The 17th century was an era laden with fear and uncertainty, during which lives were ruined, innocent people were killed, and societies were torn apart, all based on irrelevant accusations of witchcraft. While there were countless other witchcraft persecutions stirring worldwide, the tragic events that occurred in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts are among the most infamous. A pious group of people known as puritans immigrated to America from England in search of religious freedom. They soon created a society of intolerance and anxiety. In less than one year, extraneous allegations and twisted lies caused the executions of twenty unfortunate citizens. Analysis of the Puritan faith, as well as the proceedings of the Salem witch trials, reveals the effects of the Puritan society upon these events. Had the strict, narrow-minded puritan philosophies not existed in the new world, the Salem witch trials never would have taken place...