Hour of the Witch

Hour of the Witch takes place in Boston, 1662. At this time, Boston and Salem were both part of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, as was Plymouth Colony, the first colony founded by Pilgrims in America. Desiring greater religious freedom, many English Protestants fled to the New World. Protestants tend to subscribe to doctrines that posit faith, adherence to Scripture, and an individual commitment to God as the key to salvation, although even these doctrines can vary depending on the denomination. There were three different kinds of belief systems present in 1660s Boston: Pilgrims, Quakers, and Puritans.

The Pilgrims believed the only way to truly practice faith in Jesus Christ freely was a total separation from the Church of England (also known as the Anglican Church). They were thus the first group of English Protestants to migrate to the Americas, establishing the Plymouth Colony. The Quakers, who arrived shortly after the Puritans and during the period in which the Hour of the Witch takes place, believed that God resided in every individual and also believed in spiritual equality between men and women.

The Puritans in England originally believed that they did not need to separate themselves from the Church of England, wishing instead to initiate radical reforms within it.