As we may already know, the city of Salem was subject to an epidemic of witchcraft accusations that lasted for over ten months. Witchcraft of this era was not taken lightly. In England alone, more than 40,000 to 60,000 people were killed after being convicted of witchcraft. Needless to say, people viewed witchcraft as a virus that was infecting the city. The first cases began with the daughters of Samuel Parris, the town minister, accusing his slave, Tituba, of being a witch. She claimed that she and other townspeople were witches and that there was even a wizard. The city erupted in hysteria over the next few months. More than 100 people have been jailed following charges. The council that was to determine the innocence or guilt of these people was also corrupt because claiming innocence meant you were guilty and if you asserted your guilt you could be redeemed. Most of the incriminating items found were pins and voodoo dolls. Many of these people faced the psychological terror of being pressured into declaring themselves guilty of a crime they did not commit in front of a committee and causing fear in the community to which they were about to be subjected. Many witnesses in these trials reportedly suffered physical suffering or acted in an inhumane manner. Many historians say from these records that since their bodies were put under so much strain and the fear of witchcraft that surrounded them all the time, their bodies underwent strange changes such as paralysis or temporary blindness without real cause other than stress. But many historians also believe that the witnesses were acting voluntarily and committing fraud against others. But why was it such a conundrum to understand why this small New England town was suddenly becoming a center of paper......everything. He strongly emphasized the various drivers of change in activity, Quaker ministers preaching to Puritans, and the general disagreement of ideas among the townspeople. He doesn't seem to think that people deliberately accused their rivals of witchcraft and not committing fraud, but that they unwittingly fueled the lies they were told and had strange reactions when asked to transmit what they saw. He explains that all of their issues were only tied together to create the Salem Witch Trials and were only discussed after the fact. His view seems to think that they were inherently hysterical about witchcraft, given that over 40,000 people were executed for it in England, which only amplified their concerns about the life that surrounded them. In summary, his arguments suggest that the witchcraft epidemic provided an explanation for how these tragedies might have seemed inevitable..