Salem witchcraft trials

Salem witchcraft trials, trials held in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1692, as a result of hysteria. The accusations of innocent townspeople began when 3 young girls claimed possession by the devil. The special court sentenced 19 men and women to death by hanging and imprisoned about 150 more. The witch hunt was brought to a halt and those imprisoned were freed in 1693. Samuel Sewall, one of the 3 judges, apologized publicly, and the colony's legislature made payments to families of those who were executed. In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible (1953) the events in Salem were used to symbolize the persecution of individuals as alleged communists by Senator Joseph McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee.

See also: Sewall, Samuel.