For the Puritans, total depravity was a hallmark of their religion. It represents the belief that man is born corrupt and the only way for an individual to purify their body and soul is through the acceptance of God.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, and the changes that came about as King James I took power, including increased support for English Catholics, the Puritans found an opportunity to escape what they saw as a repressive environment in England. In 1620, a contingent set sail for the New World and New England, colonizing the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay areas. The majority of "Separating" Puritans settled in Plymouth, while "Non-Separating" Puritans primarily occupied the Massachusetts Bay area. It was in the city of Salem, located along Massachusetts Bay, where the now infamous Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692. .
There are several interpretations of the cause of the witch trials. To explain why they occurred, it is important to first go into further detail about Puritan beliefs, and to also understand the state of affairs in Salem at that time. Puritans strongly believed in the existence of witches and witchcraft, along with the presence of the devil, Satan, in their daily lives. With the hardships that many Puritans faced in the new frontier of America, from farming to disease and famine, their beliefs eventually became less about salvation in the name of God and more about eliminating Satan from their world. Events such as the death of a child, the loss of a harvest, or a natural disaster, were seen as punishment from God, and as a common and accepted occurrence of the life and times of the day. .
By 1692, when the witch trials first began, Salem faced great stress and conflicts as new villages arose and new congregations emerged. In addition, citizens were concerned as the French in Canada grew in strength and influence, and as fear of American Indian attacks were on the rise.
