Some may believe that the Salem Witch Trials were completely honest and fair, but most realize the injustice behind it all . The Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692, and today most see them as a foolish mistake that resulted in the deaths of many innocent people. The reliability of the accusers, the evidence to determine guilt or innocence, and the methods of punishment were just three things that were completely unfair. The first accusers of those tried for witchcraft were a group of teenage girls. The first daughter, Betty Parris, began experiencing painful writhing, fever, and, most likely, hallucinations. These symptoms could be the result of ergot poisoning from eating moldy rye bread, but at the time no one knew this was possible. The family slave, Tituba, was from Barbados and was well versed in the stories of voodoo and black magic. She shared these stories with Betty and her friends. After seeing the attention Betty was receiving due to her behavior, her friends began to exhibit the same behavior. As the local doctor knew of no medical explanation, he suggested the cause was supernatural. Tituba, with her knowledge of magic, became the first person accused. She thought she could save her life by confessing and naming other women as her conspirators. Tituba's accusations were unreliable because she was trying to do everything she could to save her life. Others were also accused by the girls. These women were usually unpopular or strange in some way, so it was easy for them to be the target of girls' accusations. For these girls, who were the center of attention in the city and who perhaps did not really realize the seriousness of their accusations...... middle of paper ...... Awareness where it asserted that it would be better if ten witches could go unpunished than to put an innocent person to death. Ultimately, reasonable citizens spoke out against the injustice of the trial. Works Cited “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials.” Smithsonian. Np, and Web. April 5, 2014. "National Geographic: Salem Witch-Hunt - Interactive." National Geographic: Salem Witch Hunt – Interactive. Np, and Web. April 4, 2014. "Salem's most visited museum." Salem Witch Museum. Np, and Web. April 6, 2014. “”And the witches. » Salem Massachusetts. Np, and Web. April 6. 2014. .