Witches :: essays research papers

WitchesAmerican history has few subjects as interesting as witchcraft, becauseit confronts us with many Ideas ab expose women. It confronts us with fears aboutwomen, the place of women in society, and with women themselves. Also, itconfronts us with violence against women and how the problems of society wereoften blamed on women. eventide though round men were executed as during periods ofwitch hunting, witches were generally thought of as women and most who died inthe name of witchcraft were women. In the United States, witchcraft took placeamong too educated of people to fuel it as mere "superstition." (P.10)The first person that was executed, as a witch, in America was MargaretJones, in 1648. Jones was a midwife and lay healer, who was accused of several(prenominal)different practices. Minister John wring, who witnessed Joness hanging in Bostonwhen he was a boy, later said that she "was suspected partly because that aftersome angry words passing between her and h er Neighbors, some mischief befell much(prenominal) neighbors in their Creatures, or the like and partly because some thingssupposed to be bewitched, or gain a Charm upon them, being burned, she came tothe fire and seemed concerned." (P.20) Hale included neither of these charges inhis list of the evidence presented against Jones, but suggested that the crimeshad to do with her medical practice. She was accused of having a "malignanttouch," Hale noted, and her medicines were said to have "extraordinary violenteffects." When people refused to take her medical advice, he added, "theirdiseases and hurts continued, with turnabout against the ordinary course, andbeyond the apprehension of all physicians and surgeons."(P.21) Hale alsomentioned that Jones was believed to let psychic powers "some things whichshe foretold came to pass accordingly some other things she could tell of ... shehad no ordinary means to come to the knowledge of."(P.20) John Ha le pointed outthat several of Joness neighbors tried to get her to confess and repent. Oneof them, he said, "prayed her to dole out if God did not bring this punishmentupon her for some other crime, and asked, if she had not been guilty of stealingmany years ago." (P.22)Jones admitted the theft, but she refused to accept it asa reason for her conviction as a witch. Hales writings, on the other hand,showed that stealing, and other crimes such as fornication and infanticide, wereregularly associated with witchcraft, by twain the clergy and the largerpopulation . . . " (p. 22)     This first account, in Karlsens study, brings to the surface some of