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THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS OF 1692: BEWITCHMENT AND BELIEF IN 17TH-CENTURY NEW ENGLAND

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Date Issued:
2020
Abstract/Description:
The Salem Witch Trials have perplexed historians for years. The true causes of these events remain uncertain. Causal theories have developed; around religious and occultist beliefs, ergotism, the Indian Wars, and village factionalism. This thesis explores each theory and concludes that religious and occultist beliefs were the main cause behind the hysteria that led to the bloodshed of the trials. Puritan theology involved belief in a literal Devil, which led to other occultist beliefs related to witches and witchcraft. Therefore, witchcraft and witch lore are a part of these occultist beliefs which were alive and well in Salem in 1692.
Title: THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS OF 1692: BEWITCHMENT AND BELIEF IN 17TH-CENTURY NEW ENGLAND.
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Name(s): Owen, Kyle, author
Strain, Christopher , Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Thesis
Date Created: 2020
Date Issued: 2020
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: online resource
Extent: 45 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: The Salem Witch Trials have perplexed historians for years. The true causes of these events remain uncertain. Causal theories have developed; around religious and occultist beliefs, ergotism, the Indian Wars, and village factionalism. This thesis explores each theory and concludes that religious and occultist beliefs were the main cause behind the hysteria that led to the bloodshed of the trials. Puritan theology involved belief in a literal Devil, which led to other occultist beliefs related to witches and witchcraft. Therefore, witchcraft and witch lore are a part of these occultist beliefs which were alive and well in Salem in 1692.
Identifier: FA00003719 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, 2020.
Collection: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00003719
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU

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