I grew up in Boston Mass. Not far from Salem where they had the Salem witch trials.
Puritans
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. Puritanism played a significant role in English history, especially during the Protectorate.
Wikipedia
The
Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of
witchcraft in
colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by
hanging (14 women and five men). One other man,
Giles Corey, was
pressed to death after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people died in jail.
Arrests were made in numerous towns beyond
Salem and Salem Village (known today as
Danvers), notably
Andover and
Topsfield. The grand juries and trials for this
capital crime were conducted by a Court of
Oyer and Terminer in 1692 and by a
Superior Court of Judicature in 1693, both held in Salem Town, where the hangings also took place. It was the deadliest
witch hunt in the history of colonial North America. Only fourteen other women and two men had been executed in Massachusetts and Connecticut during the 17th century.
Gender context
A majority of people accused and convicted of witchcraft were women (about 78%). Overall, the Puritan belief and prevailing New England culture was that women were inherently sinful and more susceptible to damnation than men were. Throughout their daily lives, Puritans, especially Puritan women, actively attempted to thwart attempts by the Devil to overtake them and their souls. Indeed, Puritans held the belief that men and women were equal in the eyes of God, but not in the eyes of the Devil. Women's souls were seen as unprotected in their weak and vulnerable bodies. Several factors may explain why women were more likely to admit guilt of witchcraft than men. Historian Elizabeth Reis asserts that some likely believed they had truly given in to the Devil, and others might have believed they had done so temporarily. However, because those who confessed were reintegrated into society, some women might have confessed in order to spare their own lives.
Quarrels with neighbors often incited witchcraft allegations. One example of this is Abigail Faulkner, who was accused in 1692. Faulkner admitted she was "angry at what folk said," and the Devil may have temporarily overtaken her, causing harm to her neighbors. Women who did not conform to the norms of Puritan society were more likely to be the target of an accusation, especially those who were unmarried or did not have children.
en.wikipedia.org
For All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.
Hugs