Final answer:
Elizabeth tells Proctor that confessing to witchcraft spares one from execution during the Salem witch trials of the 17th century, where accusations and mass hysteria led to the execution of many innocent people.
Step-by-step explanation:
Elizabeth explains to Proctor that if people confess to witchcraft, they will not be executed, as what occurred during the Salem witch trials.
This question refers to a time in 1692 when an outbreak of witchcraft hysteria took over Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts). A group of girls claimed to be afflicted by witchcraft after experimenting with the occult, leading to widespread panic and accusations within the community.
Those who failed to conform to societal norms were often targeted and accused of being witches, with some even executed based on spectral evidence. The trials eventually waned in 1693 after criticism from influential figures and increasing skepticism towards the validity of the accusations.