Throughout history citizens have branded people as witches, and warlocks. Maybe, a person act's different than ourselves, or they have strange habits, does this make them a witch? In the Massachusetts Bay Colony in January of 1692, you would be branded a witch for these odd doing's. Being accused of witch craft had serious consequences.At the residence of Reverend Samuel Parris in the village of Salem is where the witchcraft crises broke out (Wilson, 18). Within his house was his nine year old daughter Betty Parris, and her eleven year old cousin Abigail Williams (19). Together, they played with white magic, but so did many of the teenage girls in the village (19). On Samuel Parris's journey from Barbados to Salem he acquired an indian slave named Tituba, her husband, John Indian, and a couple more slaves(19). While no evidence has been proven, it is believed that Tituba entertained the children with tales from her native country(19). Betty Parris's mother told them English fairy tales(19). Both of them told stories with no morals, but they did talk of magic, and good and evil spirits (19).Some time in February of 1692 Betty and Abigail began slipping into trances, hiding in corners, blurting nonsense, and worst of all collapsing to the ground in an epileptic fits kicking and screaming ( Wilson, 22). Worse yet, the behavior started to spread throughout the village(22). Twelve year old Ann Putnam Jr., nineteen year old Mercy Lewis, sixteen year old Mary Walcott, eighteen year old Susannah Sheldon, sixteen year old Elizabeth Booth, and twenty year old Mary Warren were a few of the other young girls plagued by the illness (22). Samuel Parris now invited several doctors to examine the children (Wilson, 23). Dr. William Griggs first diagnosed them with epilepsy, and latter diagnosed them with witchcraft (23). Soon after his diagnoses his maid servant began to suffer the symptoms (23). He most likely came to his diagnosis fro...
