Lecture Notes: Witchcraft in Colonial America

Overview

• Witchcraft is a crucial topic in the discussion of colonial America.
• There is a strong historical belief and social condemnation of witchcraft, with laws against it dating back to the early modern period.

European Context

• England:

  • Laws against witchcraft emerged early.
  • Death penalty for certain witchcraft accusations.
  • Matthew Hopkins, a notable 'witch finder,' responsible for the hanging of 36 people in the mid-1600s.

• Continental Europe:

  • Catholic Inquisition with spectacular witch trials.
  • Witchcraft linked to Satanic practices.

Witchcraft Beliefs & Accusations

• Characteristics of Witches:
  • Familiars: Animals believed to assist witches, sometimes fed with blood.
  • Black Mass: Inversion of the Catholic Mass.
  • Riding on brooms: Common concept in colonies, mentioned in Salem testimonies.
  • Pact with the devil: Signing The Devil's book as an inversion of Christian oaths.

Examples in the Colonies

• Goodwin Family (Boston, 1688):
  • Involved suspected witch Ann Glover.
  • Children exhibited symptoms like seizures, blindness, and deafness.
  • Cotton Mather, a famous preacher, documented the case in "Late Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions."
  • Glover executed, symptoms persisted.

Documentary Evidence

• Puritan society valued literacy; rich archives of court documents exist.
• Example: Indictment against Martha Corey (1692) in Salem.

Puritan Society Context

• Views on Marriage and Women:

  • Women had few rights; seen as spiritual equals but more prone to sin.
  • Sex and marriage were highly regulated.

• Reasons for Witchcraft Accusations:

  • Interpretation of calamities (e.g., misfortunes as having spiritual/supernatural meaning).
  • Economic and social conflicts within Puritan society.
  • Preservation of community identity by excluding those who deviate from norms.

Conclusion

• Witchcraft in the New England colonies was influenced by anxieties related to women and societal aspects.
• Religious and economic issues may have inspired these anxieties.