The Role of Young Women in the Salem Witch Trials

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The term witchcraft is defines as the practice of magic intended to influence nature. It is believed that only people associated with the devil can perform such acts. The Salem Witch Trials was much more than just America’s history, it’s also part of the history of women. The story of witchcraft is first and foremost the story of women. Especially in its western life, Karlsen (1989) noted that “witchcraft challenges us with ideas about women, with fears about women, with the place of women in society and with women themselves”. Witchcraft also confronts us too with violence against women. Even through some men were executed as witches during the witch hunts, the numbers were far less then women. Witches were generally thought to be women and most of those who were accused and executed for being witches were women. Why were women there so many women accused of witchcraft compared to men? Were woman accused of witchcraft because men thought it was a way to control these women? It all happened in 1692, in an era where women were expected to behave a certain way, and women were punished if they threatened what was considered the right way of life. The emphasis of this paper is the explanation of Salem proceedings in view of the role and the position of women in Colonial America. From the beginning women were given a role in life they were supposed to live by. Women are the child bearer and most toke on the role of the healers of society. It seemed to be the primarily role of women to tend to the physical, mental and spiritual needs of other people. In the early European society, women were the religious leaders, guiding people through the different stages of their lives. As the warrior classes began to form, the role of women beg... ... middle of paper ... ...unger women felt unimportant and hoped the witch trails would change the future. Works Cited Day, Christian, (December 2013). Email interview Karlsen, Carol. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman. (New York: Vintage Books, 1989), 2. Kocic, Ana. (2010). Salem Witchcraft Trails: The Perception of Women In History, Literature And Culture. Linguistics and Literature, Vol. 8 (Issue N1), 1-7. http://facta.junis.ni.ac.rs/lal/lal201001/lal201001-01.pdf Linder, Douglas. (2007). The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: A Commentary. Retrieved from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/sal_acct.htm Reis, Elizabeth. Damned Women: Sinners and Witches in Puritan New England.( New York: Cornell University Press, 1999), 107-108. Salem Witch Trials. (2013). The History Channel website. Retrieved 6:32, December 7, 2013, from http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials.

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