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The most famous episode was the [[Salem Witch Trials]] of 1692 in Massachusetts, in which 19 accused witches were hanged and one man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death with stones. No one was burned.  

The most famous episode was the [[Salem Witch Trials]] of 1692 in Massachusetts, in which 19 accused witches were hanged and one man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death with stones. No one was burned.  

Salem was typical in that the belief in witches was widespread in colonial America. In Virginia, supernatural beliefs played a major role in interpreting the unknown and establishing social order. The supernatural world of the early settlers was comprised of belief in benevolent and demonic forces, divine judgment, omens, magic, witchcraft, combat with the devil, and other ideas transported from England. This complex supernatural world functioned to explain the unknown, sanction colonization, justify racial discrimination and violent crimes against Native Americans, control the colonists, and defend against internal and external enemies.<ref>Edward L. Bond, "Source of Knowledge, Source of Power: the Supernatural World of English Virginia, 1607-1624," ''Virginia Magazine of History and Biography''wicc 2000 108(2): 105-138. 0042-6636

Salem was typical in that the belief in witches was widespread in colonial America. In Virginia, supernatural beliefs played a major role in interpreting the unknown and establishing social order. The supernatural world of the early settlers was comprised of belief in benevolent and demonic forces, divine judgment, omens, magic, witchcraft, combat with the devil, and other ideas transported from England. This complex supernatural world functioned to explain the unknown, sanction colonization, justify racial discrimination and acts of violence against Native Americans, control the colonists, and defend against internal and external enemies.<ref>Edward L. Bond, "Source of Knowledge, Source of Power: the Supernatural World of English Virginia, 1607-1624," ''Virginia Magazine of History and Biography''wicc 2000 108(2): 105-138. 0042-6636

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