as a matter of FACT

TITUBA, a Salem house slave, delighted and frightened Puritan teenagers with strange stories and "sorcery."  Accused of witchcraft, her testimony tore the community apart--leading to the Salem witch-hunt.

  The Salem witch hunts of the 1690s touched the lives of several Black families in Massachusetts. They were among both the accused and the accusers.

A slave named Candy was accused of "wickedly, malliciously, and felloniously," practicing witchcraft on another woman. Unlike many other victims of the hysteria, Candy was found not guilty and freed.

In this case, as in many others, Blacks were tried before judges and juries and had the same legal rights that Whites had.