urner 63). The Salem Witch Trials came at a time where the government was, for the most part, powerless. The provisional government was weak, and the governor, Edmund Andros, was looked at as “incompetent”. So, neither one could speak out against the trials. In other words, no means of government at that time could put a stop to the trials (Starkey 147). Right up to the time the trials were held, the people in Salem were experiencing hardships. Among these local conflicts was the fact that land was becoming scarce, and farmers were upset over this (Burner 73). The Puritans were also faced with diseases, like smallpox, and conflicts with the Indians (Rice 14). Another issue was that the villagers had differing political views. This was the cause of many arguments between townspeople. Also, Massachusetts remained without a charter from 1684-1691. Due to this, many colonists were fearful of what changes would be brought upon their society (73). Because of all the problems that the people of Salem were faced, they were extremely uncertain of the future of their village. They had to overcome all of these things to form a stable community, and they wanted to protect it in any way they could.The beliefs and way of life of the colonists also had an impact on the trials. During the trials, women were more often accused than men. In the community, men were believed to be dominant over women. Only men could own land, and they thought that it was necessary for men to support women. Women who owned land were even persecuted (Tobin 1). Women were also stereotyped to be greedier than men and possessive of less strength. The colonists believed the Devil made promises to make people rich and give them supernatural strength. Therefore, women were said to more likely be associated with the Devil, because he could grant them strength and wealth, which they didn’t have (Zeinert 12). Because of these things, the girl...
