Throughout the early colonial years of the Puritan north, the mere suspicion of practicing witchcraft or magic lead to the deaths of innocent people. The most famous outbreak of the witch hunt frenzy took place in Salem, Massachusetts. Beginning with the "affliction" of Betty Parris in January of 1692, the witchcraft trials lasted nearly a year. During that year, hysteria ruled Salem: even two dogs were executed for witchcraft. Dozens of accusations flew as 47 people confessed to witchcraft (and lived), while nineteen were executed and five died in prison. Even though today's knowledge exposes the unjust idiocy of the Salem witchcraft trials; the religious, social, and governmental situation of the era allowed them to take place. .
The phenomenon of the Salem witchcraft trials was caused by several factors in the society and religion of the puritan community. Religion controlled the daily life of Salem and its surrounding country, limiting its followers' activities. Though women were supposedly equal in the Puritan religion, Salem and its contemporaries were clearly patriarchal, which showed in fact that it was almost entirely women being accused of witchcraft. After all, only 6 men were executed as "wizards", while women bore the brunt of witchcraft panic with 19 deaths. In another, more unexpected way, religion may have started the witch hunts. When the new Reverend Samuel Parris moved to Salem from Barbados in 1689, it was decided he would not be paid for his service. In 1692, hungry and out of firewood, Samuel Parris's daughter and niece began violently convulsing, and the household maid, Tituba, was charged for bewitching them. Though there are several theories as to why the girls may have begun this behavior, Rev Parris may have forced them to in the hope that his extermination of a witch would prompt payment and prove him a worthy Reverend. An alternate theory guesses that the girls may have had ergot poisoning from bad rye bread (a plausible explanation if Rev.