Witches, Witchcraft Accusations and Gender in Puritan,

Colonial New England

I. Intro Stuff:

A. Can We Agree . . . . ?

B. Nonetheless, Puritans did NOT Agree with us. They believed in a corporeal Satan who walked the earth and thus he may have had minions/witches to do his bidding.

What Do “Witches DO?

A. Non-Possession

1. Ruin Crops or animals

2. Dance Naked in the Woods

(hey, who doesn’t?)

3. Stay dry in the rain

and snow.

B. Possession Type Activities1. Possess Young girls/women2. Possess Adult Men and “Hag Ride” them.3. Possess Adult Men and Force them to have sex with the Witch.

To Sum Up: 1. Most Witches Women2. Some “Man Witches”– considered leaders3. Older Men more vulnerable to witchcraft Accusations and Executions.4. Possessed Accusers likely young women, 14-24(Least Powerful Puritan group)5. Non Possessed Accusers likely to be Adult men(Most Powerful Puritan Group)6. Women INHERITORS way most likely to be Executed (dead) witches. 9 lf 10.7. Puritan women were losing power over time.

What’s It All Mean?

Puritan Witchcraft cases were moments of patriarchal control of powerful or potentially powerful women (the inheritors). Men were

assisted in this oppression of women by young women, who were anxious about the fact that they were likely to have less power than the generation before, and thus taking it out on

women, not men.

Why?

1.Class Status Anxiety

2.Stockholm Syndrome