Salem witch trials

A series of witchcraft prosecutions in colonial Massachusetts in 1692–1693 that led to 20 executions and several deaths in prison.

Spectral evidence: Testimony that an accused person’s spirit or specter harmed someone while the accused’s body was elsewhere. Courts accepted claims of invisible attacks as evidence against the accused.
Salem Village: A farming community in colonial Massachusetts, now part of Danvers, where the first major accusations emerged in 1692. Its divided congregation and local conflicts formed the outbreak’s immediate setting.
Tituba: An enslaved woman in the household of Samuel Parris who confessed to witchcraft during the Salem crisis. Her confession and naming of other suspects helped broaden the initial accusations.
Massachusetts General Court's 1697 day of fasting: A day of fasting and prayer ordered by Massachusetts lawmakers in 1697 as part of public acknowledgment of the wrongful trials. It marked an early official response to the community’s guilt and losses.
McCarthyism: A period of anti-communist investigations and accusations in the United States, especially during the early 1950s. The phrase “witch hunt” drew on Salem to condemn accusations unsupported by reliable proof.
Court of Oyer and Terminer: A special Massachusetts court established in 1692 to hear and decide witchcraft cases. It tried many accused people before the colony’s regular court system resumed.
Puritanism: A Protestant movement that sought to reform the Church of England and shaped New England colonial society. Puritan beliefs framed witchcraft as a real threat to a godly community.
Samuel Parris: The Puritan minister of Salem Village whose household was at the center of the first reported afflictions. His family’s experiences and leadership placed him near the outbreak’s beginning.
Salem witch trials restitution: Payments and legal measures by Massachusetts to compensate families affected by the 1692 prosecutions. Restitution addressed some losses, though it came years after the executions.
Witch hunt: A campaign that seeks to identify and punish people accused of wrongdoing, often through exaggerated or unreliable claims. The trials became a prominent historical source for this metaphor.

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