An 8 page paper discussing the premise that the outbreak of witchcraft in 17th century Salem, Massachusetts, was actually an attempt to create political order. The writer also briefly outlines the means by which the witch trials served to preserve the psychological order of Salem Village. Bibliography lists seven sources. A 5 page essay on the play by Arthur Miller that has examines the circumstances surrounding the Salem witch trials in the later part of the seventeenth century. The writer argues that the play does not revolve around religious issues, as one might expect, but rather hinges on the concept of having absolute obedience to the authority of the state.
Bibliography lists no other sources.
For contemporary society, it seems a bit difficult to believe some of what transpired in centuries gone by. One such memorable flicker on America's timeline is that of the witch hunts of colonial New England. There were a great many reasons, but none so powerful as the threat of female independence had at that time. The writer discusses why the fear of women's emancipation was the foremost reason for the colonial New England witch hunts. Bibliography lists 4 sources.