Something wicked was brewing in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. It started when two girls, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, began having hysterical fits. Soon after, other local girls claimed they were being pricked with pins. With no scientific explanation available, the residents of Salem came to one conclusion: it was witchcraft! Over the next year and a half, nineteen people were convicted of witchcraft and hanged while more languished in prison as hysteria swept the colony. Author Joan Holub gives readers and inside look at this sinister chapter in history.

Presents an historical analysis of the Salem witch trials, examining the factors that may have led to the mass hysteria, including a possible occurrence of ergot poisoning, a frontier war in Maine, and local political rivalries.

The Salem Witch Trials is based on over twenty-five years of archival research--including the author's discovery of previously unknown documents--newly found cases and court records. From January 1692 to January 1697 this history unfolds a nearly day-by-day narrative of the crisis as the citizens of New England experienced it.

Award-winning historian Mary Beth Norton reexamines the Salem witch trials in this startlingly original, meticulously researched, and utterly riveting study. In 1692 the people of Massachusetts were living in fear, and not solely of satanic afflictions. Horrifyingly violent Indian attacks had all but emptied the northern frontier of settlers, and many traumatized refugees—including the main accusers of witches—had fled to communities like Salem. Meanwhile the colony’s leaders, defensive about their own failure to protect the frontier, pondered how God’s people could be suffering at the hands of savages. Struck by the similarities between what the refugees had witnessed and what the witchcraft “victims” described, many were quick to see a vast conspiracy of the Devil (in league with the French and the Indians) threatening New England on all sides. By providing this essential context to the famous events, and by casting her net well beyond the borders of Salem itself, Norton sheds new light on one of the most perplexing and fascinating periods in our history.

A vivid account of the hysteria that enveloped Salem and of the 19 people who lost their lives as a result.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cleopatra, the #1 national bestseller, unpacks the mystery of the Salem Witch Trials. It began in 1692, over an exceptionally raw Massachusetts winter, when a minister's daughter began to scream and convulse. It ended less than a year later, but not before 19 men and women had been hanged and an elderly man crushed to death. The panic spread quickly, involving the most educated men and prominent politicians in the colony. Neighbors accused neighbors, parents and children each other. Aside from suffrage, the Salem Witch Trials represent the only moment when women played the central role in American history. In curious ways, the trials would shape the future republic. As psychologically thrilling as it is historically seminal, THE WITCHES is Stacy Schiff's account of this fantastical story-the first great American mystery unveiled fully for the first time by one of our most acclaimed historians.

Discusses the witchcraft trials in Salem in 1692, the events leading up to them, and how the trials have been viewed by different historians since then.

Orphan-girl Hannah True battles strange happenings, suspicion, and angry villagers when her town believes it's under attack by witches. The Survival Series that celebrates the awesome history of us. From bestselling author Scott Peters and Salem Witch whiz Juliet Fry comes a gripping retelling of the Salem Witch Trials for modern young readers. Short attention spans | Chapter Book | Ages 8-12 | B&W Illustrations On a stormy night, young orphan Hannah is terrified to see witches’ fingers tapping at her bedroom window. Are they real or just a trick of the moon? The next morning, her best friend says a witch's spirit attacked her in the dark. Hannah is alarmed. Could this be true? When a neighbor's child begins acting strangely, villagers are sure that witchcraft is at work. A dear friend of Hannah's mother is blamed--but Hannah refuses to believe such terrible talk. Unfortunately, Hannah's rebellion makes her look suspicious. Why is she protecting this woman? Whose side is she on? Hannah is no witch expert--she's a servant in a farmhouse. She has no one to defend her and she's out of her element. Can this brave but frightened colonial girl ever hope to escape disaster? This is the 6th children's book in the I Escaped Series about brave boys and girls who face real-world challenges and find ways to escape disaster. Sure to appeal to fans of New York Times Bestseller Lauren Tarshis's I Survived Series, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, Little Witch by Anna Elizabeth Bennett, What Were The Salem Witch Trials, and The Witches by Roald Dahl. The short chapters make for easy wins, and Hannah's gripping situation keeps even reluctant readers turning pages just to find out what's going to happen next. Great for kids book clubs and classrooms--a study guide is available at https://scottpetersbooks.com/worksheets Packed with a special section on facts about the Salem Witch trials that's sure to satisfy curious minds. Flesch Reading Ease: 85.6 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 3.2 An important, relevant read about bravery, kindness, and courage. Collect the whole I Escaped Series "a must for every reading list" Can Hannah survive disaster? Read it and find out!

"What was it like to be there and, if you were lucky, to live through it? In a compelling combination of narrative and groundbreaking historical research, Salem Witch Trial scholar Marilynne K. Roach vividly brings the terrifying times to life while skillfully illuminating the lives of the accused, the accusers, and the afflicted."--Back cover.

Vivid storytelling brings American history to life and place readers in the shoes of people who experienced one of the most notorious moments in American history - the Salem Witch Trials. In the spring of 1692, girls in Salem, Massachusetts, accused several local women of witchcraft. The events that followed were marked by mass hysteria and religious extremism and ultimately led to trials, convictions, executions, and many more accusals. Suspenseful, dramatic events unfold in chronological, interwoven stories from the different perspectives of people who experienced the event while it was happening. Narratives intertwine to create a breathless, What's Next? kind of read. Students gain a new perspective on historical figures as they learn about real people struggling to decide how best to act in a given moment.