The Facts and Fictions of The Salem Witch Trials
The idea of witchcraft has been a controversial topic since the begging of time however, witchcraft became better known in 1692, with the begging of the Salem witch trials. Many stories have been written about the Salem witch trials. Some are found in journals, other stories are exaggerated from those journals. The comparison of historical facts and the play the Crucible are the perfect example of an exaggerated actual event.
During the Salem witch trials, Tituba was asked to make a “witchcake” in order to figure was afflicting Betty Parris. She was later accused of witchcraft by Betty and Abigail Parris. Betty and Abigail Parris were the first to be afflicted. Actual symptoms consisted of violent physical tantrums. Rebecca Nurse was hung on July 19th , John Proctor on August 19th, and Martha Corey on September 22nd. Tituba brought stories of voodoo and other supernatural events from Barbados. This alone compelled the girls to take part in harmless fortune-telling. Mrs. Parris was alive during the incident and died in 1696, four years after the incident. The Parris family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Parris, Betty, Thomas, and Susannah, Abigail was only "kinfolk". After the trials Betty was sent away. Tituba was acutally an Indian woman who had a husband named John and a daughter Violet. She was also tortured for a long time before she confessed. John was actually 60 and a tavern keeper. Elizabeth was is 3rd wife. John had a daughter that was 15, a son that is 17, and another son that is 33 from a previous marriage. Mary Warren was 20. The adultery between Abigail and John is unlikely to occur as they lived far from each other and Abigail never worked for them. Rebecca Nurse was considered least likely to be a witch- she was seen as saint-like. The Nurses were not extremely respected because they owed money. Martha Corey was accused of witchcraft and didn't enter a plea. He was pressed with stones in an attempt...
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