SALEM IN 1692

Witches have been thought to exist and have been persecuted through the centuries and throughout the world, yet it is the events that took place in a small colonial American town in 1692 that have captured the world’s attention and come to symbolize the tragic consequences of intolerance and injustice. 

A few young girls accused hundreds of community members of witchcraft—of persecuting them, causing bodily harm and pain. There was no tangible evidence, only hysteria and a willingness to believe what could not be proved.  For the accused, there was no way to defend against innuendo, fear and an irrational rush to judgment.  Over the course of less than a year, friends were pitted against friends, upright citizens ostracized, forced to flee for their lives or, in the case of 20 men and women, put to death.

Within months, it was over…except for the infamous legacy.  More than 300 years later, the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 remain an indelible reminder of injustice.  At the same time, however, they have a unique power to inspire us to have the courage to fight against intolerance and the vigilance to protect human rights in our own world today.

SALEM IN THE 21st CENTURY

Today, Salem, Massachusetts, is mindful of both the many proud moments in its history and its responsibility to ensure that the events of 1692 are understood today in a world still living with prejudice, violations of human rights and miscarriages of justice.