1688-1692
 
To fully understand the witch-hunt conflict in Salem, Massachusetts, it is necessary to step into those times. Day-to-day worries consisted of those of a normal 17th century Massachusetts Bay Colony: town rivalries, a recent small pox epidemic, nearby warring tribes of Natives, and how they were going to find food for themselves. The Puritan way of life included a strong belief and fear of the Devil and demonic presences. Paranoia of the sources of evil, which they were told were everyday people and things, caused them to turn on one another in fear.

 
A few specific events set the stage for this tragedy:

In November of 1688, Rev. Samuel Parris visits and preaches in Salem Village for the first time.

 
On June 18, 1689, Parris became the first official Salem Village minister.

In October of 1691, Joseph Porter, Joseph Hutchinson, Joseph Putnam, Daniel Andrew and Francis Nurse become the elected majority to the Salem Village committee, which would later fill their jail with more than 150 men and women from towns surrounding and including Salem.