THEORIES ON THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS

                The most famous witchcraft trials were held in Salem, Massachusetts between February, 1692 and May, 1693.  Teenage girls accused members of the community of being witches and before the hysteria ran its course 200 people were accused.  30 were found guilty.  20 were executed (19 hanged and one pressed to death under heavy stones).  14 of the victims were women.  Salem was rife for this sort of thing because belief in the occult and witchcraft was part of society and religion, but what caused this particular hysteria.  Here are some of the more popular theories.

1. post-traumatic distress over recent Indian wars – In the 1670’s, Massachusetts had barely survived King Philip’s War.  Many blamed the close call on the Devil.  Fear that the Devil and his minions (witches) were plotting future Indian attacks made people very stressful and this may have been passed on to the teenage girls.
2. boredom – In a tight-laced Puritan society, there was little for teenage girls to do for entertainment.  This particular group found some fun in secretly meeting and listening to tall tales from a slave named Tituba.  She introduced them to fortune-telling and the occult.  The guilt and fear from these clandestine meetings may have laid the groundwork for the behavior of the girls. Or maybe their fits were another form of entertainment.
3. teen rebellion against strict adults – The girls may have been striking back against their strict upbringings.
4. cold weather – European witch hunts were often associated with cold winters.  Massachusetts had suffered from several in a row before 1692.  Crop failures would have put pressure on society.  Witches were believed to control weather and thus were targets for blame.
5. mass hysteria – The witch hunt may have been due to the combination of a strict religion/society plus life on a dangerous wilderness.  This stress may have caused physical symptoms among the girls.
6. hallucinogenic fungi – Science has weighed in on the controversy.  There is a fungus called ergot that can be found in rye.  It can cause convulsions, hallucinations, and pinching sensations like the girls exhibited.  Possibly the rye bread they ate had the fungus.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/salem-witch-trials-causes

https://historylists.org/events/list-of-5-possible-causes-of-the-salem-witch-trials.html