Theories Explaining The Salem Witch Trials?

Question: Theories Explaining The Salem Witch Trials!?

Do you know any of them!. also, do you know any helpful links!?

Thanks!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

There's many theories!.!. I'll explain the ones I'm aware of simply

Firstly, you should know that it is generally recognized that those ACCUSED of witchcraft (and those who died) were innocent, wrongly accused by a pack of hysterical girls!. That is pretty much proven and undisputed!.!.
So then the question lies in: What caused the accusing girls' symptoms!? Why did they say people were bewitching themw when it wasn't true!? Here are the main theories

1!. One theory is that the girls were making it all up!. Young, unmarried girls were the bottom of the social rung and expected to just do their chores day in and day out!.!. in other words!.!. their lives were BORING!.!. So many people think the girls got involved in "dabbling" in vodoo out of boredom, and when they were "caught" they started pointing the finger at others!.!.!. The power that resulted was amazing!.!. these powerless girls were now THE celebrities of their time, THE center of attention!.!. able to make someone die by uttering a few words!.
This theory is pretty plausible except for the documentations claims of some of the girls' physical symptoms, such as bending in unnatural, impossible contortions, etc!.!.

2!. Another theory states that the Rye crop (a staple of their diet) was, due to the weather that year, infested with ergot mold, a "cousin" of LSD that would have made the girls hallucinate, sieze, and fits many of the descriptions!.!. This was quite a popular theory explaining what happened, but is now considered unlikely (not exactly sure why)

3!. The most recent book I read on the subject contends that the girls had a condition called "Hysteria" which is a mental condition that's hard for me to explain!.!. But it could explain all the symptoms, even the bending into impossible shapes!.!. This seems the most plausable theory to me!.!. The book even cites that women, once they've experienced hysteria, can "turn it on and off at will" meaning they can "work themself" up into a "fit"!. So there this theory intermingles with theory #1 very well!.!. Their families were "encouraging" them to "point the finger" at people they didn't like, etc!.!. and the girls were able to work themselves into hysteria at will, and enjoyed the attention, etc!.!.

4!. Some Christians believe that, by dabbling in Vodoo, the girls became "demon posessed"

5!. There is also other medical conditions that could account for many of the girls' symptoms and easily been attributed as "supernatural" by a society and time that didn't understand what we understand about medicine today!. However, for a disease that made them so "sick," it certainly didn't kill any of them or leave them "worse for the wear!." This seems unlikely in a civilization that had such primitive medical care!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well I can tell you this:
The main food staple of the time was bread, Pumpernickle Bread!. Unfortunately they could not just run down to Wal Mart to buy their food, so they ate it even if it had mold!. The type of mold that grew on the bread gave those who ate it symptoms resembling that of LSD!.

also, because of the zeitgeist of the time, any odd behavior was con strewed as witchcraft, therefore many were burned at the stake because they ate bad bread!.Www@QuestionHome@Com