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Comparing The Salem Witchcraft Trials And Elizabeth Reis Damned Women

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Most of the people accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witchcraft Trials were women. While historian Carol F. Karlsen delves deeper into societal values that led so many women to be accused, in her book The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by focusing on social norms of the time, Elizabeth Reis, in her book Damned Women, focuses on the impact of gender in religion. They both discuss the importance of gender at the time, and the impact it made for the trials. There is not one clear reason why women were the main targets but each historian looks at a different aspect in 17th century American society where gender played a role. Both take a look at the way society functioned in the late 1600s and womens’ roles within the broader community. Societies’ …show more content…

They also confessed because the court decided in 1692 that if people confessed they would not be hung. When people were told they weren't going to die, they confessed because people were scared of death and not knowing if they would be saved and go to heaven. (Reis 124) The fear of hell is not specific to women, both men and women feared hell but women believed that by nature they were vile sinners, while men did not. This is because men and women have different reactions when they sin. While men don't submit to the devil, women give body and soul to the devil if they sin, letting their sin consume them completely. John Cotton writes “When a man wittingly and willingly commits any knowne sinne, he doth as actually give his Soule of the Devill, as a Witch doth her body and soule; we thereby renounce the covenant of God, and Satan takes possesion of us” (Reis 107). Not every person accused of witchcraft was spared. Bridget Bishop was hanged for witchcraft on July 10, 1692 after many people had been tormented by her. William Stacy testified against Bishop saying “the said Bishop or her shape clapt her coate close to her Leggs & hopt upon the bed and about the Roome and then went out: and the it was Dark.” (Reis 74) The Salem Witchcraft Trials were very influenced by religion and Puritan culture, which resulted in women being the main targets during the

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The novel A Delusion of Satan written by Frances Hill describes the history of the Salem Witch Trials (“Salem”) in 1692, the causes and effects of the witch hysteria, and the biographies of major characters associated with the trials. In the novel, Hill started out explaining the Puritans’ beliefs and customs, the gender roles of men and women in Salem and why women were easily accused of being witches and practicing witchcraft in the 17th century. During that time, women were easily accused of practicing witchcraft because they were viewed as physically, politically and spiritually weaker than men. Men were perceived as the power, status, and worthy in the society, and they dominated women’s behavior and social status. In the 17th century,

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The Salem Witch Trials are widely known in American History. My inquiry into the trials consists of a series of questions: What was the purpose of mainly targeting women? How did the trials overall affect future legislation? How did the trials change society then and now? This will introduce the misogyny behind the trials, the ages that were mainly affected, and why they were targeted.

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Salem Puritans accused women of witchcraft, in order to oppress women, and as a reaction to greed and religious fear. The Salem Witch Trials were motivated by the oppression of women. Puritan women could not own land. Women were told to keep quiet and stay in their place.

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Unlike the men, these women spent most of their time cooped up inside doing household tasks. This could have played part in the bias, because women were considered to have weaker souls, and the devil is interoperated to prey on the weak. According to the DBQ Document B, 110 of the 134 people accused were women. This represents the claim that the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria could have been caused by a bias against women. Secondly, the younger women could have been bored because they were spending everyday with the older women.

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In Salem, Massachusetts, Puritans were strong believers in the Bible. The Bible states, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” The Puritans beliefs led to them accusing 20 innocent people of being a witch, this resulted in their deaths in 1692. Even though the Puritans couldn’t see it at the time, their accusations were really based off jealousy, lies, and Salem being divided into two parts. One cause of the Salem witch trial hysteria was jealousy.

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Gender played a very significant role in the witchcraft craze that took place from 1645 until 1677 and the Salem witchcraft trial that also took place from 1692 until 1693. Majority of the accused were women because they were regarded as vulnerable, delicate and defenseless and so needed special care and protection from evil. Between 1645-63 thirteen women and two men were executed in a witch hunt throughout England. It was followed by the Salem witch trial was primary carried out by the puritans when people think of the puritans, they think of the Salem witch trials and so it is believed that where there are many women there are many witches. Young Girls were the primary accusers of their fellow women, pointing fingers at old single women as witches an example was Susana Martins.

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In Document B, Demos presents that most of the accusers of witches were single females in their younger years of age. In the late 1600s, women were extremely dependent upon men for their financial stability, overall safety, and mental/emotional well being. In an interpretation of this document, it can be assumed that these younger female women were seeking family ties and protection in a harsher time period. On the same hand, Document C, a most likely extremely biased account, recounts the “bewitched actions” of Bridget Bishop, a witch, upon the afflicted. Samuel Parris, the examiner of Bishop, seems to shed a negative light on Bishop.

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Bridget Bishop, a resident of Salem, was the first person to be tried as a witch. Surprisingly, Bishop was accused of witch craft by the highest number of witneses. After Bishop, more than two hundred people were tried of practicing witchcraft and twenty were executed. Many of these accusations arose from jealous, lower class members of society, especially towards women who had come into a great deal of land or wealth. Three young children by the names of Elizabeth, Abigail, and Ann were the first three people to be “harmed” by the witches.

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They burned and tortured people to the confession was reviled, then they killed them it was an awful time to live in. People were scared that they would be next to be called a witch a lot of people died who didn 't need to. If a witch confessed to quickly was deemed to be abandoned by the devil. If she did not and kept their “stubborn silence” was still protected by the devil and was more bound to the devil.

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A group of young girls began to behave strangely, complaining of physical maladies, visions, and trembling, and babbling uncontrollably. They blamed their behavior on three village women who, the girls believed, practiced witchcraft upon them. (“Salem Witch Trials” Gale). Women who were accused of witch crafted were imprisoned, then hanged, drowned and stoned (Karlsen). Throughout 1692, 156 women were accused of witchcraft, and 20 of them were sentenced to death (Karlsen).

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