Bewitched
Salem, MA Fort Pickering Light, Salem In the summer of 1692, hundreds of people in this area were accused of practicing witchcraft, which was considered a crime at the time. The hysteria spread through communities as far north as Maine. These events become known as the Salem Witch Trials as the court was held in Salem Town. Although the Puritans, who were Protestants that tried to reform the Church of England from anything Roman Catholic, believed in witchcraft, none of the accused were actually a witch. Yet 20 people were put to death. They were victims of fear, superstition and a court system that failed to protect them. These events symbolize the tragic consequences of intolerance and injustice. All people had to do was lay blame for a loss, illness or death which they said was caused by witchcraft with the local magistrates. If the complaint was deemed credible, the magistrates had the person arrested and brought in for an interrogation, where the magistrates pressed ...