Since the Puritan faith mandated that people fend off the Devil on a daily basis, this could have prompted them to report on anything out of the ordinary, assuming it to be the work of the Devil. This is possibly because New England was settled by Puritans, who believed that women were inherently sinful and easily influenced by the artifices of the Devil (harking back to the original sin of the Bible). Most of the people who were accused and convicted were women. (Photo Credit : Pixabay)Īlso Read: Why Do Barristers And Judges Wear Wigs? Who Were The Accused?

Those accused were often young girls, which contradicts the stereotypical image of witches. Among those doing the accusing were Thomas Putnam and his daughter Ann, while the accused included many members of the Porter family. The villagers believed that the girls were under the influence of witchcraft, and an investigation began. The feud came to a head when a group of mostly young girls started exhibiting erratic behavior, including fits, convulsions, and screaming. They somewhat saw each other as political and religious rivals. Salem Village had two prominent families on opposing sides-the Putnams, Puritan landowners heavily involved in local politics, and the Porters, moderates with connections to the mercantile Salem Town. There was considerable feuding involved in the start of these sham trials.

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