Tens of thousands of supposed witches-mostly women-were executed. A “ witchcraft craze” rippled through Europe from the 1300s to the end of the 1600s. In the medieval and early modern eras, many religions, including Christianity, taught that the devil could give people known as witches the power to harm others in return for their loyalty. Fueled by xenophobia, religious extremism and long-brewing social tensions, the witch hunt continues to beguile the popular imagination more than 300 years later. Since the 17th century, the story of the trials has become synonymous with paranoia and injustice. But it was only in July 2022 that Elizabeth Johnson Jr., the last convicted Salem “witch” whose name had yet to be cleared, was officially exonerated.
In 1711, colonial authorities pardoned some of the accused and compensated their families. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft-the devil’s magic-and 20 were executed. The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between early 1692 and mid-1693.
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