The Americas are the continents of the Western Hemisphere, comprising North and South America, and home to a significant and distinct magical community. While largely outside the scope of the original British-centric narrative, the existence of a magical society in the Americas is confirmed within the seven novels. In the wizarding world, the Americas have their own magical government, a major wizarding school, and unique cultural norms. Quidditch spread to North America at some point after its introduction in Europe, and professional teams such as the Fitchburg Finches from Massachusetts, the Sweetwater All-Stars from Texas (United States), the Haileybury Hammers, and the Moose Jaw Meteorites (Canada) became established (Quidditch Through the Ages). During the 1994-1995 school year, Ron Weasley correctly speculated that American wizards would have their own school of magic, which was later revealed to be Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Pottermore). At the same time, Molly Weasley mentioned she had a pen-friend who was a Healer in America. The history of the magical community in North America is marked by a more secretive and segregated existence from the non-magical population than in Europe. This was largely due to the historical persecution of suspected witches by Puritan settlers, most notably during the Salem Witch Trials. In response, the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) was established in 1693 to govern the magical community and enforce magical secrecy. One of its most significant pieces of legislation was Rappaport's Law, which strictly forbade marriage and friendship between wizards and non-magical people, termed No-Majs in America. This law remained in effect until 1965 (Pottermore).
The Americas play a minimal role in the original seven novels, serving mostly as a far-off location to indicate the global nature of the wizarding world. Key mentions include:
The role of the Americas is vastly expanded in the Fantastic Beasts film series, with the first film being set entirely in 1926 New York. These stories delve into the structure and laws of MACUSA, introduce American witches like Tina Goldstein and Queenie Goldstein, and explore the societal dynamics between the magical and No-Maj communities.
J.K. Rowling significantly expanded the lore of magical North America on the Pottermore (now Wizarding World) website through a collection of writings titled “History of Magic in North America” and in the screenplays for the Fantastic Beasts films. These supplementary materials introduced key concepts not present in the original novels, such as:
The “Salem Witches' Institute” is first mentioned in a seemingly flippant context by Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. However, a welcome letter written by Tina Goldstein in the book The Case of Beasts: Explore the Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them confirms it is a real place, though its exact nature as a school or other type of organization remains somewhat ambiguous.