A Brief History of the Salem Witchcraft Phenomenon

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief history of the Salem witchcraft hysteria, which began shortly after Elizabeth Parris, Abigail Williams and other Salem Village girls began, during the winter of 1691–1692, spending time with Tituba, Reverend Samuel Parris’ Caribbean slave who taught them the basics of sorcery, voodoo and magic. When these girls began exhibiting symptoms of a serious illness, Salem-area clergy and others interpreted their symptoms and reactions as witchcraft, thrusting the Village into a series of trials and executions carrying into September of 1692, ultimately resulting in the death of 20 people. At that point, the Colony’s governor interceded and halted the legal proceedings surrounding the witchcraft hysteria.