Salem Witch Trials

The Salem witch trials were court proceedings held in Salem Village, Massachusetts, in 1692 and early 1693. People who were accused of being witches were tried, many of them were convicted, and several were put to death. Eventually, the surviving convicted people were pardoned. A day of fasting was later implemented to recognize the trials, which were ultimately declared to be unlawful.

In colonial New England, many people believed in the supernatural and felt that the devil granted harmful powers to certain people, who were commonly referred to as witches. Many thousands of people in Europe had been executed for witchcraft during the previous few centuries. The first person accused of witchcraft by the Massachusetts Bay colonists was Margaret Jones...