In colonial Massachusetts, beginning in Salem Village (now Danvers) in 1692, a series of hearings and prosecutions led to the execution of twenty citizens accused of witchcraft. The hysteria began when adolescent girls, including Abigail Williams and Betty Parris, exhibited fits that were attributed to supernatural causes, sparking a wave of accusations that spread throughout the region. The episode, fueled by religious extremism, social tensions, and a breakdown of due process, remains one of America's most notorious cases of mass hysteria.

The Salem witch trials have had an enduring impact on American literature, serving as a cautionary tale about religious fanaticism, false accusations, and mob justice. Arthur Miller's play 'The Crucible' (1953) famously used the trials as an allegory for McCarthyism, while poets like Robert Lowell and Anne Sexton have drawn on the event to explore themes of guilt, persecution, and the darkness within Puritan society. The trials continue to resonate as a symbol of the dangers of mass delusion and the abuse of power.