Before 1692, the supernatural was a normal part of people's daily lives. Indeed, people firmly believed that Satan was present and active on earth. The men and women of Salem Village believed that any misfortunes that befell them were the work of the devil. For example, when events like the death of an infant, crop failure, or friction within the congregation occurred, people were quick to blame the supernatural. This concept first appeared in Europe around the 15th century and then spread to colonial America. In the past, peasants depended heavily on special charms for farming and agriculture. But over time, white magic transformed into black magic and became associated with evil. Although Salem residents believed that Satan walked among men on earth, colonial life was relatively peaceful. However, a series of events ultimately led to "the hanging of nineteen of the accused, fourteen women and five men"; these events are known as the Salem Witch Trials. “The Salem Witch Trials took place between February 1692 and May 1693 in Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex Counties of colonial Massachusetts. This was a series of hearings and trials conducted before the local magistrate to prosecute those accused of witchcraft. More than 150 people have been accused and arrested for practicing witchcraft and there have been even more accused who have not been prosecuted by the authorities. However, some sources claim that during the Salem witch hunt, more than 200 people were arrested as witches, nineteen of them were hanged, and one man over eighty years old was pressed to death for refusing to submit to trial for witchcraft. The seeds of the hysteria that afflicted the village of Salem, Massac...... middle of paper ......b. Accessed 11/24/11.Pagewise, “Possible Causes of the Salem Witch Hunts,” 2002. Online at http://www.essortment.com/all/salemwitchhunt_rulb.htmAll references to Tituba's testimony in this article are taken from the transcriptions. reprinted in SWP, 2:36i-62, 3:745-57. The lack of Indian women's voices in written records makes her confession a unique document. On the difficulties of extracting evidence about Native American women from literary sources, see Clara Sue Kidwell, “Indian Women as Cultural Mediators,” Ethnohistory 39 (1992): 97–107. Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Witchcraft Papers: Verbatim Transcripts. , 3 vols. (New York, 1977), 3: 755 (hereinafter SWP). Burns W, “Witch Hunts in Europe and America”, pp.303, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Burns W, “Witch Hunts in Europe and America”, pp. .303, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003.