Salem Witch Trials launched in BrainPOP Social Studies October 24, 2019.
Summary[]
The Puritans who founded Massachusetts dreamed of building a society without sin. But in 1692, in the village of Salem, that dream turned into a nightmare. When two local girls began to have mysterious fits, they accused three women of witchcraft. For a people who believed all kinds of things were the work of the devil, it made sense to blame witches for the girls' strange behavior. Fear and panic spread as dozens more were accused—most older women, widows, or outcasts from Puritan society. A special court was set up to put these so-called witches on trial. On little evidence other than visions and dreams, 20 people were convicted and hanged, and one was crushed to death. Only after respected members of society were targeted did the hysteria finally die down. But witch hunts didn't disappear. The Red Scare of the 1950s was a modern example of a metaphorical witch hunt: a campaign that uses fear to target people with unpopular ideas.
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