Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Salem witch trials
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Salem witch trial
Illustration of a woman in a bonnet centered, surrounded by multiple purple hands pointing inward on a beige background.
Witchcraft
What sparked the Salem witch trials?
Salem witch trial Salem witch trials Cotton Mather Joseph McCarthy
At a Glance
Witchcraft
Salem witch trials summary
Quizzes
Salem Witch Trials. A women protests as one of her accusers, a young girl, appears to have convulsions. A small group of women were the source of accusations, testimony, and dramatic demonstrations.
Salem Witch Trials
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Salem witch trial
Salem witch trial A scene of the trials in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony, hand-colored engraving.

Salem witch trials

American history
Written by
Jeff Wallenfeldt
Jeff Wallenfeldt was manager of Geography and History at Encyclopaedia Britannica.      
Jeff Wallenfeldt
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Salem witch trials, (June 1692–May 1693), in American history, a series of investigations and persecutions that caused 19 convicted “witches” to be hanged and many other suspects to be imprisoned in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (now Danvers, Massachusetts). The events in Salem in 1692 were but one chapter in a long story of witch hunts that began in Europe between 1300 and 1330 and ended in the late 18th century (with the...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile