On April 22, 1692, Mary Black, an enslaved Black woman in Salem, Massachusetts, was accused of witchcraft during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Despite the lack of credible evidence, Mary was arrested and jailed—her conviction driven more by racial prejudice and hysteria than any supposed sorcery. Unlike many others accused, Mary was not executed and was eventually released, possibly due to the intervention of her enslaver, Nathaniel Putnam, who defended her innocence. Her case reveals the intersection of racism, fear, and injustice in early American history, and highlights how Black individuals were vulnerable targets during moments of mass paranoia.
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