The New England Puritans, a group of people who settled in the New World, have been misunderstood by Americans due to the portrayal of them in literature such as Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Dr. Stephen Nichols, president of Reformation Bible College, sheds light on the true nature of the Puritans, who valued learning, hard work, and community, and were not the hypocrites often depicted in literature. The Salem Witch Trials, which occurred from 1692 to 1693, were a dark period in American history, resulting in the execution of 20 people, and were a result of a combination of factors, including superstition, fear, and the influence of European witch trials.
[... more]