Salem, a city along the northeast coast of Massachusetts, is infamously known for its dark history of the prosecution of witches during the 17th century. Long before the witch hunt, the Puritian village firmly believed in the supernatural. As their strength in the worship of God was strong, they also believed that the Devil was real. In 1692, Puritan belief in the supernatural exponentially grew to the barrage of witch accusations based upon unearthly evidence. In February of 1692, a couple young girls became very sick and lost control of their actions. They were reported for harsh fits and speaking tongue that was unrecognizable. Three women were quickly accused for the bewitchment of the girls: Tibuta, the slave of one of the families, Sarah Good, a homeless beggar, and Sarah Osborne, an impoverished elderly woman. As the three women were tried, Tibuta confessed to allegedly working with the devil and was immediately arrested and placed in jail. The accusations of the women aroused panic within Salem, infiltrating the minds and hearts of many. Scapegoating on the idea of witchcraft began to be commonly used within Salem, where neighbors were blaming each other for suspicious activities that can
be related to witches. Each case was based on hearsay ideals, bringing accusations to be from sources that were given remotely. The town had approximately 200 women accused of witchcraft, in which 19 were killed as punishment, 4 died during their containment in jail, and 1 was tortured to death. Salem was taken under the control of the devil, in which the village was blinded from making humane choices. Men and women were tried and they faced consequences that was deemed inevitable. In the account of Bridget Bishop within preserved transcriptions of her examination, it is shown that Bishop was predetermined by the village to be charged with the counts of witchcraft that was held against her. To which indictments the said Bridget Bishop pleaded not guilty and for trial thereof put herself upon God and her country, whereupon she was found guilty of felonies and witchcrafts whereof she stood indicted, and sentence of death accordingly passed against her as the law directs. Through the evidence of the primary source transcribed within the Essex County Court Archives, predetermined punishments were alloted to many people within Salem, making it difficult to avoid being placed in jail or worse, execution.