Witchcraft In The 17th Century Essay

The Puritans of 17th century New England believed in witches and witchcraft. They were a group of people who had left England to escape religious persecution, yet their beliefs centered on an intolerant and rigid code. They shared many of the same beliefs as the Church of England but felt that neither the church nor the country was up to snuff. They believed that all sins should be punished and that God would be the one to do so. Any misfortune that was suffered was seen as God’s will or as the work of the Devil against that will. In the 1620’s and 1630’s the Puritans left England and sailed to the New World seeking to distance themselves from all the corruption, both religious and worldly, that they saw. They felt that Puritanism was not just a set of ideas but a state of mind. Like so many
they wished for the freedom to worship and govern themselves in a way that they deemed truly Christian. The first Puritans to come to America were a group of separatists best known as the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims settled at Plymouth six weeks before winter making a rough start. Only half of the settlers survived with help from local Indians. In 1629 the Massachusetts Bay Company was founded in hopes to further the Puritan cause and to gain a profit from trade with the Indians. By 1642 21,000 Puritans had sailed and settled in Massachusetts. What made the Puritans settling in New England unique was that most arrive in families and only one quarter consisted of servants.
Although the Puritans had different views in regards to religion they did subscribe to the beliefs of male authority in the home and common-law tradition. Being a farming community without a lot of servants or slaves it was important for the man’s success that he had control over the labor of his family. Women were given spiritual authority and were allowed to become full members in the church but only men could be ministers.
In the Puritan community anyone could worship at the church but to become a full member the person had to be considered a visible saint. Puritans felt that your fate of being granted access to heaven was predestined. In 17th century New England God’s plan was reinforce by the laws of man. The Puritans thought that too much emphasis on one’s self was bad for the community. They feared individualism and anyone who was different. They watched each other very closely and were quick to tell you when you were wrong or have you kicked out of the community.
Puritans also believed that all sins were punishable even the smallest infraction like falling asleep in church. They also believed that God would deal out the punishments. Any misfortune that befell someone was seen as God’s will and no help would be offered. The Devil was also believed to be just as real as God. They felt Satan would select the weakest individuals to carry out his work. His followers were called Witches.
Witchcraft was one of the greatest crimes a person could commit and was punishable by death.
In 17th century New England witches were hanged from time to time. Most accused were women who were out spoken or lived independently. It was thought that the witch’s power challenged God’s will and the man’s standing as head of the family.
In 1692 in the town of Salem a series of trials and executions took place due to anxieties running high. Beginning in late 1691 it was believed by elders that witchcraft had caused several girls to suffer from fits and nightmares. The girls then ended up naming three witches. At that time the only way not to be prosecuted was to confess and name others. This caused accusations to spiral out of control. By the middle of 1692 hundreds of towns people had accused their neighbors.
During this time some of the accusations seemed to be made as a means of retaliation and settling scores. Action was taken against almost 150 people many of whom were women. Several of the accused confessed just to save their own lives. There were fourteen women and five men that were hanged because they refused to confess and maintained their innocents to the bitter
end. Accusations began to spread outside the usual profile and as they multiplied it started to become clear that something was wrong with the colony’s justice system. By the end of 1692 the governor had dissolved the Salem court and ordered any remaining prisoners be released. These events left a black mark on the tradition of prosecuting witches as well as the town. However, it did lead colonists to find scientific explanations for unexplainable events and illness. The Puritans of 17th century New England believed in a lot of things. One of the strongest of these beliefs was witches and witchcraft was the Devil’s work against God’s will. Due to religious fanaticism several people ended up losing their lives. The Puritans may have left England to escape religious persecution and for the freedom to live the way they chose but in the end only became what it was they were trying to escape.