Antecedents

       The main antecedent for these witchcraft accusations is, obviously, the Great European Witch Hunts that took place between the 13th and the 15th centuries (Levack 1986: 17-24). When the firsts ships left Englands towards the new continent, the people on board bear with them their own beliefs, religion and general knowledge about the invisible world that surrounded them.

       The first “local” antecedent of the Salem witch-hunt takes us to 1688 and the Goodwin case in Boston. In very general terms, what happened was that the children of the Goodwin family started having strange fits. This case draw the attention of the people and of puritan ministers such as Cotton Mather. This man had under his roof one of the victims in order to study her; later, he published a book Memorable Providences relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions. Finally, and Irish woman was accused, condemned and hanged for witchcraft (Kibbey 1982: 128).

       In the following video you can see a summary of the main elements that led to the most famous witch hunt in the New World.