On June 10, 1692, Bridget Bishop became the first person executed during the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts. She had been accused of witchcraft during a period of fear and suspicion in Salem Village and Salem Town. The Salem Witch Trials took place in colonial Massachusetts in 1692 and 1693, during a time of fear, religious tension, political uncertainty, and community conflict. The crisis began in Salem Village when several young girls started having strange fits and accused others of causing their suffering through witchcraft.

On June 9, 1732, King George II granted a royal charter to the Trustees for Establishing the Colony of Georgia in America. The colony was named for the king, but the person most closely connected to the idea was James Edward Oglethorpe, a British reformer, soldier, and member of Parliament. The Library of Congress explains that Oglethorpe had become concerned about poor and debt-ridden people in London and supported the idea of giving them a fresh start in America. Georgia was also intended to serve as a defensive buffer between South Carolina and Spanish Florida.