Journal Entry #5 - Salem Witch Hysteria

Learning about the Salem Witch Hysteria was interesting. The fact that this happened in the early modern era shows how this was going on even as we moved to a more logical and scientific world. It also baffled me how they were accusing people based off of literally nothing. You were likely to be accused if you were financially unstable or too financially independent, or if you were too young or too old, which includes literally everyone. The justice system has made a lot of progress since these times, and that is definitely a relief. 

One thing that truly surprised me was the idea of ergotism and how the fungus, ergot, could have actually had effects on individuals, causing "witch-like behavior," like delusions, muscle spasms, and hysteria. I also believe it was a way for people to find something to blame for the issues and social tensions going on at the time. It's a lot easier for people to cope or accept hardships when they have someone or something to blame. 

It was also fun to try and match the witch, demon, or monster to their description. It was a test of how good my memory is because I had heard of a lot of them before. Playing the "mafia" game with villagers, witches, and accusers was also fun and it accurately depicted how anyone and everyone was accused and people would just agree that they were a witch, when they really weren't. I'm glad I was able to learn more about the Salem Witch Hysteria, and I hope to be able to learn more by researching or even watching movies or documentaries that accurately depict what was going on at the time. 

Comments

  1. williams.dan76September 24, 2026 at 7:40 AM

    Thanks for reviewing our Salem class. I also thought it was interesting and informative. Ergotism as a possible cause for the Salem hysteria first appeared in the 1970s, and it immediately seemed like a valid explanation, but it then quickly dismissed by scientists and doctors for several reasons. The afflicted girls--those having "fits"-- did not show all of the symptoms, and they seemed to have fits only in the presence of a lot of people, particularly in the trials. Moreover, no one else in the village displayed similar symptoms. But no one theory has ever explained what happened in Salem. My take is that there were a number of contributing factors.

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