Many important events occurred in the year 1692; Aesop's fables, a certain form of calculator, but the best known ones are the Salem witch trials. There are multiple factors believed to be the cause of the infamous Trials, but religion plays a highly dominant role among the plethora of reasons. The events of Salem Village affected the colonies immediately after the trials, but they had a lasting influence on the development of the ideals of the United States. The mass hysteria that accompanied the accusations in 1692 had already been seen in Europe, but was fresh in America. Witchcraft and trials in Europe had preceded events in the New World by over 300 years. According to Exodus, “You shall not suffer a witch to live.” This gave Pope Gregory IX reason to impose an inquisition in 1231 to punish heresy, and Pope Innocent declared witchcraft an act of heresy. Accusing an individual of witchcraft was often seen as a tool to get rid of one's enemies; the community would purge itself. The problem with this act was that concrete evidence had to be provided; as discussed later, hard evidence eventually disappeared from the trials. It was often said that torture was used for confession and this was justified by the law because witchcraft offended the Church and the State. Not only was witchcraft an act of heresy, it was also an act of treason. The text Malleus Maleficarum was one of the best known witch hunt manuals. The manual is made up of 35 “questions” (chapters) that describe what to do in cases of witchcraft. The book specified the rules of evidence and judicial procedures for torturing and putting to death a witch. An infamous reason mentioned in the book as a reason to accuse an individual as a witch... center of the card... "practitioners of witchcraft". Works Cited Exodus, King James Bible Laux, John Fr. Church History. Rockford. Tan Books and Publishers “Malleus Maleficarum Index”. Home of the sacred text on the Internet. http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/mm/. (Accessed February 17, 2011) “Timeline of Events Related to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.” UMKC School of Law. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASAL_CH.HTM (accessed February 17, 2011). In Search of History: Salem Witch Trials, directed by The History Channel. (2005; A&E Archives, 2005.) In Search of History: Salem Witch Trials. In Search of History: Salem Witch Trials. In Search of History: Salem Witch Trials. In Search of History: Salem Witch Trials. Timeline of events relating to the Salem witch trials of 1692. Timeline of events relating to the Salem witch trials of 1692.