Many of the American colonists brought with them from Europe a belief in witches and the devil. During the seventeenth century, people were executed for being witches and follower of Satan. Most of these executions were performed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Mostly all of the accused were women, which makes some modern historians believe that the charges of witchcraft were a way of controlling the women who threatened the power of the men. During the witchcraft trials, hundreds of arrests were made, and some were even put to death on Gallow’s Hill (Karlsen 145). In 1698, the villagers of Salem won the right to establish their own Church. They chose the Reverend Samuel Parris as their minister. Many of the villagers were then sorry that they had done so because of his harsh demands. They then vowed to force him out. There was much pressure surrounding the Parris family. The children of the family would entertain themselves by listening to stories told by Tituba, their slave (National Geographic). January of 1692 is when the mass hysteria of the Salem witch trials first began. The Puritans of this time were very harsh, unyielding, and quick to judge. They condemned innocent women on the basis of intang

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Good and Osborne maintained their innocence, but Tituba confessed saying the devil appeared to her “sometimes like a hog and sometimes like a great dog. After the execution of Bishop, accusations of witchcraft escalated. These magistrates based their judgments on intangible evidence, such as forced confessions, so called “witchmarks”, and reactions of the afflicted girls (Salem Home Page). The Salem Witch Trials took place during the seventeenth century in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was impossible to tall is she was telling the truth or not, but that was not what mattered, there had been a confession, and that was what mattered (Hill 27). Some women would also do what they could to “get off” from the charges. I know nothing of it” (Salem Home Page). Also, some had previous records of criminal activity, but still others were faithful churchgoers and people of high standing respect. She was found guilty and condemned to death. Nine year old Betty Parris and eleven year old Abigail Williams, the daughter and niece of Reverend Parris, were the first to start to display signs of strange behavior. As the hunt continued, many different types of people began to be accused. That was the case for Mary Easty (Salem Home Page). Some women were even let free, but because of protest from victims, they were forced to be arrested for a second time. “…They told me if I would not confess I should be put down into the dungeon and would be hanged, but if I would confess I should have life”, was what Margaret Jacobs, one of the accused had said.

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