The Salem Witch Trials were a bad time in the history of the United States; around 200 people were accused of witchcraft. More than 20 were executed. Men and women were hung, crushed, or left to rot in prison. Some were not executed, but their lives were forever changed. In the Massachusetts Bay Colony where there was strong belief in the devil, there was a smallpox epidemic and the threat of warring tribes. The stress of the people created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. After a short amount of time, prisons were filled with more than 150 men and women from places around Salem.
This time in history is one of the nation’s most notorious cases of mass hysteria. It has been used in popular literature as a tale about dangers of religious
This time in history is one of the nation’s most notorious cases of mass hysteria. It has been used in popular literature as a tale about dangers of religious