In 1692, Salem, Massachusetts was stricken with witch fever. The witch hunt that followed engrossed the members of the town for the next months. Fear, panic, and excitement spread like wildfire throughout the town. A massive witch hunt ensued that led to the death of about two dozen people in Salem. As the number of accusation grew, the motives of the people seemed to reflect common human and social anxieties that could pop up at any time like the group mentality or protective stupidity.
The troubles began in the winter of 1691-1692 in Salem village and engulfed the villagers for the next ten months. The trouble began when one girl detected " a specter in the likeness of a coffin"# and another "complaining of pinching, prickling sensations, knifelike pains, and the feeling that she was being choked."# When doctors could not come up with an explanation for the afflictions, and strange behavior is where the notion of witchcraft was suggested, beginning the mass hysteria that......
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