14 Common Misconceptions about American History

8. The Burning of Salem Witches

One of the brighter points of the dreadfully dull history of the first Americans is the Salem Witch Trials, a dark moment in our nation’s history in which dozens of women were supposedly rounded up, accused of witchcraft, and then burned at the stake. It’s horrible, but it’s also great drama (even Arthur Miller thought so). The thing is, these trials weren’t limited in scope to Salem; they were an epidemic through the villages in the Northeast. What’s more, in Salem, no one was ever burned. Women were hung and crushed, but none were burned (British law forbade burning people alive, bless them). Fire is way more dramatic, though, right, so that mistaken detail has perpetuated throughout the lore.