Between February 1692 and May 1693, nearly 200 people, mostly women, were accused of practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. Of these, nearly 30 were convicted, and 19 were executed by hanging. The witch hunt involved several factors that disrupted the tightly controlled Puritan community, including social unrest, religious and political shifts, and the presence of diverse groups such as Indigenous people, enslaved Africans, and refugees from the War of the League of Augsburg. Witchcraft accusations often targeted women whose behavior was seen as disruptive, especially those who were poor or Black. These trials were not unique to Salem; similar events occurred across Europe between the 15th and 18th centuries, with nearly 100,000 people, mostly women, prosecuted for witchcraft. In Salem, like other towns in the English-controlled Massachusetts Bay Colony, finding a permanent pastor was difficult, leading to tensions with church leaders. Reverend Samuel Parris, who was eventually hired, brought controversy with his strict views and disputes over his salary. In January 1692, Parris’s daughter Elizabeth and niece Abigail Williams began experiencing strange behaviors after playing divination games, which were considered harmful under Puritan beliefs. Their symptoms were diagnosed as being under the influence of a "malevolent hand," leading to accusations against Tituba, a slave in Parris’s service, who had prepared a "witch’s cake" using urine and barley. Tituba was an easy target, seen as part of the lowest class in a hierarchical society. She confessed under pressure, admitting to practicing witchcraft. Other accused individuals included Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good, both of whom were marginalized members of the community. As the trials continued, a crisis of collective hysteria developed, with various theories about the causes, including ergotism (a condition caused by a fungus on rye that can lead to hallucinations), hallucinogens, and group polarization. The accused were not assumed innocent, and convictions were based on confessions obtained under duress, rumors, and "spectral evidence" from dreams. Authorities also considered suspects' reputations and physical features, such as "witch marks," as evidence. Children were also targeted, with Sarah Good’s daughter Dorothy accused of tormenting victims. She was released after eight months in prison, but her mother had already been executed. Mercy, her sister, died shortly after birth, becoming the youngest victim. Men were not immune to accusations either, with John Proctor, a man who opposed the trials, executed for his defiance. His story was later adapted in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. Giles Corey, who refused to confess or deny witchcraft, was subjected to the brutal punishment of being crushed under stones until he died. According to Bridget M. Marshall, an English professor, only a small percentage of those accused were found guilty. Those who were acquitted still faced financial hardship, property loss, and social stigma. Tituba, for example, was marginalized and eventually recanted her testimony but remained in prison for thirteen months before being released by an anonymous benefactor. The trials subsided in 1693, partly due to opposition from figures like Puritan pastor Cotton Mather. It took centuries for Salem to acknowledge the trials' victims. Massachusetts authorities began apologizing in 1957, and the last person exonerated, Elizabeth Johnson Jr., was cleared in 2022. A memorial was inaugurated in 2017 at the site of the hangings, honoring the 19 victims.