Salem Witch Trials

A black-and-white section of a painting of a woman surrounded by men in Puritan garb.

Most witches are women, because witch hunts were all about persecuting the powerless

Women & Gender

Using “witch hunt” to decry purportedly baseless allegations reflects a misunderstanding of American history. Witch trials didn’t target the powerful. They persecuted society’s most marginal members — particularly women.

Salem witch trial

A 17th-century alleged witch inspired Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

Arts