More than three centuries ago, witch trials raged across the thirteen colonies. Many men and women were tried on flimsy evidence and ultimately hanged for their “crimes.” Being a flashpoint in American history, Nathaniel Hawthorne suffered the consequences. His great-great-grandfather, William Hathorne, was a judge during the famous Salem witch trials, where he convicted and executed several citizens. As Nathaniel becomes a renowned author in the United States, Nathaniel changed his last name by adding a "w" to distance himself from his family's past. He then published The Scarlet Letter, which can be described as an attack on the Puritan religion and its behavior. Nathaniel contrasts Puritan and Romantic characteristics to highlight the narrow thinking and behavior of the religious community in the 1600s, while allowing Hawthorne to expose the ignorance that enveloped his ancestors. History has noted our love for conflict and tragedy, unwanted or not. Those who broke laws in the 1600s were punished and "...the fundamental rule was to follow God's law..” ...