Paper Topic: Salem Witchcraft Hysteria Name and ID #: Duru Polatateş 5 Class: 11C

SAMPLE OUTLINE TEMPLATE

I. Introduction
-Mary Beth Nornton says the reason behind the witchcraft hysteria is mainly the Indian Wars.
-Boyer and Nissenbaum say the reason behind the witchcraft hysteria is mainly financial and political
disputes between the east and west factions of Salem.
Thesis Statement : The main reason of the witchcraft hysteria in Salem is The Indian Wars, as
supported by the book In the Devil’s Snare written by Mary Beth Norton; making a better argument
compared to the book Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft written by Boyer and
Nissenbaum.
II. Body (A Research Paper is longer and more analytical than a five-paragraph essay done on exam.
So you MUST have MORE than three body paragraphs. YOU NEED TO THINK IN SECTIONS NOT SINGLE
BODY PARAGRAPHS. How many body paragraphs each section will contain depends on how you
structure your argument and supporting evidence.)

Section 1: Arguments provided in Salem Possessed on the cause of Salem Witchcraft Hysteria

A) Body 1 According to Boyer and Nissenbaum, the accusers and accused living on different sides of
Salem Village, is an indicator of their differences regarding stances and roles about the witchraft
hysteria.
1) Accusers living on west side of Salem Village
2) Accused living on east side of Salem Village or outside of it

B) Body 2 In the book Salem Possessed the difference between the financial and political interests of
Salem Village citizens is claimed to be a factor affecting the witchcraft hysteria.
1) Pro-Parris villagers and their reasons
2) Anti-Parris villagers and their reasons
3) Puritan culture clashing with some villagers’ interests in expanding to Salem Town regarding their jobs

Section 2:Arguments provided in The Devil’s Snare on the cause of Salem Witchcraft Hysteria

C) Body 3: Mary Beth Norton points out the similarities between the portrayal of the Devil in Puritan
culture and Native American people.
1) Puritan culture—racism and fear towards Native Americans
2) Spectral sightings similar to the evidence presented in the court cases
3)Similar vocabulary being used in court documents when mentioning of the devil and Native Americans

D) Body 4: In the Devil’s Snare discusses the two Indian Wars and their effects on the Salem villagers,
eventually leading up to the Salem witch trials.
1) King Phillip’s War (effects on the community)
2) King William’s War (effects on the community)
3) French alliance with Native Americans fueling political grudges
E) Body 5: Tituba being the first one to be accused of witchraft can be viewed as the product of the fear
planted by the two Indian wars.
1) Why did the girls not get accused themselves?
2) The motive behind the “afflicted” girls accusing Tituba and not somebody else
3)The community of accusers believing children after their accusations towards Tituba–despite lack of
proof
Section 3: Comparison of the arguments presented in the two books previously analysed

F) Body 3: Boyer and Nissenbaum seem to overlook the psychological aspect of the reasons behind the
mass hysteria.
1)Boyer and Nissenbaum opposing the psychological aspect of the cause of this mass hysteria
2) Boyer and Nissenbaum lacking emphasization of the rasicm, related to Puritan culture
3) Boyer and Nissenbaum seem to only causate the hysteria with financial and political disputes

G) Body 4: Norton covers the possible causes of the mass witchcraft hysteria with its multiple aspects
and facets, including psychological, historical and factual aspects.
1)Victims of the Native American attacks being the accusers
2) Several examples of poorly made decisions in an environment of fear

III. Conclusion
Mary Beth Norton’s book explains how the Indian Wars were mainly the reason behind the witchcraft
hysteria, with more convincing arguments than the book Salem Possessed. The affect of violence and
war may be tremendous on communities but similar bigger events have happened in history before and
curiously, not a lot of them have been associated with a witch trial, resulting in the death of 20 people in
the span of a year.

IV. Works Cited Page Attached on separate page in correct MLA format
 Works Cited

Berg, Philip L. “Racism and the Puritan Mind.” Phylon (1960-), vol. 36, no. 1, 1975, pp. 1–7.

JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/274839. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

Boyer, Paul S., and Stephen Nissenbaum. Salem Possessed the Social Origins of Witchcraft.

Harvard Univ. Press, 1976.

Norton, Mary Beth. In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692. Vintage Books,

2003.

Rosenthal, Bernard. “Tituba’s Story.” The New England Quarterly, vol. 71, no. 2, 1998, pp.

190–203. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/366502. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

“The Salem Witchcraft Papers.” Swp - New Salem - Pelican,

salem.lib.virginia.edu/category/swp.html. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

Tucker, Veta Smith. “Purloined Identity: The Racial Metamorphosis of Tituba of Salem

Village.”

Journal of Black Studies, vol. 30, no. 4, 2000, pp. 624–34. JSTOR,

http://www.jstor.org/stable/2645907. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.