The illusion of witchcraft has been around for centuries. Throughout history, men and women around the world have been unjustly tried and accused for such satanic acts. The 1692 Salem Witch Trials, brief but deadly, proved to burn its horrifying image into America’s memory. The trials began in spring and ended a few months later. Even in such a short time, nineteen people were executed and one hundred fifty people were accused of witchcraft. The trials were fueled by fear; fear of outsiders, neighbors, and the unknown. The village of Salem, Massachusetts was founded in 1626. It was a Puritan based colony. The Puritans fled Europe seeking refuge in America, where they could practice their religion peacefully. The Puritans live by strict regulations. They believe that work is very important. Games and other sources of entertainment were frowned upon. The Puritans of Salem feared the unknown. Everything new and unexplainable was considered evil, and the work of the devil. …show more content…
This illness was not the common cold. Whatever illness had possessed Betty caused her to show outlandish symptoms. She writhed in pain, moaned about having a fever, and hid under furniture. Other girls in town, friends of Betty’s, started to show similar symptoms. A doctor, by the name of William Griggs, was summoned to cure the girls of this peculiar illness. None of Griggs remedy’s seemed to help. His only other diagnosis was that something or someone with supernatural powers had caused the girls