Witches in Salem, Massachusetts were victimized by the communities, tortured, and often killed. These women were mainly scapegoats of other problems, or else the accuser had something to gain, often wealth. It was believed that once you were accused of witchcraft, the community rallied behind the accuser, and killed the witch ruthlessly. In reality these witches were tried in courtrooms, where marital status, inheritance and wealth plaid the largest role in the trials. Typically, the verdicts of the Salem witch trials were determined based on marital status, wealth, and community status.

Widows were often left moderately poor after the death of their husband. While today widows generally receive most of the inheritance, it was done differently in their time. Inheritance applied not only to death, but to marriage. Parents were expected to give a large amount of money to their son or daughter at the time of marriages...