salem witch trials thesis ideas

• Suggestions on Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics

The Salem witch trials were prosecutions conducted of people indicted for witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people faced accusations of witchcraft. Thirty were found guilty, and nineteen of them were executed by hanging. Fourteen of the victims were women and five men, but an unknown number of innocents were injured as well.

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Therefore, Salem witch trials essay topics are so popular among students. This theme has many pitfalls to explore, and all researches concerning the Salem witch trials have unique historical value.

Read this list of topic suggestions on the Salem witch trials and find out why it is so important to study.

121 Salem Witch Trials Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 are one of the most infamous events in American history. Over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, and 20 were executed. The hysteria that swept through the town of Salem, Massachusetts, has fascinated historians and scholars for centuries.

If you are studying the Salem Witch Trials and need essay topic ideas, look no further. Here are 121 Salem Witch Trials essay topic ideas and examples to help you get started on your research and writing:

The causes of the Salem Witch Trials

The role of religion in the Salem Witch Trials

The impact of Puritan beliefs on the Salem Witch Trials

The role of women in the Salem Witch Trials

The economic factors that contributed to the Salem Witch Trials

The social dynamics of Salem during the witch trials

The role of the legal system in the Salem Witch Trials

The impact of the Salem Witch Trials on American history

The psychological effects of being accused of witchcraft in Salem

The legacy of the Salem Witch Trials in modern society

Comparing the Salem Witch Trials to other witch hunts in history

The role of fear and paranoia in the Salem Witch Trials

The political motivations behind the accusations in Salem

The role of gender in the Salem Witch Trials

The impact of the Salem Witch Trials on the town of Salem

The cultural significance of the Salem Witch Trials

The role of the media in spreading hysteria during the Salem Witch Trials

The impact of the Salem Witch Trials on the legal system

The role of the clergy in the Salem Witch Trials

The legacy of the Salem Witch Trials in literature and popular culture

The role of the court system in the Salem Witch Trials

The impact of the Salem Witch Trials on the concept of justice

The role of the accusers in the Salem Witch Trials

The role of confession in the Salem Witch Trials

The impact of the Salem Witch Trials on the accused and their families

The role of evidence in the Salem Witch Trials

The role of the accused in the Salem Witch Trials

The impact of the Salem Witch Trials on religion in America

The role of superstition in the Salem Witch Trials

The role of the government in the Salem Witch Trials

The impact of the Salem Witch Trials on the economy of Salem

The role of class in the Salem Witch Trials

The impact of the Salem Witch Trials on the reputation of Salem

The role of mass hysteria in the Salem Witch Trials

The impact of the Salem Witch Trials on the culture of Salem

These essay topic ideas and examples will help you explore the complex and fascinating history of the Salem Witch Trials. Whether you are interested in the social, cultural, religious, or political aspects of this event, there is plenty of material to research and write about. Happy writing!

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Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics

The 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, witch trials is a dreadful piece of writing that has great significance in modern society. The Salem witch trials have triggered varied emotions in the subject of religion, feuds, and politics. The Salem witch trials have some of the most dreadful events that have negative and positive effects on society.

The people accused as witches in the Salem witch trials had to carry the cross of many other crimes they hadn’t committed. The witches were accused of not attending church, supporting other accused persons, being lone wolves, and even assisting Wabanaki Indians. Also, being found talking to yourself could have as well landed you in a trial as a witch. When writing an essay on witch trials, you can discuss anything to do with the reasons people were accused of being witches in Salem.

Your essay can also discuss the modern-day witch hunts in reference to what people learned during the Salem witch trials. The most common modern witch hunts include communist hunts and the 1950s events that fueled the discovery of the crucible by Arthur Miller. We at TopicsBase are here to make the essay writing process fun and a breeze. With our outstanding Salem witch trials research paper topics, you can always write an impressive essay that meets the professor’s requirements.

• The relationship between religion and witchcraft
• How the Salem witch trials affected how we view witches today?
• The adverse effects of the Salem witch trials on the society
• The primary triggers of the Salem witch trials
• How the Puritan values and views during colonial Massachusetts lead to Salem witch trials
• How Elizabeth Proctor and Sarah Cloyce were arrested during the Salem witch trials?
• Economic factors that lead to the Salem witch trials
• Well-known women witches in the 15 th and 16 th centuries in German
• The impact of witchcraft among French women and men during the 16 th and 17 th centuries
• The leading roles played by night witches in the Second World War
• The witch trials of Italy in the 17 th century
• The importance of gender roles in the Salem witch trials
• The role religion played in unfair Salem witch trials
• The social causes of the Salem witch trials and the impact they had on innocent souls
• American literature and Salem witch trials: The relationship and differences
• The less-known methods used by the accused during Salem witch trials to avoid unfair trial and execution
• The Salem witch trials led to the modern-day gay marriages
• What were the leading reasons people were accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials
• The leading events that triggered the Salem witch trials
• Historically-documented and verified evidence linked to the Salem witch trials
• The role politics and socialism played in the Salem witch trials
• The Salem witch trials were unfair and prejudice
• The Salem witch trials led to the death of innocent souls
• The Salem witch trials were malicious and inhuman
• Not all the accused during the Salem witch trials were guilty
• The documented accounts of the Salem witch trials

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Salem Witch Trials

By: History.com Editors

Updated: September 29, 2023 | Original: November 4, 2011

The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. As a wave of hysteria spread throughout colonial Massachusetts, a special court convened in Salem to hear the cases; the first convicted witch, Bridget Bishop, was hanged that June. Eighteen others followed Bishop to Salem’s Gallows Hill, while some 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next several months. 

By September 1692, the hysteria had begun to abate and public opinion turned against the trials. Though the Massachusetts General Court later annulled guilty verdicts against accused witches and granted indemnities to their families, bitterness lingered in the community, and the painful legacy of the Salem witch trials would endure for centuries.

What Caused the Salem Witch Trials?: Context & Origins

Belief in the supernatural—and specifically in the devil’s practice of giving certain humans (witches) the power to harm others in return for their loyalty—had emerged in Europe as early as the 14th century, and was widespread in colonial New England . In addition, the harsh realities of life in the rural Puritan community of Salem Village (present-day Danvers, Massachusetts ) at the time included the after-effects of a British war with France in the American colonies in 1689, a recent smallpox epidemic, fears of attacks from neighboring Native American tribes and a longstanding rivalry with the more affluent community of Salem Town (present-day Salem). 

Amid these simmering tensions, the Salem witch trials would be fueled by residents’ suspicions of and resentment toward their neighbors, as well as their fear of outsiders.

Did you know? In an effort to explain by scientific means the strange afflictions suffered by those "bewitched" Salem residents in 1692, a study published in Science magazine in 1976 cited the fungus ergot (found in rye, wheat and other cereals), which toxicologists say can cause symptoms such as delusions, vomiting and muscle spasms.

In January 1692, 9-year-old Elizabeth (Betty) Parris and 11-year-old Abigail Williams (the daughter and niece of Samuel Parris, minister of Salem Village) began having fits, including violent contortions and uncontrollable outbursts of screaming. After a local doctor, William Griggs, diagnosed bewitchment, other young girls in the community began to exhibit similar symptoms, including Ann Putnam Jr., Mercy Lewis, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Walcott and Mary Warren.

In late February, arrest warrants were issued for the Parris’ Caribbean slave, Tituba, along with two other women—the homeless beggar Sarah Good and the poor, elderly Sarah Osborn—whom the girls accused of bewitching them.

Salem Witch Trial Victims: How the Hysteria Spread

The three accused witches were brought before the magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne and questioned, even as their accusers appeared in the courtroom in a grand display of spasms, contortions, screaming and writhing. Though Good and Osborn denied their guilt, Tituba confessed. Likely seeking to save herself from certain conviction by acting as an informer, she claimed there were other witches acting alongside her in service of the devil against the Puritans.

As hysteria spread through the community and beyond into the rest of Massachusetts, a number of others were accused, including Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse—both regarded as upstanding members of church and community—and the four-year-old daughter of Sarah Good.

Like Tituba, several accused “witches” confessed and named still others, and the trials soon began to overwhelm the local justice system. In May 1692, the newly appointed governor of Massachusetts, William Phips, ordered the establishment of a special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide) on witchcraft cases for Suffolk, Essex and Middlesex counties.

Presided over by judges including Hathorne, Samuel Sewall and William Stoughton, the court handed down its first conviction, against Bridget Bishop, on June 2; she was hanged eight days later on what would become known as Gallows Hill in Salem Town. Five more people were hanged that July; five in August and eight more in September. In addition, seven other accused witches died in jail, while the elderly Giles Corey (Martha’s husband) was pressed to death by stones after he refused to enter a plea at his arraignment.

Salem Witch Trials: Conclusion and Legacy

Though the respected minister Cotton Mather had warned of the dubious value of spectral evidence (or testimony about dreams and visions), his concerns went largely unheeded during the Salem witch trials. Increase Mather, president of Harvard College (and Cotton’s father) later joined his son in urging that the standards of evidence for witchcraft must be equal to those for any other crime, concluding that “It would better that ten suspected witches may escape than one innocent person be condemned.” 

Amid waning public support for the trials, Governor Phips dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer in October and mandated that its successor disregard spectral evidence. Trials continued with dwindling intensity until early 1693, and by that May Phips had pardoned and released all those in prison on witchcraft charges.

In January 1697, the Massachusetts General Court declared a day of fasting for the tragedy of the Salem witch trials; the court later deemed the trials unlawful, and the leading justice Samuel Sewall publicly apologized for his role in the process. The damage to the community lingered, however, even after Massachusetts Colony passed legislation restoring the good names of the condemned and providing financial restitution to their heirs in 1711. 

Indeed, the vivid and painful legacy of the Salem witch trials endured well into the 20th century, when Arthur Miller dramatized the events of 1692 in his play “The Crucible” (1953), using them as an allegory for the anti-Communist “witch hunts” led by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. A memorial to the victims of the Salem witch trials was dedicated on August 5, 1992 by author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.

HISTORY Vault: Salem Witch Trials

Experts dissect the facts—and the enduring mysteries—surrounding the courtroom trials of suspected witches in Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1692.

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86 Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics You Can Use

Oct 30, 2022

Oct 30, 2022 | Topics

The Salem Witch Trials have been a source of inspiration for writers and other artists for centuries. The trial was a dark time in American history, but it’s also one of the fascinating stories ever told. Many have used this event as the basis for their works, including Arthur Miller (The Crucible), Stephen Speilberg (The Witches), and John Proctor, who wrote a book called More Wonders of the Invisible World.

The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were executed. If you’re interested in writing a research paper about the Salem witch trials, you may want to consider the following Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics and ideas to get you started

Best Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics

• How did the Salem Witch Trials begin?
• Who were the main characters in the trials?
• What was life like for everyone involved during the trials?
• The Salem Witch Trials and the Puritan mindset
• The impact of the Salem Witch Trials on literature
• The social and political repercussions of the Salem Witch Trials, including their effect on women’s rights
• What role did religion play in the Salem Witch Trials?
• Were there any consequences for those who believed and were practicing witchcraft?
• How does Arthur Miller’s The Crucible compare to actual events during the witch trials?
• The role of religion in the Salem Witch Trials
• The effects of gender on the trials
• The hysteria surrounding the witch trials in Salem Village, Massachusetts and other towns nearby
• How the courtroom proceedings worked during these trials
• Why were people accused of the witch during this time period
• The role of the accused in their trials
• The role of the court officials and judges during these trials
• How events surrounding the Salem Witch Trials shaped American culture for years to come

Interesting Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics

• The role of gender in the Salem Witch Trials
• The importance of literacy and education during this period
• The use of torture during these trials
• How people were accused of the witch during this period
• The hysteria surrounding the witch trials in Salem Village and other towns nearby
• Why were people accused of the witch during this period?
• How did the Salem Witch Trials compare with other witch hunts?
• What made people in Salem believe that there were witches in their midst?
• Did the Salem Witch Trials have an impact on future history?
• What happened to those who were jailed during this period?
• Who was involved, and how did they change after their experience?
• What do we know about the witches in Salem accused of being responsible for evil?
• Were there any legitimate reasons for the witch trials?
• Did people believe witches could hurt them or was it just a way to control others?

Simple Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics

• What were the Salem Witch Trials?
• What was the cause of the witch trials, and why did they happen in Salem?
• What did people believe about witches at the time?
• How did this event affect American history and culture?
• Puritanism and Witches: How they influenced the events in Salem
• The role of Cotton Mather in influencing the Puritan community and its views on witches
• How did people react to witch trials? Were they scared or not? What were their reactions towards it?
• How did these trials affect women’s rights throughout history?
• The role of women in the witch trials
• How did these trials affect the community as a whole?
• Did any of the accused witches confess to being one or not?

Controversial Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics

• How did people react to witch trials?
• How did the Puritans react to the witch trials?
• The role of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials
• What were the consequences for those accused of being witches?
• Were these trials fair to women?
• The idea that the Salem Witch Trials were a government conspiracy
• The fact that all the accused were women and girls
• The fact that many of the accused never confessed to being witches, despite being tortured
• The fact that many were hanged and one person was pressed to death in this historically significant event
• Many accused were hanged, and one person was pressed to death in this historically significant event.
• The fact is that many of the accused never confessed to being witches, despite being tortured.

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics for Middle School

• What Did You Learn About the Salem Witch Trials?
• How Did You Feel About This Event?
• Were You Surprised By Any of the Results?
• Did Any of Your Students Have a Connection to These People/Events?
• How Do You Feel About the Witchcraft Trials?
• Why Do You Think Witchcraft Trials Happened, and How Do You Feel About Those Who Were Charged With Witchcraft?
• Do You Think There Were People Present During the Witchcraft Trials Who Believed in Witchcraft and Were Guilty of Doing So?
• Why Did the Trials Happen and How Would They Be Different if They Happened Today?
• The Role of The Puritan Views and Values in Colonial Massachusetts

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics for High School

• What was the social climate like in Salem, a part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony at that time?
• Why were people tried in court rather than by a local magistrate?
• How did the accused feel about being put on trial?
• What kinds of evidence were used? Was evidence of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials?
• How did the court decide whether or not someone was guilty of witchcraft?
• What were some of the most common reasons for accusing others of witchcraft?
• How did people feel about being accused of witchcraft?
• ‘Young Goodman Brown,’ by Hawthorne. How can the writer use the story’s setting to represent the Puritan community’s attitude during one of the most tragic events in early American history?
• Witchcraft among women and men in France during the 16th and 17th centuries
• Compare the most common modern-day witch hunts, such as the communist hunts and the 1950s events that fueled the discovery of the crucible by Arthur Miller, to trials and executions of people accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Topics for College

• How the Salem Witch Trials affected how we view witches and witchcraft.
• The impact of Puritanism on the Salem Witch Trials.
• How the hysteria spread like wildfire through a community.
• Why were women targeted for witchcraft accusations, in particular during this period?
• How the trials were a form of social control.
• The role of gender in the witch trials.
• Examining how Puritanism affected women and their roles within society.
• Why was hysteria so effective in Salem during this period?
• Was Abigail Williams, niece to reverend Samuel Parris, Solely Responsible for the Salem Witch Trials?
• The role of religion and how it affected the trials.
• How social class played into the witch trials (such as with Tituba, Good and Hobbs).

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Salem Witch Trials Causes Research Paper

Introduction, the plot summary, conclusions, works cited.

“Salem Possessed” is a book written by Paul S. Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum which focuses on Salem Witch Trials. The writers explain that the problem began in the year 1691 and was marked by the behaviour of some girls in the same village who were involved in fortune telling. They were using a makeshift crystal ball to foretell their future and were aided by a slave couple which had come from Western India.

The first trial began on February in the year 1692 after the arrest of three women who were being accused of witchcraft. The women were inclusive of Sarah Osborn and Sarah Good who did not did not agree to the charges and Tituba who voluntarily agreed to the charges and did not plead innocent.

Around one hundred and eighty five people had been accused by the time the trials came to an end of which one hundred and forty one were women while the rest were men.

The same study explains that out of the total number of the accused, there were fourteen women and five men. Those who faced trial were fifty two women and seven men and finally, those who were convicted were twenty six women and five men (Linder Para. 6).

Since Salem was a religious community, the trials came to and end following a sermon by Increase Marther. The preacher was for protecting innocent people from being persecuted. With that background in mind, this paper shall describe the Salem witch trials and narrow down to women and property in relation to the same.

The introductory part has highlighted the main points of Salem Witch Trials and it is equally important to discuss the summary of activities which were taking place to be in a position to analyze some themes of the same. The plight of Salem started when one of the church elders by the name John Putman invited Samuel Paris to preach in the village.

Paris latter agreed to become the minister of the village after he was given a better remuneration which included a better salary, privileges as well as allowances.

During that period, studies indicate that people were divided into two groups of people: the Porters and the Purtnams and all were competing for political as well as religious leadership (Boyer and Nissenbaum pp. 124).

Witchcraft accusations were stirred by the sickness of a young girl who was known as Betty Paris. The girl was complaining of pain and fever and although there was a likelihood that the symptoms were as a result of a disease or some condition like child abuse, it was not possible by then to know the cause of the misery. Nevertheless, some people in the village suspected witchcraft to be the underlying cause. Villagers started to think more about witchcraft when close friends of the sick girl started to experience the same symptoms.

The three girls who were experiencing similar symptoms were known as Mary Walcott, Mary Lewis and Ann Putnam. Although a doctor was consulted to treat them, studies indicate that he diagnosed the problem to have been caused by a supernatural cause (Murphy, Par. 3).

Since the villagers believed that young children were the main target of the witches, there was little cause to doubt the diagnoses. In view of the fact that Salem villagers supposed that dogs were used by witches to bewitch people, one woman proposed the same dogs to be used to verify whether the victims were actually bewitched or not.

To affirm, this dogs were given a cake that was mixed with the urine of the victim and in case the dog and victim displayed similar behaviour, it was concluded that the victim was actually bewitched. The number of the bewitched girls continued to increase and it turned out to be a matter of concern since villagers became obsessed with it.

The trial began when the two girls; Betty and Abigail named the people whom they thought were responsible for their misery. Nevertheless, the analysis of the trial and accusations revealed that the two girls drafted their accusation stories collaboratively. Other girls who were likewise afflicted maintained that they had seen witches flying during winter and were supported by the family of Putnam which was very prominent (Boyer and Nissenbaum pp. 126).

As highlighted in the introductory part, the first group to be accused was composed of three women namely Osborn, Good and Tituba. While Osborn was old and querulous, Good was a beggar who never had a permanent dwelling place and survived mainly by begging for food and shelter from the villagers.

The two magistrates who were dealing with witchcraft cases were John Hathome as well as Jonathan Corwoin. The girls and the villagers volunteered to offer information concerning the accused women.

While the girls explained that they suffered greatly in the presence of the accused, villagers maintained that their animals disappeared or were born with deformities once the accused visited their compounds. It was clear that the judges believed that the women were guilty especially due to the questions which they asked them such as whether they had either seen Satan or whether they believed whether they were witches or not (Sutter, Para. 5).

The trial would have taken another course were it not for Tituba who confessed to the accusations. The woman explained that she was once approached by Satan who was a tall man from Boston and latter was requested to be his servant and affirm the same by signing a book. The woman explained that the tall man would either appear as a dog or even as a hog. Although she tried to seek religious counsel; the woman described that she was prevented from doing so by the devil.

Most surprisingly, Tituba explained that she had around four witches who were serving Satan with her, Osborn and Good included. Consequently, due to her confession, the ministers started to look for more witches and majority of the witchcraft sceptic also became silent (Boyer and Nissenbaum pp. 90).

Some other women were accused of witchcraft especially after the girls reported that they were being attacked by them. Young girls were also accused of the same evil; as young as four years of age. The audience had no other reason other than to believe especially due the confession of the afflicted girls who even confessed of being made dumb by the same witches.

As time went by, one accused by the name Deliverance Hobbs also confessed to witchcraft accusations. Due to the increased witchcraft cases, Phips the governor by then established a new court for the purpose of conducting witchcraft trials and appointed five judges for the same purpose.

The trials involved close examination of the accused by the judges and even use of gossip, stories and hearsay. The accused were most disadvantaged as they were not allowed to appeal or to have witnesses to testify on their behalf.

The trials continued to take place even after the trial of Bridget Bishop who was the first man to be tried and hanged. It was risky for anyone to be against the accusations and such a person also stood a chance of being victimized. Some of the people who confessed were allowed to live but most of them were hanged, stoned and some died in prison (The Salem Witch Trials Par. 8).

Further studies indicate that the trials came to an end in the year 1693 and some of the accused who were still prison were pardoned and allowed to continue with their normal lives.

Women and Property

Most scholars have been committed to analyze the issue of Salem witch trials and have come up with different conclusions. To begin with, a virtual analysis of the accused witches indicates that the total number of the accused women were far much more than men.

Most importantly, although some couples were accused, studies indicate that most of the women who were accused were widows. It is also important to note that young girls were also accused of the same crime (Sutter, Para 5).

The critical analysis of the whole issue indicates that there was a big difference between the accusers and the accused. Studies of Campbell (Para. 4) illustrate that most of the people who were accused were living in the south and they were wealthier than the accusers since they had much property. In addition, most of the accused families were aimed at gaining properties from the accused once they were convicted.

Religious factors also came into play since studies indicate that while most of the accused witches were in support of George Burroughs, the accusers and their families were against him and actually contributed greatly in forcing the ex minister to leave their territory (Murphy, Par. 3).

As much as men were accused and convicted of witchcraft, women were the main victims. Majority of the women who were accused and convicted were aged forty years and above. In most cases, men who were accused happened to be the relatives of the women witches. Most of the people who were accused were rich, relatively rich or powerful. A critical analysis of the issues in Salem indicates that there were underlying causes to the problem which may be inclusive of economic factors as well as sexual and doctrinal threat (Linder, Par. 8).

This is the main reason why most of the people who were accused were wealthy widows. They were viewed as a threat to some traditions involving the transfer of property from the fathers to the sons. In addition, women who never had male children were also at a greater risk of being accused due to the same issue.

Women who inherited property from their husbands were also at a greater risk of being accused especially when there were male children in the same family (Campbell Para 8.). However, there were some who never had property but were still accused like Martha Carrier. Therefore, it cannot be an understatement to conclude that Salem witch trials were spurred by economic, social and religious issues.

Boyer, Paul S. and Stephen Nissenbaum. Salem possessed: the social origins of witchcraft. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1974. Print.

Campbell, Donna M. Salem Witch Trials as Fact and Symbol. Web.

Linder, Douglas. The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: A Commentary . Web .

Murphy , Kate . Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft . Web.

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• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, January 9). Salem Witch Trials Causes. https://ivypanda.com/essays/salem-witch-trials/

"Salem Witch Trials Causes." IvyPanda , 9 Jan. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/salem-witch-trials/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'Salem Witch Trials Causes'. 9 January.

IvyPanda . 2024. "Salem Witch Trials Causes." January 9, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/salem-witch-trials/.

1. IvyPanda . "Salem Witch Trials Causes." January 9, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/salem-witch-trials/.

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IvyPanda . "Salem Witch Trials Causes." January 9, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/salem-witch-trials/.

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