The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. During this period, more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, also known as the devil's magic. Of those accused, 30 people were found guilty, and 19 individuals—14 women and 5 men—were executed by hanging. One man, Giles Corey, died under torture after refusing to enter a plea, and several others died while imprisoned without trial. The trials began in Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts) after some young girls, including relatives of the local pastor Samuel Parris, exhibited strange behaviors and fits. They accused various people of witchcraft, which sparked mass hysteria fueled by social, political, and religious tensions within the community. Accusations quickly spread to surrounding villages, and a special court called the Court of Oyer and Terminer was established to handle the trials. A key factor in the trials was the acceptance of "spectral evidence," where victims testified to seeing the specters or spirits of the accused witches tormenting them. Those who confessed to witchcraft often escaped execution, while those maintaining innocence were usually convicted and hanged. The trials ended after the governor's wife was accused and the use of spectral evidence was disallowed. By May 1693, those imprisoned were pardoned and the hysteria subsided. The Salem witch trials had a profound impact on American legal practices, emphasizing the presumption of innocence and the right to legal representation. They remain a powerful symbol of the dangers of mass hysteria, religious extremism, and injustice.
