The Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials In 1692 the Massachusetts Bay Colony was an isolated but growing Puritan community in the North American wilderness. The colonists frequently mistrusted each other and quarreled about petty things. The spiritual life of Puritans who lived in isolated areas like Salem Village may have added to their sense of vulnerability. Puritan doctrine stressed that everything was in God's hands. They attributed almost all actions to the mystical powers of God or Satan, thus making them susceptible to the belief of witchcraft. In 1692 King Charles I of England issued a charter to a religious group cal