Witches, Witchcraft, and Witch Hunts - Blogs

      This week, I ran into a game inspired by the Salem Witch Trials. This prompted me to think if there were other games out there relating to the same thing. So I went on a deep internet search of games that have something to do with Salem or witches. This blog is about what all I found.      The original game that peeked my interest in this topic is called Salem 1692. It can be purchased for $24.99 on Amazon ( Salem 1692 ). The basic premise of the game is each player draws a card and is given a character from Salem. Such characters include Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Sarah Good, Mary Warren, and more. There are other cards you draw, and if you draw a "witch" card your goal is to eliminate all non-witch players from the game. Everyone else's goal is to find the witches and get rid of them. There are also kill cards, constable cards, a conspiracy card, and more. It is indeed an interesting concept for a "fun" game, seeing as though it is based off of...

      This week I watched The Crucible for the first time, since my group is presenting on it later this week. I have to say, I'm glad I had not seen the film yet because I think I could appreciate it more after learning more about witchcraft and the Salem Witch Trials from a historically accurate source. I think I would have been much more confused and less critical had I seen this film before taking this class. After watching The Crucible, I became more interested in the extent to which it is historically accurate, and the overall history of how it came to be. So that is what I will dive into in this blog.      The Crucible was originally a play, written by Arthur Miller. It debuted on Broadway in January of 1953, then was adapted into film in 1996. While the play is obviously based on the Salem Witch Trials, Miller also wrote the play as an allegory for the Red Scare which took place in the 1940s and 1950s. Apparently, Miller saw some similarities betwee...

      As we have been reading and discussing more about what happened in Salem, I have become increasingly interested in Samuel Parris. Especially after Dr. Williams suggested that Parris might be the man most responsible for the Salem Witch Trials. So for this blog, I wanted to dive more into who Samuel Parris was, and the history of his existence.      Samuel Parris was born in 1653, and he pursued a career as a merchant and planter in both London and Barbados. He attended Harvard in the early 1670s, but did not finish his degree due to his father's death. Instead, he left to go back to Barbados and resume his career. He returned to Boston in 1680, and eventually decided to start a career in ministry. At the time, it was deemed unusual to enter into ministry without having received a college degree. Because of this, it's assumed that Parris finished his degree but there is no record that proves this. In 1689, Parris accepted the post in Salem Village wher...