INTRODUCTION The infamous Salem Witch Trials began in late February 1692 after a group of young girls in the village of Salem, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. The accusations caused a wave of mass hysteria throughout colonial Massachusetts. The people of Salem have accused more than 160 men, women and children of practicing witchcraft, also known as devil magic. Most of the accused faced jail time, while others lost property and legal rights. A special court meeting in Salem to hear the cases led to the execution of twenty people, most of them women, and two dogs. The court first convicted Bridget Bishop and sent her to death by hanging on June 10, 1692. Eighteen All of Salem's witchcraft events ended in April 1693 when officials released the remaining victims from prison. Although the Massachusetts General Court subsequently overturned the guilty verdicts against the accused witches and compensated the families of those convicted, bitterness remained in the community; many historians see the trials as synonymous with paranoia and scapegoating. The events that took place in Salem in 1692 have historical significance because they describe economic hardship, racial perceptions, religious oppression, and gender roles in the late 17th century. Although the city of Salem depended on Salem Village farmers for food, it held economic power. over the village by determining crop prices and collecting taxes. Furthermore, the absence of a Puritan meetinghouse in the village of Salem forced its residents to walk three hours to attend worship services in the town of Salem until the men of the village elected their five-man leadership committee, began to designed their own meeting house and hired their own prime minister in 1689. Although the people of Salem Village achieved this small victory, many residents began to resent the power Salem Town had over them and sought greater freedoms and authority regarding their personal interests. Eventually the village of Salem petitioned for their independence and a dangerous wedge was driven between the two communities when they formed the town