The Salem Witch Trials was one of America’s most infamous psychological panics. Comparable to the Cold War’s Red Scare, the Salem Witch Hunts have inspired a number of stories, from American Horror Story to the ironically named TV show, Salem, to even books such as How to Hang a Witch by Adraina Mather and I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé. Some have considered Salem to be the turning point of religion in America, while others have become inspired to learn more about witchcraft and Wiccan practices from the period itself. There’s even a course where you can study the witch trials at Penn State University and the University of North Texas. Still, what dark secrets does Salem hold, and why does it haunt us? 

The witch trials that took place in Salem were a series of accusations, prosecutions, and hearings against those who were thought to be witches. The trials began when two young girls, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, were afflicted with strange diseases that the minister from a nearby town, John Hale, had witnessed. Soon, other women had started exhibiting the same odd maladies. It wasn’t long before three people were accused; Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. Each of these women filled a sort of stereotype that had provided the foundation for the witch trials. For instance, Good was a lowly beggar and was known to ask for assistance from other neighbors. Tituba was a slave, and was more than likely blamed due to the color of her skin. Osborne hadn’t attended church, rather endeavoring to serve her own self-interests. Soon, others were sent to jail, including a child by the name of Dorothy Good, and Rebecca Nurse. When one of the charges was brought on Martha Corey, skepticism arose, because Corey was an upstanding citizen. Through her execution, people soon realized that no one was safe. In fact, even a child wasn’t exempted from this. Thomas Maule, a Quaker, criticized the trials by explaining how it was better for a hundred witches to go free than for one innocent to be executed. Other petitions were filed to the Massachusetts government to end the trials. While this endeavor succeeded, many still sought to prove their ancestors innocent. Even now, Salem continues to haunt us as one America’s most gruesome events.

Like all witch hunts, the type of evidence and the manner in which it was gathered is important. The legal procedures during this event were also subject to suspicion. When a person submitted to the magistrates that someone was dead because of witchcraft, they would determine whether or not the claim was true. Then the magistrates would take the accused and try to force a confession out of them. Some of the evidence gathered would include spectral evidence, or evidence that the victim had seen the shape or ghost of the witch who was attacking them, as well as a witch cake, a type of cake that would be used to poison many people, young and old alike. However, the most infamous of this evidence was the touch test, where the accused witch would be bound. The accused witch would touch the victim while the victim was having a “fit”, and if the fit would stop, the accused would be put on trial. 

The Salem Witch Trials had an element of psychological corruption that manifested in a town supposedly full of saints. Many were accused simply because of fear, of prejudice, even of petty squabbles. And while the accusers had apologized, in the end, it wasn’t enough to erase the haunting memories of what Salem is now associated with. Instead of becoming a pillar for Christianity, Salem is now associated with the darkness of humanity, one that we continue to use as our muse.