Historical+Background

=Salem, Massachusets in 1692. . .= Salem Massachusetts in 1692 was a place that was still on the edge of civilization. Wars with local tribes of Native Americans were still frequent in the Western parts of the state and farmers still struggled to grow enough food to make it through the harsh winters. Religion was very important. The people of New England were [|Puritans]**,** a a strict branch of Christianity that sought to find a more "pure" version of religion. They had left England to have the freedom to practice their beliefs, but once in America, they instituted a [|theocracy]**,** where the church ruled the government. A widespread belief in [|witchcraft] was also held. In the years just before the witch trials, an influential book on witchcraft was published that many historians think influenced the events in Salem.

In Salem, there were many of ther factors that had little to do with religion. Neighbors fought over who had rights to land and Politics loomed in the church as some members of the community supported the new minister [|Samuel Parris] and others did not. This led to hard feelings and arguments between neighbors that influenced the events to come.

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