Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Witch Hunts During the Puritan Period in American Colonies Analyzed. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 6 page research paper examines the origins of the witch hunts which took place in the Puritan New England colony in the late-seventeenth century. Specifically considered are the background of the Puritan religion, the underlying causes of the young girls' 'bewitching behavior,' and the role prejudice played during the witch hunts. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Witches.doc
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
asylum without a proper mental hospital" (Zilboorg, 1935, p. 73). This may have been written to describe the rampant hysteria regarding witchcraft sweeping Europe during the Renaissance, but can
also be used to describe the paranoia which allowed fear to overpower common sense in the Puritan community of Salem during the late-seventeenth century. The origins of witchcraft hysteria
can be traced to Western Europe, where dating back to the fifteenth century, approximately 1,000 people (mostly women) were executed as witches (Jendrzejewski, 1997). The Europeans brought their superstitions
regarding the power of witches to America, based primarily on the Old Testament assertion that witches under the influence of Satan existed in society, and these so-possessed should not be
allowed to live (Jones, 1997). In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, there were laws punishing convicted witches as early as 1648, and in Boston, four persons had already been executed
(Jendrzejewski, 1997). The God-fearing "fire and brimstone" mentality of the Puritan religion has long been blamed for witch hunting in colonial America, but this is merely an example of religious
radicalism being used as a convenient scapegoat. While this may have been a contributing factor, it is, the roots of American colonial witch hunts go far deeper. To
gain greater understanding of the motivation behind these witch hunts, one must first consider the Puritan society of the late 1600s. The religion was already on the wane, primarily
because it was an austere existence. In other words, it was boring. Days were spent indulging in torturous physical labor, with the only form of entertainment being grim
Puritan Sabbath services (Jendrzejewski, 1997). There was little if no tolerance for children, as reflected in Cotton Mathers stern preface to a childrens book of the time: "Do
...