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How Can We Explain The Salem Witchcraft Episode of 1962?
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How Can We Explain The Salem Witchcraft Episode of 1962? Jennifer Langley Salem, a small village in Massachusetts, USA, was overwhelmed by mass hysteria in 1962, started by strange, unexplainable behaviour in young women and leading to the accusation of witchcraft. This fear gripped the whole village, rumours spread, the numbers of 'possessed' victims increased and accusations flew. This hysteria, however, was not just confined to Salem village, it spread to other villages across Massachusetts. Also, it was not just women who were accused of being witches and not just lower class outcasts, men and women who were well respected in the community were also tried for witchcraft. There have been many books written about this outbreak, some containing trial hearings and eyewitness accounts of the supernatural goings on in Salem. The extent of the notoriety of the scare is shown by the use of the term "Salem Witch Hunt" today, to describe...
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