Witchcraft in the 17th Century - Essay Example

Witchcraft in the 17th Century 1. Why were women much more likely than men to be accused of witchcraft during the 17th century? How did the events lie the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 help put an end to this practice? Can use knowledge from film ‘The Crucible’. Answer: Until the late 16th century, women did not have right to property and were vastly depended on their male family members. The number of women in the population fell, and the British colonies in America saw decline in their status. However, by the beginning of the 17th century, women were given various kinds of rights. For example, women were now given right to property, which increased their economic power. The socio-economic situation changed rapidly. “The female population grew, and many unmarried men took wives. By the 1650s women outnumbered men in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Many women owned property and operated farms and businesses in competition with their male neighbors. Disputes arose, especially after a husband died and left property to his widow.” (Wilson, 78) This period of history was marked with politico-religious turmoil too. The gender politics that began as a reaction to women’s economic empowerment got mixed with bigotry. Hence, women were now much more likely than men to be accused of witchcraft and tortured that way. The events like the Salem Witch Trials (1692) manifested as an orgy of violence, mainly targeted against women. The policy makers were then frightened to witness the mass hysteria associated to the power of the puritans. Hence, banning this practice became a legislative imperative. Hence an effort to make the politico-legal system of America more even-handed towards women began which continued even during the 19th century as has been pointed out by Gretchen. As shown in the film ‘The Crucible’, in relation to the Salem Witch Trials, Nilan has pointed out, “Nineteen villagers were hung as witches, four died in prison and one was pressed to death.” This sort of superstitious terror inevitably led to policy reforms and prohibition. 2. Which one of the following do you think were the main two winners and which were the main two losers in England’s Glorious Revolution of 1689, and how and why did the Revolution lead to an expansion of the British Parliament’s policy of Salutary Neglect toward its American possessions? Parties involved: British Monarchy, British Parliament, Church of England, Protestant Dissenters, and Catholics. Answer: The Glorious Revolution of 1689 in England was an event of tremendous importance in the history of not only Europe but also America. The revolution although strengthened the Parliament and democracy, it also encouraged discrimination against Catholics. The main winners: 1. British Parliament: By inviting the William of Orange to invade England, the British Parliament ensured the partnership of the superior Dutch naval fleet. After deposing King James II, the Parliament now did not give much power to the new monarch William III (the William of Orange). Instead, it began to increase its power more and more as it levied maritime advantage by the merger of English and Dutch fleets. 2. Protestant Dissenters: Members from both the Tories and the Whigs united under the common umbrella of Protestant reaction against a possible Catholic Monarchy; and they ultimately established a parliamentary system that strongly favored the Protestants. In this way, Protestants prevailed. The main losers: 1. British Monarchy: Since King James II was deposed, not only the possibility of a Catholic dynasty was destroyed but also the very institution of the Monarchy itself began to decline rapidly under the pressure of the British Parliament. 2. Catholics: Protestants were the majority in the British Parliament after the events of 1689. They eradicated the Catholics from the political system. Thousands of Catholics lost power and property in the subsequent decades. Catholics from Britain fled to America and religious tensions existed. Moreover, economic trouble began to loom over the British colonies in America. After the Glorious Revolution, British Parliament expanded its policy of not strictly enforcing the commercial laws in regards of the colonial affairs through the mechanism of Salutary Neglect that already existed. This helped the colonies to flourish and prevented their disintegration from the British Empire despite politico-religious tensions persisted. 3. How did the Seven Years’ War and the French Indian War change Great Britain’s relationship with its colonies in the Americas? Was the change in the relationship for the worse inevitable given British government policy and American colonial attitudes, or was confrontation and conflict avoidable? If unavoidable, give three political, economic, or social reasons for the problem. If avoidable, what could the British Government have done to alleviate the confrontation? Place your response in the context of conditions in the colonies during the 1760s. Answer: Roughly during 1607-1763, the unofficial policy of Salutary Neglect gave rise to powerful American colonies, which were virtually independent. When French and Indian war gained momentum around mid 1750s, these American colonies did not cooperate with the British as was expected by the latter. Despite a continued liberal colonial policy, the British Parliament was troubled to see that the American colonist s did not send their militia to Canada and on occasions continued illegal trade with France. As a reaction, the Birth embarked n a policy of enforcing stringency in the American possessions and the first restrictions put on the colonies in the early 1760s were generally of economic nature. Cave thus states that the British reevaluated its colonial policy and moved ahead towards a centralized structure for their Empire (178). Consequently, a confrontation between the British Government and the American colonists became unavoidable. During the 1760s, most of the benefits the colonists were used with were being rapidly curtailed. 1. After several decades of almost unrestricted economic power and influence, American colonists now faced threats of taxation and fiscal controls from the British Parliament on London. American colonists refused to accept this policy, which culminated into a major economic reason for the impending confrontation. 2. American colonies had obtained considerable legislative powers by the middle of eighteenth century. Now when the British attempted to reverse this situation, a political reason for confrontation surfaced rapidly. American colonists were not represented in the British Parliament, and so they were not willing to follow its rulings. 3. The American colonists were mostly Catholics while the British Parliament had emerged as a Protestant institution. Hence, socio-religious undercurrents soured the bilateral relationships slowly. The social orders of segregation across Britain and its American possessions provided a social reason behind the struggle that followed. Works Cited Cave, Alfred A. The French and Indian War. Wesport: Greenwood Press, 2004. Gretchen, Adams A. The Specter of Salem: Remembering the Witch Trials in Nineteenth Century America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009. Lois, G. Schwoerer. The Revolution of 1688-89: Changing Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Nilan, Jack. The Crucible (1996). n.d. 19 Ocober 2011 . Wilson, Lori Lee. The Salem Witch Trials. Breckenridge: Thwenty-First Century Books, 1997. Read More