The Salem Witch Trials happened because it was a classic example of scapegoating. Fear combined with a "trigger", a traumatic or stressful event , is what often leads to scapegoating. Fear of the Devil, and witches who did his bidding, was very real in Salem at the time. Hoped this helped ! :) Btw you should look into the salem witch trials a lot of events took place so you can get a better insight into what really happened with people and events.