I'm curious about the girls who did most of the accusing during the Salem witch trials. It seems odd to me that in what would be considered a misogynistic society several young, unmarried women could hold such sway. I understand the difference in beliefs back then and how witchcraft would be considered a serious threat. I also know that there was essentially a family feud tied in to it all as well. I know several of the accused claim the girls were lying (I think that was a large part of Elizabeth Proctor's "defense") and some acting as character witnesses claimed the girls were lying but from what I've read the accusations were always immediately accepted. So considering all of that why were the claims of these women not scrutinized more by those in authority?
Follow up question: with all the accusations that went around, were any the original accusers ever accused and if so what was the community's/ court's response?
This question is pretty common when looking at the historiography of the trials. It comes down to a variety of factors.
The girls who made the most accusations came from families with a significant amount of authority in Salem. The first wave of afflicted accusers due to their relations with Samuel Parris, Salem's minister. Betty Parris (9F) and Abigail Williams (11F), who both lived with Samuel Parris (Betty was his daughter, Abigail his niece), made the first accusation in January 1692. Samuel Parris was responsible for formally filing the accusations on behalf of them. As the town minister, Parris had significant authority; not only could his sermons influence public opinion, but Parris also served as the court reporter. Parris also had two doctors examine the girls before suggesting that they were afflicted by witchcraft or maleficium. It is worth mentioning that Parris sent Betty to go stay with relatives pretty soon after her accusations, but Abigail Williams stayed and continued making accusations. Mary Walcott (17F), who was the daughter of the leader of the Salem Village militia, made 69 complaints. Though other girls, mainly low-status, orphaned servants, made up a significant portion of the complaints, the girls who really kickstarted the crisis had their powerful male relatives file the complaints.
Boyer and Nissenbaum in Salem Possessed make the argument that the crisis may have been fueled by tensions between the Putnams and the Porters, who were both powerful families in Salem. They also support the theory that the crisis was an outgrowth of Salem Village factionalism, led by Samuel Parris, against the industrial Salem Town. The average Salem Villager would likely support any campaign led by Parris as part of the factionalism.
There were few early accusations that the girls were lying, mainly because the afflictions often occurred very publicly. However, by October, public opinion had turned. Thomas Brattle and Increase Mather both publicly opposed the trials at that point, which really deteriorated many people's opinions of the trials, mainly due to the use of "spectral evidence" at the depositions. By definition, spectral evidence can only be seen by those afflicted. Though no one was convicted of witchcraft solely due to spectral evidence and no other evidence, all convictions used some combination of the two. At that point, the girls' claims were more scrutinized.