What is a witch-hunt? When studying the history of witchcraft, it is important to understand that witchcraft was a crime created and imposed on innocent people. No individual actually had the power to cause hailstorms, spread mass disease, or fly through the night to a gathering of evil beings. This was a crime imposed on innocent people during times of mass fear and hysteria. While the legal prosecution of witchcraft came to an end in the eighteenth century, the pattern of behavior that caused witch-hunts can be identified throughout history and in the modern day.

The Salem Witch Museum’s mission is to be the voice of the innocent victims of the witch-hunt of 1692, while also bringing awareness to the root cause of witch-hunts and how they continue to impact our society today. In our second exhibit, Witches: Evolving Perceptions, we present a formula that can be used to describe the pattern of behavior responsible for sparking witch-hunts, with examples from 1692 through the twentieth-century.

This formula is “fear + a trigger = a scapegoat.”

A scapegoat is defined as a person who is unfairly or irrationally the object of blame.

Over the years, many of our visitors have made suggestions to our staff, offering examples of what they feel qualify as an instance of a witch-hunt. There are so many examples of witch-hunts that have taken place throughout history, that we couldn’t highlight all of these suggestions in our exhibit. Since August 2017, we have been asking our visitors to fill out this formula with examples they believe fit this pattern, and to submit these suggestions to our museum. This webpage is a place to share these examples. Within this project, our Department of Education is currently actively imputing and updating these pages so as to display as many submissions as we are given, in their entirety, without alteration or interpretation.

The goal of this project is to give our public a voice to interact with the concept of a witch-hunt. Please note, the views and opinions expressed on the witch-hunt website are those of our visitors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Salem Witch Museum.

You may view these examples month to month, or thematically by scapegoat. If you wish to add a submission, please enter your example into the blank spaces below.

Search Witch Hunts by Date

Submissions may be viewed month to month by selecting a date below.

Fear

Trigger

Scapegoat

Death/Illness

Coronavirus tied to China

Crimes against Asians

Wendy , NY / November 2023

Music affecting kids

Gangster activity

Black people

Obama , CO / December 2023

"Antifa"

Trump's Big Lie/Jan 6 Attack

Political Opponents

Jalane , VA / December 2023

LGBTQ "groomers"

Changing cultural norms

Drag Queens and "Woke" Teachers

Jalane , VA / December 2023

Shark population decreasing

Shark attacks

People having a bigger fear of sharks could lead to hunting to "keep the area safe"

Clara , NE / December 04, 2023

guns

school shootings

mental illness

Tiana and Malia , MA / December 01, 2023

Guns/Shootings

Concealed Carry

Republicans

Brooke , LA / November 2023

Another persecution of Jews in Europe

Uprise of right wing parties / Painting Star of David on Houses occupied by Jews

Jews

WMK , Europe / November 30, 2023

Getting job opportunities taken and losing German culture

Migrant crisis

Immigrants and refugees

Mia , Germany / November 30, 2023

Espionage and affair

Russian revolution 1917

Rasputin

Artur , Russia / November 30, 2023

not being able to reproduce or have control

women becoming independent

women

Arin , / November 29, 2023

Sex trafficking

young women -17 and lower

a group of young school girls

Jabari , MA / November 29, 2023

Judaism

Land

Jewish People

Catherine , CT / November 29, 2023

Terrorism/War

Hamas

Palestinians

Luc , Middle East / November 29, 2023

Loss of family dynamics

Hysterical ideas of politicians

Transgender individuals

Dante , NH / November 2023

Pedophilia

Qanon

Liberal/Progressive Politicians

Luuk , Netherlands / November 2023

Rebellion

Slavery

Indians/Africans

Leigh , WA / November 26, 2023

China

Covid-19

Asian Americans

Erin , MA / November 2023

Infection, Death, or Illness

Covid-19 Pandemic

Anxiety

Alvarado Family , NJ / November 2023

Apocalypse, hell, eternal damnation, god, pain, death and suffering, magic, peculiar forces and paranormal

Scientifically explainable phenomena, lack of knowledge, deep religion, belief in magic and superstitions

Science, atheism, sinners, culture and progressivism, technology, apparent witchcraft

Zuzanna , Rotherham / November 25, 2023

Loss of WWI Germany

Economic Turmoil

Jews

Angela , TN / November 2023

Oppressions

Boredom

White Heterosexual Christians

Clark , MA / November 2023

Regress/Loss of Progress

Social Media

Opinion Challenging Mainstream, Liberal Thought

Key , MA / November 2023

Sexuality

Public Acknowledgment

GLTB Community Rights

Mark , MA / November 2023

Hamas

October 7, 2023

Palestinian people

Sonha , CA / November 2023

Violence/Crime

Poverty

Black People

Alie , PA / November 2023

technology

chatgpt

all AI

matthew , MA / November 20, 2023

War/Conflict

Middle East/Religions

Jewish People

Scott , USA / October 2023

Hurting themselves or others

Misused charity

Homeless people

Aesyn , Cities / November 18, 2023

Guns

School Shootings

Mental Illness

Tiana and Malia , MA / November 17, 2023

Hispanics

improving the economic situation

Mexicans

Anonymous , TX / November 17, 2023

“Others” that are not understood

Republican Members of Congress

Trans People, especially women

Hazel , ND / November 16, 2023

Sexism

Harrassment

Gender Related Challenges

Anonymous , WA / November 16, 2023

pandemic

covid

asian community

colton , MA / November 15, 2023

Violence/Exposure

"Violent" Lyrics

Rock Bands

Kyle , MA / November 15, 2023

American Outsourcing of Jobs

People Searching For Better Future

Immigrants

VALERIA , McAllen TX / November 14, 2023

Joe biden going in office

Electoral college counting for his presidency

Trump

Liam , Washington DC / November 14, 2023

rich people

helping the under developed

Mr. Beast

Max , MA / November 14, 2023

guns

shootings

mental illness

devon , MN / November 14, 2023

police interaction

bad cops

every cop in existence(even good )

cajun , US / November 14, 2023

Ocean

Shark Attacks

Sharks

Ethan , ma / November 13, 2023

guns

shootings

mental illness

Harry , United States / November 13, 2023

Child Abuse

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Parents

Anonymous , United States / November 11, 2023

Violence

War in Gaza

Jewish people

Anonymous , New Jersey / November 11, 2023

under representation of Americans in the government

The average age of senators is double the average age of Americans

The old people in the government

Anonymous , US / November 11, 2023

WWI

Treaty of Versailles

German people

H Wald , Pa / November 09, 2023

Bad Luck

Superstitions

Black Cats

Hsaoli , MA / November 09, 2023

Gay People

Being attracted to same sex

RuPaul

Trump , USA / November 09, 2023

communism

american democratic party

biden

Anonymous , mi / November 09, 2023

"They're Taking Our Jobs"

Immigrants

Democrates

Mary , MA / November 09, 2023

Muslims

Brazen Zionism

Gaza People

Anonymous , MA / October 2023

Islam/Muslims

Israeli Propaganda

Palestine genocide

Anonymous , MA / October 2023

Anti-Semitism

Israel

Palestinians

Anonymous , MA / November 2023

9/11

extremists

Muslim community

janicequanve , queens / November 02, 2023

Getting sick

Covid 19

Chinese people

Jaquise , Oak street / November 02, 2023

Infection

aids

gay community

john , Delaware MA / November 02, 2023

dying of covid

covid

Chinese people

Carl , new york queens / November 02, 2023

Losing money

Getting fired

Manger

Bobby , Queens, New York / November 02, 2023

covid 19

dying

Chinese

xiao , queens / November 02, 2023

republicans

trump

democrats

Donald , MA / November 01, 2023

witches

people in power

innocent people

Anonymous , MA / November 01, 2023

guns

shootings

mental illness

trevor , PA / November 01, 2023

racism

slavery

southerners

ivy , NC / November 01, 2023

government falling

protests

minorities

Alicia , OH / November 01, 2023

China

Covid-19

Asian Americans

Erin , MA / October 2023

Guns

School/Mass shootings

NRA/Gun owners

Gavin , MO / October 31, 2023

Violence in Youth

Rise in youth crimes

Video Games

Hawk , USA / October 30, 2023

Little Children

Falling Kids

Gorillas

Matty , PA / October 30, 2023

ocean

sharkbite

shark

Daniella , MD / October 30, 2023

Perceived gender normativity

Misunderstanding of biological and social identities

Cosmetic surgeries related to gender

Mickey , PA / October 30, 2023

He will expose them

popularity

Donald J. Trump

Gary , SC / September 2023

Terrorism

9/11

all middle eastern people

Cali , OHIO / October 29, 2023

Witches

Witches have black cats

Black Cats

Jacob , TX / October 29, 2023

A man having a bad Relationship with a women

His mother

his wife/Girlfriend

anonymous , Ma / October 29, 2023

coronavirus

Death/Lockdown/Closures

asian community

Anonymous , De / October 28, 2023

Criminals

Neoliberalism/Maintaining Power

Marginalized Communities

Doriana , Canada / October 2023

Not getting into college

Affirmative action

POC

Marisa , MA / October 2023

Sexual Assault

Gender Neutral

Trans People

Marisa , CA / October 2023

COVID

Pandemic

Chinese Americans

Marisa , CA / October 2023

decline of mental health in the united states

social media/ cost of living

technology/ cell phones

Emmanuel , North carolina / October 25, 2023

“They’re taking our jobs”

Immigrants

Democrats

Mary , MA / October 24, 2023

Corna virus

Deaths lockdowns

Asian community

Alexa , DE / October 23, 2023

Terrorism

Hamas attacks

Palestinians

Lewis , Gaza / October 23, 2023

Overpopulation

Migrant Boats Into The UK

African/Eastern Europea Refugees

Tetiana , NC / October 22, 2023

Loss of Traditional Values

Fox News/Caitlyn Jenner

Trans Community

Mike and Anna , NY / October 2023

The Holocaust

Antisemitism

Jewish Community

Jordan , New York / October 20, 2023

guns

shootings

mental illness

devon , Slaydon, MN / October 20, 2023

Republicans

Donald Trump

Russian Cohersion

James , RI / October 2023

Dissolution of traditional ideas

Misogyny

Taylor Swift and other successful women

Anthony , NJ / October 2023

communist

small amount of people helping communist

the American people

Audrey , TX / October 19, 2023

Incompetent people in office

kamala harris

liberals

Caigan , US / October 2023

war

Israel and hamas

U.S.

Ethan , MO / October 19, 2023

America

Liberal Extremism

Trump

Nicky , NYC / October 19, 2023

Stealing land

Greed and ignorance

Natives

Anonymous , The United States / October 18, 2023

conservative government

republican ideals and facts

trump

kaedyn , mo / October 18, 2023

Music affecting kids

Gangster activity

Black people

Kiral , USA / October 18, 2023

Poverty

Recession

Homeless People

Kate , Canada / October 2023

LGBTQ+ growing

democrates

LGBTQ+ and Democrats

Brayden , PA / October 17, 2023

losing white privilege status

QAnon

Jews

Anonymous , USA / October 17, 2023

Gang Related Shooting

Death/Dangerous Neighborhoods

African American Community

Fabian , Queens / October 17, 2023

covid

death

Chinese people

Anthony , queens / October 17, 2023

Crime

Black People on the news

Black People

Mike , Queens, NY / October 17, 2023

Loss of human Domination of earth

Great Martian War 1907

Martian Immigrants

Afizah , New York / October 16, 2023

Personal rights

Racism

Anyone different

Giovanna , Africa / October 15, 2023

Challenging flawed belief set

Hamas attacks on Israel seen in the media

Jews

Hillary , MA / October 15, 2023

Guns

Officer brutality

Black people

Paris , DE / October 15, 2023

Conservatism

Democrat Controlled Media

Donald Trump

Robert , CT / October 2023

English settlers

Hunger for money

the natives

Anonymous , USA / October 13, 2023

Religious violence

Civil war between Parliament and the Crown in the Sixteenth-century

The people that live in England

Jose , WA / October 13, 2023

Enslavement

English Colonizers

Native Americans

Daetrion , WA / October 13, 2023

Diseas'

Loss of Land

Indigenous People

Emily , USA, Mexico / October 12, 2023

The Spainards

Lust For Gold

The Native Americans

Jamaree , WA / October 12, 2023

Losing loved ones

Losing that one person

mental health

Alissa , New York / October 12, 2023

Racism

Slavery

African Americans

Mason , Wa / October 11, 2023

They have more than me

Egoism

Anyone Different

Serenity , PA / October 11, 2023

Witches

Witches have black cats

Black cats

Marek , SD / October 2023

Immigrants

The rise in arrivals

Biden

Valerie , TX / October 2023

Mass Shootings

Mental Illness

Guns

Anonymous , MA / October 2023

Slavery

Columbian Exchange

Black People

Anonymous , PT / October 10, 2023

Racism/ segregation

Slavery

African Americans

Trevon , WA / October 10, 2023

robots

AI

Elon Musk

Anonymous , TX / October 2023

Losing employment

The Great Depression

Mexicans

Mayca , WA / October 2023

guns

shootings

mental illness

Anonymous , MN / October 2023

Arrival of Reverend Francis Le Jau

impact of slave trade

minorities

Anonymous , Charles Town, Carolina / October 09, 2023

Job Loss and Unemployment

Immigration

Immigrants

Anonymous , MA / October 2023

Catholics gaining power

Religious Differences

Catholics

Lindsey , England / October 07, 2023

Police Brutality

George Floyd

Police

George , USA / October 07, 2023

Contagion

Vaccines

Freedom Of Choice

El , Italy / October 07, 2023

Homework

Anxiety

Teachers

Heidi , West Virginia / October 05, 2023

Infection

COVID

Firing Unvaccinated

Shellie , TX / October 2023

Satan/Religious Beliefs

Satanic Panic

People who are different/Satanist

Giovanna , Wa / October 03, 2023

Decline of mental health in the U.S.

Social Media/Cost of Living

Local and Federal Gov't

Anonymous , NY / October 2023

Racism

Slavery

Southerners

Jennifer , SC / October 03, 2023

Terrorist Attacks

911 Attack

American Muslims

Gary , CA / October 03, 2023

Coranavirus

Death/Lockdown/Closures

Asian Community

R.G. , U.S. / October 03, 2023

Offending people

overly sensitive people

Conservatives and republicans

Sabel , Houston / October 02, 2023

body fat

thin influencers/peers

yourself for not looking like the small handful of mildly thin people

Ellie , MI / October 02, 2023

Guns

Shootings

Mental Illness

Slaydon , MN / October 02, 2023

Republicans

trump

democrats

Anonymous , Washington DC / October 01, 2023

Loss of Democracy

MAGA Republicans

President Trump

Paul , MA / October 2023

Covid-19

Wuhan Labs

The chinese

Abbigail , PA / September 2023

Coronavirus

Deaths/Lockdown/Closures

Asian Community

Gerry , CA / September 2023

Covid

Trump

Asians

Anon , MA / September 2023

Protecting Children

Misunderstanding of trans people

Transgender Community

Anonymous , MA / September 2023

Democracy

Trump winning a free and fair election for president

Civil Liberty

Ryan , PA / September 26, 2023

SEX TRAFFICING

NOT ENOUGH HELP

FBI

HOLLY , MA / September 26, 2023

gain weight

being indoctrinated by the mdiea to base self worth

fat humans who have the audacity to exist

Henry , MI / September 26, 2023

Pandemic

arrival of covid pandemic

asians

Su , Latoff, UK / September 26, 2023

They have more than me

Egoism

Anyone different

Julie , Ireland / September 26, 2023

Overpopulation

Migrant Boats Into the UK

African/Eastern European Refugees

Jilly , MI / September 26, 2023

Fentanyl

Hurting Society

Homeless People

Efren , AZ / September 26, 2023

Covid

Isolation

Americans

Iva , KY / September 2023

republicans

trump

democrats

Trump , USA / September 25, 2023

Incompetent people in office

Kamala Harris not being able to form a coherent sentence

Liberals

Bob , MA / September 24, 2023

Losing Lover

Homophobia

Rape Victims

Alianah , NV / September 23, 2023

Being associated with an abusive person, removing the illusion of "goodness"

Person is accused of domestic abuse

The victim of the abuse

DJ , WA / September 22, 2023

Loss of freedom

Extreme political ideology (all or nothing)

Every day people

Jenny , IA / September 22, 2023

Christians

Conservatives

White Males

James , MA / September 2023

Abolition of the Third Estate

Aristocratic Conspiracy

French Monarchy

French , France / September 20, 2023

Conservative Government

Republican ideals and facts

Trump

Renee , NJ / September 18, 2023

Loss of Human domination of Earth

Great Martian war 1907

Martian Immigrants

Ben , England / September 12, 2023

Satan/religious beliefs

Satanic panic

People who are different/alternative Satanist

Violet , UK / September 12, 2023

Having to admit that you may have privilege in certain areas

Marginalized people fighting for socio-economic equality

Using “woke” as a pejorative to diminish anyone who advocates for socio-economic change

Miranda , VT / September 11, 2023

Being emasculated

Far too many triggers to list in this little box

Any person/group of people that a man can overpower

Miranda , VT / September 11, 2023

Gaining weight

Being indoctrinated by the media to base self worth on your size

Fat humans who have the audacity to exist in their bodies without shame

Miranda , VT / September 11, 2023

Liberalism

Fox News

Every Democrat

Trevor , NYC / September 2023

Jews and Northern industrialism

Murder of Mary Phagan

Lynching of Leo Frank (1915)

Morgan , Bloomington, IL / September 01, 2023

Immigration(new immigrants)

ww1/ww2

german americans

Alfred , TN / September 01, 2023

Overpopulation

Migrant Boats into the UK

African/Eastern European Refugees

Anonymous , UK / August 2023

Loss of Control by White Men

Rise of MAGA Conservatism

Librarians and School Teachers

Alyson , PA / August 2023

Protection of Children

The Misunderstanding of Trans People

Transgender Community

Anonymous , MA / August 2023

People

Greed

Witches

Indra , Canada / August 2023

Shifting traditional family values

New wave of transgender young people

trans families and doctors

Peggy , MA / August 2023

Pandemic

Arrival of Covid Pandemic

Asians

Latoff , UK / August 2023

Arabs/Musilms

9/11/2001

Arab Americans

Christopher , MA / August 2023

End of white supremacy

Implementation of DEI policies

Educators, librarians, democratic politicians

Vicki , MD / August 29, 2023

Prejudice

State Policy

Extermination of Jews of Europe

Joey , NY / August 2023

Losing Democracy

Trump

Liberals

T , MA / August 2023

Disease

Covid

Chinese

Clare , NY / August 2023

Donald Trump

J6

Protestors Arrested

Ted , MA / August 2023

Loneliness

Women calling out toxic bs

empowered/educated women

Karime , MA / August 2023

Leftist Indoctrination

Republicans Losing Popularity

Librarians & Educators

Julie , FL / August 2023

Climate Action

People of Color

Women and "Woke Culture"

Anonymous , MA / August 2023

Illness

Vaccine Conspiracy

Neurodivergent People

Theo , IN / August 2023

War

9/11

Muslim Community

Theo , IN / August 2023

China

COVID

Asian Community

Wei , MA / August 2023

Death

COVID

Unvaccinated

Anonymous , MA / August 2023

Not Feeling Safe

Too Many Homeless

California

Catie , Santa Monica, CA / August 2023

"Groomers"

The idea of the trans/LGBT "groomer" (i.e. pedophile)

LGBT people, particularly trans people

Logan , CT / August 14, 2023

Transphobia

Furthering of Trans Rights

Demonizing Trans People

Drew , NJ / August 2023

Knowldege

Child Predators

Teachers

Jenn F. , Indianapolis, IN / August 2023

National Security being breached during WWII

Discovering actual spies

Japanese Internment

Kate , OH / August 2023

Woman having control over their own bodies’

Roe vs. Wade

Women’s Rights

C , NC / August 2023

"corrupting children's minds"

sensitive parts of history

education

angela , PA / August 2023

pandemic

covid

bats

gigi , NY / August 2023

Trump for President

Lying Democrats/Government

TRUMP

Anonymous , Greenfield MA / August 11, 2023

Acceptance of LGBT People

Bigoted and Facist Republicans and Conservatives

Trans Kids

Anon , Washington Xing PA / August 11, 2023

Women Gaining Power

Abortion rights

Women

Rev. Leigh , MA / August 2023

Covid

Trump

Chinese/Asian People

Edward , NH / August 2023

Disease/Death

COVID

Chinese People/Jews

Dan , CA / August 2023

Submit a Witch Hunt

Scapegoat
Example: for Massachusetts, put in MA