The Salem Witch Trials occurred from 1692 to 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts. The witch craze began in Europe before finding its way to the Salem, Massachusetts. The witch trials were a result of mass hysteria that was going around the colonies as well as in other parts of the world. During this time period people strongly feared the idea of the devil and the supernatural powers the devil held. It was a common belief among religious groups, especially in the Puritan faith, that the devil could give power to “witches” in order to cause harm to others.
The hysteria kicked in full steam when a group of young girls began behaving strangely. They screamed, threw things, uttered peculiar sounds and contorted themselves into strange positions, and a local doctor blamed the supernatural (Blumberg, Jess. (2007). A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials). The girls blamed the bewitching on a Caribbean slave named Tituba, and two other women named Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. Tituba actually confessed to being a witch in hopes of receiving a lighter punishment. Eventually other accused witches would confess and then would accuse others of being witches as well.
People hoped that by accusing others of being witches they could avoid being prosecuted themselves. At first the most popular type of people to fall victim to accusers were women that were accused were those who did not fit the traditional ideas of what a woman should be. For example, those who could take care of themselves independently from a man. It would not take long before no one was safe from the possibility of being accused of being a witch.
The rapid increase in people being accused of witchcraft began to overwhelm the court system and would result in the governor of Massachusetts establishing a special court for witch trials called the Court of Oyer and Terminer. On June 2nd, 1692, the first person to be convicted of witch craft was Bridget Bishop. She was hanged on Gallows Hill just eight days after her conviction (History.com. (2011). Salem Witch Trials.
Hundreds of men, women, and children were accused of being bewitched by the devil. Of those accused nineteen were convicted and sentenced to death by hanging, while one refused to enter a plea and was thus crushed to death. Many others would die in prison.
