Witchcraft In U.S. History Essay examples -- essays research papers

The religion of Witchcraft dates back about 25,000 years, to the Paleolithic Age, where the God of Hunting and the Goddess of Fertility first appeared. Out of respect for the overwhelming power of Nature grew a belief in beings, gods, who controlled the winds, the seas, the earth and the fires (Rinehart). People have been slaughtered for ages because they had different belief systems or they simply were not liked. Whether they were witches or not, hundreds of thousands of people have been burned at the stake, dunked in freezing rivers, or otherwise tortured because people accused them of being witches. People have been moving over to get a better life Shortly after Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic trying to get to India and unknowingly bumped into South America. People started moving over very quickly after finding that gold was present in South America. Several countries moved into various parts of South America, Central America, what is now Mexico, North America, and Canada. This new place was ripe for the taking there was gold, plenty of game and a lot of farmland. In 1620, a group of Separatist Puritans called Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in the Mayflower seeking religious freedom. Once the pilgrims got settled down in various villages people started accusing each other of practicing witchcraft. Whether it was new people from another separatist group or just jealousy the accusations flew. The people who were often thought to be the accusers of witches were commonly believed to be men wishing to suppress unruly women. This may be true, but is far more indirect and subtle than popularly believed. The responsibilities held by a housewife had immense importance in her role in society. Women were responsible for preserving the boundaries of social and cultural life. When this process was disrupted, the authority and identity of the housewife were put into question, she could no longer control the processes needed to fulfill her role. Instead of admitting this loss of control, it may have been easier for the housewife to blame a witch, usually someone who had wronged her. (Starkey 24) Female accusers may have felt the need to prove their own â€Å"normality† and their willingness to accept the restrictions and assumptions of a religious society. Accusing another may also have been a way of diverting attention away from themselves. It may ... ...ft or Wicca is more widespread than one might think. But it is actually quite popular, especially around teenage youths. Sources â€Å"Cerridwen's Retreat† http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/cerridwen/index.html.. Site 1 George Malcolm. 1692 Witch Hunt the layman’s guide to the Salem witchcraft trials. Heritage books, in 1992. â€Å"The History of Witchcraft and The Salem Witchcraft Trials† http://www.angelfire.com/mi/WitchHistoryReport/index.html Site 2 â€Å"The Inner Sanctum† http://www.witchway.net/.. Site 3 Starkey L. Marion. The Devil In Massachusetts. Anchor Books NY New York, 1949. â€Å"Naidra's humble abode† http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/2903/ Site 4 â€Å"Nemain† http://nemain.virtualave.net/. Online, July 18 2000 Site 5 Trask B. Richard. â€Å"The devil hath been raised† A documentary of the Salem village witchcraft outbreak of march 1692. Yeoman Press, Danvers Massachusetts, 1992. Marshal Richard. Witchcraft The history and Mythology. by Random house publishing, Avenel, New jersey 1995. Rinehart, Catara. Personal interview, 19 July 2000 â€Å"Witchcraft in Salem village† http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/ Site 6 9