For my digital essay, I will begin with some background information about the Salem Witch Trials for a paragraph or two and then introduce some theories that historians have for what caused the strange, medical symptoms in the young girls that sparked the witch panic. I will then explain the history of hysteria, what the symptoms looked like, and what it is considered to be today. I will then connect the two by analyzing the primary documents from the trials to show that they were most likely experiencing symptoms of hysteria, or what we know now to be conversion disorder. Hysteria is an outdated term that encompassed lots of ailments that women experienced, but that doctors did not understand and attributed the symptoms to the floating uteruses in women’s bodies. I will support my analysis with some secondary sources that I outlined in my proposal and bibliography. I plan to enhance my essay with historical images of witches and the Salem Witch Papers, some clips from youtube about hysteria and witchcraft, and a few podcasts on the trials and hysteria that I have found to be interesting and relevant.
