# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
The Salem Witch trials were when a person accused of being a witch would be put on trial and they would try to prove that they were or weren't a witch. This image shows a trial in which a woman seems to be using her "witch powers"  on someone. In these trials there were sometimes people specifically girls that would supposedly be "under the witch's spell" and they would feel biting and scratching on their bodies. They would also repeat whatever the last thing the accused would say to even further make them be seen as a witch. Many of these trials had things called spectral evidence which was basically dreams or visions that were accepted by the court as evidence, this was later abolished and no longer accepted by the court as actual evidence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Puritanism was a religious movement that emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries mainly in England. Their goal was to purify the Church of England by getting rid of practices they deemed too Catholic. They faced a lot of backlash and persecution about this and eventually had to migrate to America to avoid it. The Puritans believed that your destiny was predetermined by God and that included if you went to Heaven or Hell no matter how good or bad you were. This made people just live good honest lives hoping that they were a part of the group that went to Heaven.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
The definition of hysteria is an uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear, often characterized by irrationality, laughter, and weeping. Many people during the time of the emergence of witches were so scared that there were some servants of Satan around them they would do irrational things like search peoples bodies for third nipples because that was a sign of being a witch. They also tried "pressing the truth out of someone" by placing heavy stones on his body until he said that he was a witch, this eventually killed him due to the rocks' weight. Their fear got so bad they eventually just decided to start accusing their neighbors of being witch's without any evidence, and this was a serious thing back then because you could be imprisoned or even killed with no evidence just because of the accusation. Many innocent people died during this time simply because of their fear that witches could be around them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Calvinism is a Christian theological tradition that believes in predestination, the glory of God, and the depravity of human beings. They taught the doctrine of predestination which is the same thing as what the Puritans believed where your destiny was determined by God before you were born including whether you went to heaven or hell. The Calvinists stressed the importance of a simple and disciplined life with a focus on church. They also believed in the total depravity of humans which is essentially the fact that people were incapable of choosing God unless they had divine intervention. Calvinism also taught that only God could lead the church and the government and people couldn't.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
The Salem witch hunts were a series of trials in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693, during which people, mostly women, were accused of witchcraft. The panic began when a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by witches, leading to widespread fear and hysteria. Accusations were often based on flimsy evidence, such as dreams, confessions under duress, or simple personal grievances. As a result, 20 people were executed, and many others were imprisoned. The trials were eventually discredited, and the colony later apologized for the events, which are now seen as a tragic example of mass hysteria and injustice.

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.alternative_text
<img src="https://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/102319_WitchHuntArt.jpg" alt="Witch trials did not target the powerful, they were all about persecuting  the powerless | Milwaukee Independent">