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When the hysteria of witchcraft in Salem Village in the 1690s hit, the only way to be saved was to confess to being a witch, and agree to be converted back. This was hard for many of the citizens of the village that were accused to do because obviously, nobody was a witch. It was taught in their Puritan religion that lying was a sin and was punished by damnation. Which path the accused would choose would be an internal question of their individual faith. The ongoing fear of being accused of witchcraft stopped people from taking a stand against the Salem witch trials of 1692. The book, A Delusion of Satan, by Frances Hill, shows specific examples of this fear taking hold of the common sense of the Puritans of Salem Village. Ever since the trials began to escalate in Salem Village, the doubt that there really were witches being controlled by the devil must’ve been in the back of everyone’s mind. To step up and question the hysteria would’ve been a sure mistake, for anyone to do so would be accused of witchcraft themselves. The fear of being accused kept the people quiet and overall allowed the frightening trials to proceed. A mixture a fear and religion allowed the trials to go on unquestioned. John Proctor, a successful farmer, tavern keeper, and entrepreneur, that lived far from Salem Village on the edge of Salem Town, was accused by Abigail Williams and the other afflicted girls of witchcraft.
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