There are some events in the history of the world that keep resurfacing many years down the road. People think of them and wonder how something like that could have ever occurred because it couldn’t possibly happen in the time they’re living in. One of these unexplainable events is the Salem Witch Trials.

It was not one specific event that led to the trials, it was a combination of many factors. Puritanism was one. Being “pure” was a cornerstone of the Puritan religion. The Puritans feared corruption above everything else. They left England to escape from the Anglican Church which they believed was “too loose.” For some reason, the Puritans were also very quick to assume that God was punishing them and that they had to make amends to be accepted by God.

At the time, Salem was divided into Salem Town and Salem Village. In 1689, Reverend Samuel Parris became the new pastor of Salem Village. However, the lucrative contract of Rev. Parris caused a lot of friction, angering a number of people who refused to worship in his church. When a new Salem Village Committee was elected in 1691, they refused to pay the taxes that would pay for Rev. Parris’ lifestyle.

That winter, Pariss’ daughters began listening to tales of witchcraft from a slave, Tibuta. The stories, as well as the family’s financial struggles, caused the girls to begin exhibiting unusual behaviors. When the doctor could find nothing wrong, he declared them bewitched. The girls accused three women: Tibuta, Sarah Osborne, and Sarah Good.

The three were perfect targets: Osborne was elderly and had not been to church in a year. Good was a homeless beggar and Tibuta was a lowly slave. The people who ended up targeted were those considered dirty or no-good. Another “witch” was Bridget Bishop, a three-time widow who dressed all in black with a red bodice. Her clothing was used as evidence against her at her trial where it was said that “pure women” needed only simple clothes but Bishop must be an “impure woman” since she dressed in the equivalent of a sexy costume.

The investigations were conducted in the Meetinghouse. The investigators used torture methods to try and extract information, namely peine forte et dure, where the accused was pressed beneath a load of stones. More stones were constantly added in an attempt to get a confession.

The trials themselves were often very frigid. Most people assumed the accused was guilty already and there was little hope of changing their minds. To determine if someone was a witch, they used the “witch cake.” It was a cake made from rye meal and urine that was fed to a dog because they believed that a witch left particles she had sent to hurt the girls in their urine, and that she would cry out in pain as the dog ate the particles. They also used the touch test where they were blindfolded, hands tied, and the person who accused them would come into their presence. If the person acted unusually, it confirmed they were witches.

After the original three trials and executions, an outbreak of smallpox occurred in the village, which was also blamed on witchcraft. Constant anxiety concerning Indian attacks also created a tense atmosphere in town. All of these things factored into the cloud of fear that hung over Salem and led to the trials.

The details of the Salem Witch Trials are known because many trial documents have been preserved up to this day. Looking back, it’s easy to put together the events that eventually led to the false convictions and executions of nineteen innocent people.