The Salem Witch trials is a dark time of American History. This was a time is history when the Puritan way of life and legal system were entwined within one another and made living in the village and have a legal voice difficult. Looking back at the time period that was The Salem Witch Trials is helpful in understanding what can happen when the plight of gender relations and a legal system bound by the church can result in consequeces that are irreversible in the outcome. In studying and learning of these trials we hope to acknowledge that this could happen again if nothing is learned, and the idea that America as a society has put aside folklore and superstitions that have been entertained by our own fears. The gender-bashing and gay-bashing is how the modern day witches are persecuted.

 Table Of Contents: 

Salem Witch  Trials 

Salem and Andover  

Puritan Life

Witchcraft or Mental Illness

The Accused

The Trials

Modern Day Hysterias

Women and Witches Today

Works Cited: 

Carlson, Laurie M. A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials. Chicago: I.R. Dec. 1999.

Cornell, Drucilla. "Gender in America." The Keyword Series (2004): 35-40.

Gibson, Marion. "Retelling Salem Stories: Gender Politics and Witches in American Culture." European Journal of American Culture. 25.2 (2006): 85-107

Gragg, Larry Dale. The Salem Witch Crisid. New York: Praegar, 1992

Kallen, Stuart A. The Salem Witch Trials. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1999

"Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive." Salem Witch Trials. Web. 24 Oct. 2010 http://salemwitchtrials.org/home.html

"The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692." UMKC School of Law. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.html

Williams, Selma R., and Pamela Williams Adelman. Riding the Nightmare: Women and Witchcraft for the Old World toColonial Salem. New York, NY: Harper Prennial, 1992.

 "Gendercide Watch: European Witch-Hunts." Gendercide Watch - Main Page. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://www.gendercide.org/case_witchhunts.html>.

"Witch Hunts and Human Rights Abuses in Africa | International Humanist and Ethical Union." International Humanist and Ethical Union | The World Union of Humanist Organizations. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://www.iheu.org/witch-hunts-and-human-rights-abuses-africa>.

"Puritan Laws and Character." History of the USA. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. <http://www.usahistory.info/NewEngland/Puritans.html>.

"Salem Witch Trials." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials>.