Witchcraft In Colonial America

If one were to mention the concept of witchcraft, certain notions would instantaneously come to mind. For some, witchcraft stirs ideas of grotesque old crones draped in ill-fitting garments riding a broom across the heavens; oftentimes, these figures are represented with a common black cat to serve as their familiar. Likewise, others may think of witchcraft in terms of Hollywood blockbuster films such as The Wizard of Oz or perhaps even The Witches of Eastwick. As fanciful and alluring as these interpretations of witchcraft may be, they are at best a poor parody for the historical realities of the fear inspired by witches and the cruelties that this fear unleashed, particularly in Colonial British America during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Therefore, the events occurring within England during the 17th century strongly influenced developments throughout England’s Atlantic colonies. In truth, the events in England would not only be replayed in North America, they would be expanded upon as colonists sought to forge a new existence in a largely unknown continent. In this environment, the British colonists of North America earnestly believed that their daily lives were constantly affected by both the divine intervention of Christ and the maliciousness of Satan. With this in mind, it is little wonder that the colonial psyche often associated religious or social dissent as Lucifer working within their community to recruit followers to his designs. Consequently, the seeds for the fear of witchcraft were
The first was by a persistent use of scripture as a literal means for religious truth. During the 17th century, education was seen as a medium for teaching individuals how to read and write so that they could navigate the bible. In New England, young girls often attended a dame school while boys were educated via a primary school with a head master where they were taught the alphabet. While this education led to a larger literate populace, Biblical literacy contributed to religious intolerance and an outright fear of witchcraft. For instance, when colonists read from Exodus 22:18, “Though shalt not suffer a witch to live,” they took this as a literal dictate from God that witches were to be discovered and executed. In turn, when the colonists read from Genesis they found a literal justification from God that implicated women as the likely source of