Everyone knows about the Salem witch trials, but what about the Lancashire witches, or even the ones happening today? Throughout history, people have been put in prison and hanged because they were accused of witchcraft. The reasons why people are accused are almost the same for every trial; bad luck in love or in crops, death, disease, suspicion, even someone being of a different race or being the slightest bit different are enough to cause people all over the world to turn to witchcraft as a response. The infamous Salem witch trials took place starting in 1692. -1693 in the village of Salem, now Danvers, Massachusetts. The people were your normal God-fearing Puritans. They believed that Satan and demons were present and were the cause of bad luck. This provided the perfect breeding ground for the superstitions and hysteria we read about today. In January 1692, the girls began having screaming fits; they threw objects and twisted themselves into abnormal positions. The local doctor could not detect any physical illness, so he diagnosed them as bewitched. This led to more “victims” and three women being accused, women who regularly missed church or beggars. Guilt or innocence was decided based on different types of evidence. Ghostly evidence was when a victim claimed to see the spirit of the witch. Effluvia, confessions or the presence of dolls, ointments, astrology books or books on palm reading were also used. A mole or blemish on the body of an accused witch would be called a “witch's teat” and would be taken into account when a verdict was reached. The reason for being accused in the Salem witch trials “was the consequence of conflicts between the rising merchant class and people who were tied to a land-based economy...... middle of paper...... gman, H. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.algonet.se/~hogman/witch trial.htmMastin, L. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.witchcraftandwitches.com/trials_salzburg.htmlMcKenzie, D. (0). Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/06/12/kenya.witches/Palma, C. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.policymic.com/articles/70749/the-truth-about-modern-day-witch-huntsPavlack, B.A. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/witch/worigin.htmlSchons,M. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/news/witch-trials-21st-century/?ar_a=1Sewall, S. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/diaries/sewall_diary.htmSmith, DJ (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.norwaycommunicates.com/memorial.htmlYundt, H. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://barentsobserver.com/en/society/vardos-dark-history-witch-hunts