Escaping Salem free essay sample

The Other Witch Hunt of 1692 American Economic and Social History September 26, 2012 The seventeenth century was full of challenges; political, social, and economical. Across the board individuals struggled to live, although the conditions had much improved from the beginning of the colonies. Women in particular had a difficult time fitting into this patriarchal this society. Women were defined by men and were seen as an accessory to men. In the colony of New England women were learning how to have a silent voice, while still maintaining the proper role of time. The way women were seen by men, who ran the colony, and the way men thought, not only about women, but also about the world would sculpt the society and the eventual trials of witches. Escaping Salem by Richard Godbeer illustrates the diverse roles that women played in New England during an eventful witch trial of 1692. Women and the Enlightenment thought influenced the outcome of the Katherine Branch witch trial. Although the book is focused mainly on female characters their descriptions where based of their male counterparts. Godbeer writes to describe Abigail Wescot, â€Å"Abigail’s husband Daniel, who at forty-nine her senior by just over a decade, has become a leading figure in the town†¦That their neighbors recognized Daniel’s qualities was a source of much pleasure to Abigail. † (p. 14) Using her husband to describe her age as well as her likes and dislikes shows how a women is an extension of her husband rather than an individual. Daniel Wescot does play a large role in the story of Kate and her accusations of witchcraft. Throughout the seventeenth century women continue to be hidden by their husband or father. Towards the end of the century women began to allow their private political views to be shared publicly, though religious writings. Although still taboo was the opposing view of their husbands. Having a lack of identity was not the only problem women faced in the 17th century. Seeing as the accused witches were primarily women, the acquisitions can be seen as anit-woman. Many of the accusers were women themselves; however they had a strong male hand pushing them towards the eventual accused. Although in this case (Kate Branch) the Enlightenment thought directly influenced the process of the trail, still the testimony of the women involved held less value than that of a man. Any women seen challenging the thought of a man was at a greater risk of being accused of witchcraft. Daniel Wescot and other men describe incidents involving Goody Disborough and Elizabeth Clawson. These events started with an argument between a man and a women; the man later accused the women of cursing livestock, children, or themselves by witchcraft. Godbeer, 2005) The reason that women were accused was that they disagreed with a man’s point of view. Sadly enlightenment thought did not enlighten the thought that women were intellectually equal to men. The Enlightenment was a primarily a period of intellectual growth, steaming from science to free thought. Science and the judicial system seem to be on opposite ends of the intellectual spectrum, in Escaping Salem however that is disproven. Sc ience is all based on evidence similar to the judicial system. New England’s court system may not have been as advanced as our Supreme Court is now but they still used evidence to prosecute or unfortunately persecute. Stamford’s court systems require two eye witnesses to ever event used to convict. (Godbeer, 2005) Similarly science must have an outcome happen multiple times for it to be considered valid. American Enlightenment focused on religious tolerance and democracy. The use of a court to try the accused witches is another aspect of how Enlightenment shaped the outcome for witches. Unlike in Salem where a large amount of witches were burned at the stake, the Stamford trials had a significantly less amount of witches burned due to the evidence based court trials. The court system was no place for the ideas of men; it was based solely on facts and proof. Another key entity in Enlightenment thought was free thinkers, many of which are well known. What some struggle to realize is everyone took part in free thinking. Thinking freely seems harmless; but what about those who thought freely about witches? Throughout Escaping Salem Godbeer suggests that individuals who were accused of witchcraft asked for it. The way that the women would walk down the street and the way they spoke to respected leaders in society, as mentioned above with the confrontation with Daniel Wescot, both are examples of how women especially Goody Disborough supposedly asked for an accusation. Free thinking of the Enlightenment, which can be linked to the freedom of speech that the United States, allowed individuals to speak out about the supposed witchcraft without fear of persecution. The outcome of Kate Branch’s trial is irrelevant. Women during the 1600s were seen as fragile and could not manage without a man. Free thinking, fragility, and an anit-women idea were major contributors to the witch trials, both how they were processed and why they started in the first place. Women may have been seen as insignificant by men, but their role in the trials was irrefutable. Women’s words convicted and men’s thoughts of women persecuted. References Godbeer, R. (2005). Escaping Salem: The other witch hunt of 1692. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.