Myth: Victims of the witch trials of the 17 th Century were all women and were burned at the stake after conviction of the crime of witchcraft.
False.
The Salem witch trials gained profound fame during the end of the 17th century, between 1692 and 1693 when more than 200 people were accused and convicted of being witches and practicing witchcraft among whom approximately 19 were hanged for the crime ( Le Beau, 2016) . The Salem witch trials pertained to the accusations of witchcraft by locals due to the manifestation of epilepsy and mental disorders among young girls ( Adams, 2010) . Given the fact that the girls were diagnosed with an alien disease during a time when scientific research was grossly underdeveloped, the myths about the spread of the diseases spread (Le Beau, 2016). The most prevalent among the misconceptions was that the disease was caused by witch craft conducted by locals, most of whom were women ( Adams, 2010) . The resulting reaction of the authorities and the public was shocking given that the accused were forced to stand trial for their mistakes.
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Some of the most prevalent myths concerning the witch trials was that those who were found culpable of the crime of witchcraft were burnt at the stake ( Adams, 2010) . This myth has been debunked and proven to be wrong given the fact that history points to the fact that those accused were forced to stand trial and those who were convicted sentenced to imprisonment for the offense except the twenty individuals who were given fatal punishments (Le Beau, 2016). Additionally, another myth concerning the Salem witch trials was that those who were accused were prevalently women (Le Beau, 2016). This was not entirely true. While it is a fact that a majority of those accused and convicted of witchcraft were women research findings indicate that a significant portion of men in the population were also accused of witchcraft ( Adams, 2010) . Research reveals that cultural practices in addition to the patriarchal system of the society largely contributed to the fact that less men than women were accused of witchcraft. Even those who were accused did not face the same rates of conviction as compared to women.
References
Adams, G. A. (2010). The specter of Salem: Remembering the witch trials in nineteenth-century America . ReadHowYouWant. com.
Le Beau, B. F. (2016). The story of the Salem witch trials . Routledge.
