trials (witchcraft)

An account of the events leading up to and during the legendary witchcraft trials in Salem, Massachusetts, and a look at Salem's place in history after 1693 and at the historical sites that tourists can visit today.

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin, having agreed to handle the sale of her grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, Massachusetts, comes across an ancient key while going through the house which holds a piece of parchment with the name Deliverance Dane written on it, and in her efforts to discover more about the mysterious Deliverance, Connie soon finds herself having visions of the Salem witch trials and wondering about the extent of her family's connection to history.

In 1752, Sarah Carrier Chapman writes a letter to her granddaughter revealing a secret she has buried in her heart for over half a century. After Sarah and her family arrived in Andover, they encounter a community stricken by superstition and fear due to Native-American raids and the spread of a plague. Suddenly the Puritans believe that heretics in their town are responsible and the witchcraft trials begin. Sarah's mother Martha is among those who are arrested.

Describes the social and religious conditions surrounding the Salem witch hunts, the extensive trials and executions, and the aftermath of the hysteria.

Examines the witchcraft hysteria in Salem Village in 1692, including the history of witchcraft, the principal participants in the accusations, the trials and judgment, and its legacy in American history.

Presents information for young people on what really happened in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, when a group of girls and young women accused certain people in the village of witchcraft, leading to the executions of innocent men and women.

Examines the Salem witch trials from a seventeenth-century perspective, discussing the people involved, including the accused, the accusers, the confessors, and the judges; the role of gossip; and the influence of external factors such as the Indian wars on the Maine frontier.

Discusses the trials in Salem, Massachusetts when Puritans accused a Native American from Barbados named Tituba of being a witch and influencing others in the town, leading to a series of tests and punishments.

Contains information on the Salem Witch Trials, from how the seacrch for witches was conducted, the nature of Salem'sPuritan roots, the trials themselves, and how the witch hunt ended.