Salem Witch Trials

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Deep inside a town in Massachusetts innocent people were accused of the devil’s work, witchcraft. God-fearing Puritans took it upon themselves to exterminate Satan’s followers influenced by anti-witch ideas and other sources including books and the words of various priests. Over 100 people were given unfair trials; many were jailed while quite a few were lynched. Although the Salem witch trials are considered one of the depressing parts of American history the topic also provides an interesting look at how people thought and lived during the colonials times.
The practice of capturing witches didn’t start at Salem. For centuries Europeans had been catching supposed witches and burning them at the stake. In 1492 two priests were elected by the Catholic Church to write a book on the evils of witchcraft. The book was read widely and told people how witches worked for the devil and the various ways they could torture and kill people. After reading this book and another anti-witchcraft book, Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions, by Cotton Mather(a local priest) which encouraged colonists that even torture was fine to convict people of sorcerery(since real witches couldn’t feel pain) it was no wonder that the Puritans of Salem took it upon themselves to expel witches in God’s name. Another cause of the trials was a problem brewing in Salem itself. For many years Salem Town and Salem Village had been separate parts of Salem. Salem Town had the rich m...

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