African American History blog posts by Scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

"Yet another form of 'evidence' sought was the Devil's mark or witch mark. People believed that when a person agreed to serve the Devil he kissed or bit them. That left a mark on the person's body. Any mole, birthmark or abnormal growth could be seen as a witch mark. Obviously most people have a mole or birthmark somewhere. Anyone accused of being a witch was likely to be stripped and examined. People believed that if any unusual mark or growth was pricked but did not bleed it was evidence you were a witch. (Unlike 'spectral evidence', which was highly unusual looking for witch marks was common in the 17th century)."

Federalists and antifederalists infographic