Salem Village was a small, farming community with a population of 550. It was smaller than Salem Town, and about eight miles away. Salem Town was a large port, and was a prosperous fishing community The two towns had the same minister, and used the same church as the people in Salem Village.

At that time there was two groups in the village. Those who wanted to be separate from Salem Town, and those who did not. Samuel Parris was the minister of the group that did want to be separate. He helped divide the groups even more by his sermons. He called the group that did not want to separate, evil and bad, and the group that did, good and righteous.

The Reverend Parris and his wife had two children living with them. They were Betty, their daughter, and Abigail, their ni

The first accused were the lower members of the society, Sarah Osborne, Sarah Good, and Tituba. Tituba confessed, and was sent to jail. Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne were hung. Sarah Good was homeless, and people thought that she was godless. Sarah Osborne was a widow, and she had not been going to church at all lately. Tituba was a slave, and was accused, because she was unimportant, and some people though that she was a heathen, because she had a different religion. Later, the richer, and more respected members were accused, like Rebecca Nurse, and a former minister.

ece. Abigail and Betty were the reason that the trials started. Before becoming a minister, Samuel Parris had failed at being a merchant. All he had to show for all the long hard years of being a merchant, were the family slaves, Tituba, and her husband, John Indian. Abigail and Betty Parris were having their fortunes told by Tituba, behind their parents backs. Betty started having fits, possibly because she could not bear to keep secrets from her parents. Abigail also started having fits, and instead of getting into trouble, they became popular and respected. Soon, other girls joined in. Most of the afflicted girls lived in the houses of the Parris's and the Putnams, which were the Reverend's family and friends. During the fits, the girls screamed, rolled their eyes back into their heads, shook, and twisted their bodies into impossible positions, and accused people of biting and pinching them. They accused people that were against Samuel Parris, or had an argument with the Parris's, or the families of the other afflic

Some topics in this essay:
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