Statistical analysis of witchcraft accusations in colonial America a time series count data analysis

Abstract

The idea of magic and witches was not foreign to the society of Colonial America. Many historical studies have examined the social, political, and economic aspects of witch hunts in Colonial America, especially the infamous Salem witch hunt. During the Salem witch hunt of 1692, over 150 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, 19 people were executed, and countless others were victimized. The object of this paper is to analyze witchcraft accusations of seventeenth-century Colonial America to discover any underlying patterns. Time series count data of witchcraft accusations were used to conduct an intervention analysis to determine whether the Salem witch hunt had an effect on witchcraft accusations in Colonial America.