A small girl fell sick in 1692. Her "fits"--convulsions, contortions, and outbursts of gibberish--baffled everyone. Other girls soon manifested the same symptoms. Their doctor could suggest but one cause. Witchcraft. That grim diagnosis launched a Puritan inquisition that took 25 lives, filled the jails with innocent people, and jaded the soul of a Massachusetts community called Salem. The idea of witchery in communities began around 1231 in England when Pope Gregory claimed the in the biblical readings …showed first 75 words of 539 total…

…showed last 75 words of 539 total…of their souls". The final year of "witch hunting" was in 1697 when the town of Salem realized that they were killing innocent people and asked of God's forgiveness. The massacre gilded the courts to change perspective. "Innocent until proven guilty". Out of the truly guilty stood only people who had let their good judgment slip, and their ignorance take over. The Salem Witch Trials led the colonies to be more knowledgeable about religion and government.