Witches :: essays research papers

WitchesAmerican history has few subjects as interesting as witchcraft, becauseit confronts us with many Ideas about women. It confronts us with fears aboutwomen, the location 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. Even though around 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 dismiss 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 severaldifferent practices. Minister John Hale, who witnessed Joness hanging in Bostonwhen he was a boy, later said that she "was suspected partially because that aftersome angry words passing between her and her Neighbors, some mischief befellsuch neighbors in their Creatures, or the like and partly because some things conjectural to be bewitched, or have 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 "extra nondescript violenteffects." When people refused to take her medical advice, he added, "theirdiseases and hurts continued, with relapse against the ordinary course, andbeyond the apprehension of all physicians and surgeons."(P.21) Hale alsomentioned that Jones was believed to possess psychic powers "some things whichshe foretold came to pass accordingly other things she could tell of ... shehad no ordinary way of life to come to the knowledge of."(P.20) John Hale pointed outthat several of Joness neighbors tried to get her to confess and repent. Oneof them, he said, "prayed her to consider if God did not catch 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 both the clergy and the largerpopulation . . . " (p. 22)     This first account, in Karlsens study, brings to the come out of the closet some of