salem Witchcraft Trials throughout different periods. For years, historical analysis was focused on the elite. History reflected the events that concerned those who were in power. The Salem Witchcraft Trials are decidedly the opposite. The people who were involved in the trials were very much so part of the “common” people. In part, this is what makes the trials so interesting after the turn of the twentieth century, the study of history changed to include more “common” historical events. One of the things that makes the trials interesting is this aspect that they were an event that was fully and singularly about the ordinary citizens of Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Witchcraft Trials became during the twentieth century a way for people to learn, not only about Puritan culture but also how to cope with contemporary issues—especially issues involving gender and sexuality. In the early twentieth century, literary scholars did the majority of scholarship on the trials, and only later did historians really focus on the trials. This paper will look at the works of historians, literary scholars and others to showcase the way in which the Salem trials have become an outlet through which people could make sense of their own contemporary issues. The primary goal is to show that the reason that the Salem Witchcraft Trials have continued to be a focus of scholarship, particularly gender scholarship and a focus in popular culture is because they are a relatable event to many contemporary issues.