Final answer:
The Salem witch trials began in the spring of 1692, amidst societal tensions and Puritan beliefs in devil's work, culminating in over one hundred accusations and ending with the execution of nineteen individuals by the summer of 1693.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Salem witch trials began in spring 1692. The backdrop was a period of tension following the issuance of a new royal charter in Massachusetts, where several girls in Salem Village, now known as Danvers, showed unusual and disturbing behavior. These girls, including the daughter and niece of the local minister Samuel Parris, ultimately confessed to experimenting with the occult under the guidance of a West Indian servant named Tituba. As the Puritan belief system entrenched the idea of the devil's work within society, the girls' confessions fueled a hysteria that led to the establishment of a special court for the witch trials. The trials resulted in over one hundred accusations and the execution of nineteen people before the hysteria subsided in the summer of 1693.