Women Were Accused Of Witchcraft In The 18th Century

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During the reign of the Stuart dynasty, the idea of witchcraft and “witch hunts” became paramount within English society. By accusing certain outcasts of witchcraft within the villages, it often provided the common people of England a scapegoat when trying to rationalize unexplainable events, such as a premature death or a bad harvest. Over the course of this paper, I plan to show what sorts of people, mainly women, were being persecuted for witchcraft and the reasoning behind why these women were accused. These accusations and convictions of witchcraft resulted in trial, torture, and death of thousands of victims, with approximately three quarters of them being women. The witchcraft trials that boomed throughout England and as well as Europe is considered to be one of the largest atrocities leading …show more content…

English society was completely male-controlled as it had been on centuries before, “being sustained by stout pillars of authority and custom.” Because these specific types of women did not have a male figure in their life to control them, this contradicted the patriarchal system in English society at the time. Because of these abnormalities, these women were charged of witchcraft in fear that they were avoiding or rebelling against the patriarchal control that was omnipresent through England at the time. This fear of women rebelling resonated through all communities and social hierarchies throughout England, working from small villages to eventually major cities like London. The effect of this distress over women defying male-controlled society was seen through legislative acts like Witchcraft Act of 1604, stating witchcraft a crime punishable by death and “shall use practice or exercise any Witchcraft Socerie, Charme, or Incantment wherebie any person shall be killed, destroyed, wasted, consumed, pined, or lamed on his or her

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