Final answer:
Elizabeth Parris and Ann Putnam Jr. began having their infamous 'fits' in the spring of 1692. These fits were in Salem Village, which was experiencing tension due to a new royal charter. The girls' behavior sparked the Salem Witch Trials.
Step-by-step explanation:
Elizabeth Parris and Ann Putnam Jr., two of the initial accusers in the Salem Witch Trials, commenced having fits in the spring of 1692. The fits were described as 'beyond the power of natural disease to effect'. They were living in Salem Village, now Danvers in Massachusetts, which was a time of tension due to the issuance of a new royal charter. The girls were part of the household of local minister Samuel Parris and admitted that they had been dabbling in the occult under instruction from Tituba, a West Indian servant in the Parris household. These fits, believed to be the result of witchcraft, triggered the Salem Witch Trials, a phase of mass hysteria that resulted in the execution of many people.
Learn more about the Salem Witch Trials