In the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, fear of devil worshipers and witchcraft spread through the town like wildfire. In the years 1692 and 1963 men and women accused of witchcraft were rounded up, imprisoned or killed. 200 men, women and children were accused of witchcraft and there were at least 20 deaths. Most were hanged, but there was one man who was forced to death and four known deaths in prison. The rest of the defendants were thrown into prison for months without trial. The Salem witch trials arose from belief in the supernatural, a recent smallpox epidemic, fear of being attacked by Native Americans, and long-standing rivalry with people from other towns. They were also fueled by fear of strangers and the suspicions and resentment of their neighbors. The trials were the start of something bigger to happen. The events that occurred in Salem in 1692 are part of a larger pattern throughout our history to persecute innocent people, especially women, as “witches.” According to the History Channel there was a story where three young women were accused of witchcraft. They were brought before magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne who questioned them. on the day of the trial the accusers were screaming and dying of pain, yet two of the three whites pleaded not guilty. While the last women pleaded guilty probably thinking that they would save themselves from conviction by reporting the other people. This caused hysteria that spread through the community and the rest of Massachusetts. Witch accusations soon began to overwhelm the local justice system, so he did not focus on the other crimes occurring in the cities. In May 1962 the new appointment......middle of paper......resulted in 19 executions and 150 accusations of witchcraft, one of the historical events that almost everyone has heard of. They began when three young girls were the first victims of these horrific crimes and then spread to almost all of the accused. The trials destroyed many families and even though the trials ended and they tried to right their mistakes, the city was no longer the same. The Salem witch trials were a terrible event in our history. Killing innocent people due to misconceptions and insecurities is very similar to the holocaust. Even though the Holocaust was a bigger event than the trials. The trials were still terrible. All this could have been avoided if ergot mushrooms had not been present in the city's rye supply. The people of the city would have deliriums, vomiting and muscle spasms. Witch trials will always be an event in our history.