Analysis Of The Seventeenth Century Massachusetts Witchcraft Case

In 16th and 17th century, world stepped into a reforming era while England colony-Massachusetts was right in between of developing into a stable society from a disturbing one. Witchcraft cases occurred repeatedly and achieved a maximum in 1690s with well-known Salem witch trial in 1692. After that, witchcraft cases extinct gradually. Many historians have done a lot of work for the research of witchcraft case. But very few person pays close attention to Massachusetts witchcraft case. Some work concerned a certain aspects of the study on Massachusetts witchcraft case, for example, Gender, Race,and so on, but there is no a whole outline to Massachusetts witchcraft case. I analyse the local witchcraft case and indicates that Here witches not only meant uncanny heresies but referred to unmoral persons.In this paper, the main framework of the structure can be divided into six chapters. The first introduction outlines this period of witch-hunt campaigns and discusses the witchcraft cases theoretical study from modern times to the present. The first chapter describes the case of witchcraft about Massachusetts in the 17th century. Chapter II to chapter IV illustrates local witchcraft case, the procedures of the the trial , the social status of witchs and the characteristics of the witchcraft, and with analysing the issues understand social status and the treatment of local witchs. In chapter V the Massachusetts witchcraft case illustrates the social environment for the conduct of witchcraft, and explains the case of the witchcraft. The last chapter can be divided into these respects: First, the impact of religion; Second, the impact of immigration status, influence from the European politics and economy also laid marks on this new colony; Third, their impact of the external Environment and the local economy, Development of economy tore down this order and resulted in lots of disputes among local residences.