In the early winter of 1692, the first speculations about witchcraft took place with the daughters of Salem. Betty Parris, the nine-year-old daughter of Reverend Parris, and her niece Abigail Williams, began displaying terrifying and peculiar behavior. Their outbursts, body contortions, and strange actions were similar to those of the Goodwin children in 1688. Soon after, other Salem girls began exhibiting the symptoms that stunned the town. There are numerous literary works and in-depth studies on the trials. . Even today, it is still unclear why or how witchcraft hysteria descended on the village. The Salem Witch Trials are best described by George Lincoln Burr: This episode is one of the nation's most notorious cases of mass hysteria and has been used in political rhetoric and popular literature as a stark warning about the dangers of isolationism, religious extremism, false accusations and failures to follow due process. (197) There were different theories as to why the Salem girls behaved the way they did. Family feuds, influences, ergot poisoning, and Satan's bewitchment are potential concepts of witchcraft hysteria. Not to mention that the female stereotype of witches, due to lack of religious faith and social class, caused the deaths of nineteen people and unforgivable scarring and suffering for dozens more. Historical evidence points to family feuds between the Putnam and Porter families, an important theory for history. reasons behind these accusations. The entire town of Salem was involved and engaged in this heated dispute for control of the village. The two families had different views of Salem and Kate Murphy said this divided the village into two factions: "One interested in gaining more autonomy for Salem Village...... middle of paper.. ....rk: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1966. Print.Karlsen, Carol F. The Devil in the Form of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England. New York: WW Norton & Company, 1987. Print. Karson, Anastasia. Revenge in Salem Witchcraft Hysteria: The Putnam Family and George Burroughs. Loyola University New Orleans, 1998. Web. December 6, 2013. Kramer, Heinrich and Jacop Sprenger. “Malleus Maleficarum.” Malleusmaleficarum.org, 2002. PDF file.KZ, Anna. The ergot theory could eliminate accused witches. University of Chicago, 2012. Web. December 6, 2013Linder, Douglas O. The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Commentary. University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2009. Web. December 5, 2013. Murphy, Kate. Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft. University of Virginia, 2001. Web. December 6, 2013 Robinson, Enders A. The Devil Discovered: The Witchcraft of Salem 1692. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1991. Print.