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Witchcraft

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Humanities
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American InterContinental University
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Running Head: WITCHCRAFT 1
Witchcraft
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WITCHCRAFT 2
Witches were considered to be evil by early Christians in Europe; as such, they were
vilified, hunted, and killed since they were thought to be working with the devil. Images from
history depict witches as evil, wart-nosed women huddling over a cauldron or crones cackling
while riding on brooms through the night sky. There was a lot of witch hysteria in Europe during
the 1400s when accused witches were forced to confess, usually under torture. During these
times, witch hunts were common, and accused witches were often killed through burning or
hanging. Marginalized women during these times were often targeted, including single women
and widows. About 80,000 witches were executed in Europe between 1500-1660; Germany had
the highest number of executions while Ireland had the least (Zika, 2003). The witch hysteria
would eventually reach the United States starting with Virginia and Connecticut in the early
1600s and most popularly through the Salem witch trials of 1692 where about 150 people were
accused of witchcraft with 18 being executed (Zika, 2003). In Salem, there were conflicts
between the French and the British, a smallpox epidemic, and fears of attacks from Native
Americans, which necessitated the need for scapegoats in the form of witches. These witches
were thought to be pagans doing the devil’s work, while some were just natural healers or wise
women whose profession was misunderstood. Witchcraft in Europe and the New World,
therefore, served the purpose of reinforcing the Christian religion, reinforcing the patriarchy
since most victims were women, as well as an explanation for misfortune facing various
communities.
In western tradition, witchcraft is believed to be an ordinary person’s choice to learn to
practice magic and not an inherent superpower. Witches attempted to influence their
surroundings through the occult for their own benefit in order to gain property, retain health,
seek revenge, protect against natural disasters and evil spirits, among other ends. The Zande of

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1 Running Head: WITCHCRAFT Witchcraft Name of student Professor’s name Course title Date WITCHCRAFT 2 Witches were considered to be evil by early Christians in Europe; as such, they were vilified, hunted, and killed since they were thought to be working with the devil. Images from history depict witches as evil, wart-nosed women huddling over a cauldron or crones cackling while riding on brooms through the night sky. There was a lot of witch hysteria in Europe during the 1400s when accused witches were forced to confess, usually under torture. During these times, witch hunts were common, and accused witches were often killed through burning or hanging. Marginalized women during these times were often targeted, including single women and widows. About 80,000 witches were executed in Europe between 1500-1660; Germany had the highest number of executions while Ireland had the least (Zika, 2003). The witch hysteria would eventually reach the United States starting with Virginia and Connecticut in the early 1600s and most popularly through the Salem witch trials of 1692 where about 150 people were accused of witchcraft with 18 being executed (Zika, 2003). In Salem, there were co ...
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