The horrifying 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 Massachusetts, a special court was assembled in Salem to hear the cases.
The first person convicted of witchcraft was hanged months after. In the next several months, some 150 more men, women and children were accused of witchcraft and 19 were hanged. By September 1692, the hysteria had begun to die down and the public people of Salem turned against the trials. Though the Massachusetts General Court later declared that the guilty verdicts against accused witches were false and granted compensation to their families, bitterness stayed in the community, and the horrific legacy of the Salem witch trials would remain for centuries. At Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, the community was wild with fear and numerous people were being accused of witchcraft. Such people ranged from poor people to the common people, to the rich people of society. In the United States of America in 2001, hysteria broke out as a result of a terrorist attack.
This caused people all throughout the US to fear for their lives and wonder if America really was a safe place to live. The hysteria of Salem and the US have had many of the same effects such as what happened due to the hysteria, who was involved, and what lives were lost. Because of the witch trials of Salem, many people’s names were ruined and many others were wary of who they associated with. It was not a good thing to be found guilty of being a witch, but it was not a good thing to be associated with that witch in any way either. In the US, security became stricter and people became wary of anyone from the Middle East. Before 9/11, people didn’t have as much of a hassle to get into airports.
They could even go with their family and friends up to the place to board the plane to wave goodbye to them. Now people have to be scanned before they go into the airport and can only go in if they are flying on the airplane. Many people in both Salem and the US were involved and died.
In both cases, the people involved were rivals. In Salem, it was the rich vs. poor or the rich vs. other rich families. In the United States, it was the US vs. the Middle East.
People that died were also the same for both events. The people who lost their lives were mainly common people. Everyday people were accused as witches in Salem, and everyday people were being accused as terrorists in the US. These two hysterias have many similarities.
