Why were people accused of being witches i mean i understand that some were accused because of people not likeing them but how did this all get started?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_hunt
You need to read ALL of this to understand -- through the ages and the specific witch hunts/trials that went on in America.
At Wikipedia, you can also look up Salem witch trials and other combinations of search terms to find additional information.
And don't forget to check out the External Links at the bottom of each Wikipedia page.
thanks this is all very confusing to me
It's been confusing to lots of people for years -- mostly because we are fortunate to live in this country in which church and state must be separate.
We who live in the US now will probably never truly understand what these people were thinking and why they behaved as they did. That's because we don't live in a "religious fervor" era. That's an oversimplification, I know, but just know that you probably will never really understand it ... and you're not alone. You can, however, read up on the history of all this, before and after the colonies were established, and put it in perspective better for yourself.
We are learning how to put it in todays terms and i used the war on terrorism...would that be the right idea??
The witch trials occurred during the early modern period (around the 16th to 18th centuries) in various parts of Europe and North America. The belief in witches and witchcraft can be traced back to pre-Christian times, but the intensity and scale of the witch hunts reached their peak during the late medieval and early modern periods.
The belief in witchcraft was influenced by a combination of religious, cultural, and social factors. Some key factors that contributed to the witch trials include:
1. Biblical Interpretation: The biblical injunction "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (Exodus 22:18) was often seen as evidence of the existence of witches and the need to persecute them. This belief was strengthened by the religious turmoil and rising tensions during the Protestant Reformation.
2. Church Doctrine: The Catholic and Protestant churches played a significant role in fuelling beliefs in witchcraft. The Catholic Church's manual for Inquisitors, the Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches), published in 1487, provided instructions on identifying, interrogating, and eradicating witches. Similarly, some Protestant reformers, such as John Calvin and Martin Luther, also believed in the reality and danger of witchcraft.
3. Socio-economic factors: The witch hunts often occurred during times of societal upheaval, economic turmoil, and political instability. These uncertainties created a climate of fear and suspicion, with witchcraft becoming a convenient explanation for misfortune, crop failures, epidemics, and other societal issues.
4. Witch-hunters and authorities: Those who accused others of witchcraft, often known as "witch-hunters," were driven by various motivations. Some had personal grudges or used the accusations to settle scores, while others genuinely believed they were protecting society from evil. The judicial authorities, often seeking to maintain order and consolidate their power, actively pursued and punished suspected witches.
The witch trials started with isolated cases but gained momentum when the hysteria spread, fuelled by religious fervor and a general fear of the supernatural. Accusations spread quickly, and it became a self-perpetuating cycle as those accused were expected to identify and denounce other witches, leading to a rapid escalation in the number of trials and executions.
It's worth noting that while the specific reasons and circumstances behind the witch trials varied by region, religion, and cultural context, these factors generally contributed to the widespread belief in witchcraft and the subsequent persecution of individuals.