Salem Witch Trials: Do You Believe In Witches?

Do you believe in witches? In Massachusetts in the 17th century colonists believed in witches. The Salem witch trials began in February of 1692. In Salem, Massachusetts, witchcraft cases were brought before judges to be reviewed. The trials were started due to a fear of Satan. People thought witches did Satan's bidding and this frightened them. During this time more than 200 were accused of witchcraft and 20 were killed. The Salem Witch Trials were a trying time for all who were accused of practicing witchcraft in the 17th century. In Salem Massachusetts, around January of 1692, many were accused of being afflicted by witches. Some of the women were Elizabeth Booth, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mercy Lewis, Betty Parris, Ann Putnam, Jr., Susannah Sheldon,
The witch panic started in Salem but started to spread to neighboring towns. The towns it spread to were Amesbury, Andover, Salisbury, Topsfield, Ipswich and Gloucester. After the "witches" were arrested in these towns they were escorted to Salem to be put on trial in the new court. Surprisngly, animals played a major role during the Salem Witch Trials. During this time, witches were thought to have helpers or someone or something that helped in the evil. People believed that witches used animals. The witches helpers could range anywhere from dogs to cows. The town villagers, kept look out for these animals. If an animal died without any apparent cause during this time they were thought to have been victims of witches. When the animals appeared sick without a definite reason villagers thought that a witch rode them to a witch meeting the prior night. They called this "hag-ridden. In October of 1692, a girl claimed to be the victim of witchcraft. She claimed her neighbors dog attempted to bewitch her. After this accusation, villagers immediately shot and killed the dog. After the dogs death, the local pastor declared the dog innocent. The pastor stated that if the dog was the devil he wouldn't have died when