The real abigail williams salem witch trials

Since the village was founded on strict religious teachings, women were treated as housewives and property traded from father to husband and were shamed for speaking out or being expressive. On the other hand, men held all the power in Salem and their word was treated as truth.

The attention and power she gained from the Salem Witch Trials eventually drove her to control all of Salem. Abigail Williams was one of the main accusers throughout the Salem Witch Trials. After the death of her parents as a child, who were murdered by an Indian tribe, Abigail must have been traumatized by the event, thus seeking retaliation against Indians.

This would explain her relentless accusations she made against Tituba. Furthermore, Abigail was grown and raised in a Puritan society, which of course oppressed its women. As soon as Abigail realized a lot of people looked up to her during the Salem Witch Trials, it was only a matter of time before she lusted for more attention. The feeling of being needed and the feeling of power both must have consumed Abigail Williams, which explains why after accusing Tituba Indian, she went on to pointing fingers and many more women.

She must have felt like she was a dominant power. The afflicted girls would prosecute the accused people by acting out of order and screaming in order to get the court on their side.

The Crucible was not just a drama written to simply exaggerate the Salem Witch Trials, it was written in a time where America was terrified of Communist infiltrators and Joseph McCarthy was on a streak of accusing government employees then eventually to movie stars and civilians. Salem Village is a metaphor s America and the girls accusing the puritans of witchcraft are a direct comparison to Joseph McCarthy.

Abigail Williams reason for accusing the women of witchcraft is not clearly stated in real life history. Using women status in the Salem village to her advantage, and her age, Abigail Williams was successful in getting the rest of the village to believe her. Women were viewed as more sinful than men, known for having connections with the devil. The only obstacle in Abigail's way was Mrs.

In order to keep her secret affair, Abigail accused Mrs. Proctor of witchcraft. In the Crucible Abigail was seventeen years old compared to the real historical event where she was twelve. Abigail did not want to lose Mr. YouTube, 18 Feb The University of Virginia, Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. Yost, Melissa M. Fowler, Samuel P. Read before the Essex Institute, Nov 14, Salem: William Ives and George W.

Pease, Printers, Inference and Evidence Chart. Aaron C. He is an AP and pre-AP student that is always striving for the best. Kevon M. As of now, along with his group mates Ariana and Aaron, Kevon is currently studying history in order to uncover their biggest question; Who was Abigail Williams and how did she contribute to the Salem Witch Trials?

It is not known why Abigail was living with the Parris family but many historians assume her parents had died. According to the book A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft by local minister, Reverend John Hale , on one of these occasions the girls became terrified when they saw the shape of a coffin in the glass.

Shortly after the incident, in January of , Betty Parris and Abigail Williams began behaving strangely, having fits, screaming out in pain and complaining that invisible spirits were pinching them.

Ann Putnam, Jr. Samuel Parris of Salem Village:. Parris appears to have been much astonished, when the physicians informed him, that his daughter and niece were, no doubt, under an evil hand. There is evidence that Mr. Parris endeavored to keep the opinion of the physicians a secret, at least, till he could determine what course to pursue. This was done without the knowledge of Parris.

The means used to make the discovery, was to make a cake of rye meal, with the urine of the children, and bake it in the ashes, and give it to a dog to eat. Similar disgusting practices appear to have been used to discover and kill witches, during the whole period of the delusion. Just a few days after the witch cake incident, the afflicted girls named three women they believed were bewitching them: Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne.

The women were arrested and examined on March 1, After news of the witch hunt spread throughout the colony, Reverend Deodat Lawson, the previous Salem minister, returned to Salem in mid-March to find out more about the suspicious activities in the village. When I was there, his kinswoman, Abigail Williams, about 12 years of age , had a grievous fit; she was at first hurried with violence to and fro in the room though Mrs. Ingersol endeavored to hold her sometimes making as if she would fly, stretching up her arms as high as she could, and crying, whish, whish, whish, several times; presently after she said, there was Goodw.

Why there she stands! And said, Goodw. After that, she ran to the fire, and began to throw fire-brands about the house, and run against the back, as if she would run up chimney, and, as they said, she had attempted to go into the fire in other fits. The following day, Sunday, March 20, Abigail Williams disrupted services in the Salem Village meetinghouse several times due to the presence of accused witch Martha Corey. Corey had been accused of witchcraft the previous week and a warrant had been issued for her arrest on Saturday, March Deodat Lawson:.

There was also at meeting, Goodwife C. They had several sore fits in the time of public worship, which did something interrupt me in my first prayer, being so unusual. After psalm was sung, Abigail Williams said to me, Now stand up, and name your text! And after it was read, she said, It is a long text…And in the afternoon, Abigail Williams, upon my referring to my doctrine, said to me, I know no doctrine you had, If you did name one, I have forgot it.

In sermon time, when Goodwife C. Ann Putnam, another afflicted girl, said, There was a yellow bird sat on my hat as it hang on the pin in the pulpit; but those that were by, restrained her from speaking aloud about it.

Abigail said she saw the witches eating and drinking flesh and blood, which appeared as red bread and a red drink. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.

Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Jone Johnson Lewis is a women's history writer who has been involved with the women's movement since the late s.

She is a former faculty member of the Humanist Institute. Learn about our Editorial Process. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Lewis, Jone Johnson. Abigail Williams of the Salem Witch Trials. Tituba and The Salem Witch Trials of The Role of Witch's Cake in Salem.