The History of Witchcraft

Many years ago people lived primative lives. There was no modern medicine, so when a person was sick, there was little that could be done. It was dangerous to be sick. During those early days, there were women that learned the value of healing herbs and homeopathic treatments. Not much was known about medicine in those days, and as Christianity spread across Europe, clergy became suspisous of learned women who were healing others with herbal medicines. Many people thought that that if a person was sick or ill that it was God’s punishment for some sin committed. The healing women began to be accused of heresy, being anti-Christian and devil worship. The word Witch actually is derived from the word “Wicca” meaning “Wise One.” Although they were considered wise and knowledgeable, witches were considered to be something to be absolutely feared and avoided. The accusations of witchcraft drove healers further underground and many lived quiet lives deeply in remote peasant village. In the late 1400's, the church created enough fear and hysteria with regard to the healing women. Those accused of practicing any form of witchcraft were tried quickly and then were executed publicly as punishment, often publicly.They did this to scare the public away from having anything to do with witchcraft. In the American colonies, Samuel Parris’ daughter Betty, and his niece, Abigail Williams came down with a mysterious illness late in 1691 that caused them to have strange seizures or fits where their bodies would flail about wildly. The doctors did not know why it was happening. The doctors decided that since they couldn’t identify the cause, the girls must be under evil influence. Perhaps, thought the doctor, that the girls were under a spell. A woman named Tibuta, an Indian slave that had worked for the Parris family, was the first person accused by the young girls of casting a spell on them. A couple of local women were also accused -- Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. All three women were excecuted for being witches. The witchcraft hysteria continued and in 1692 nineteen "witches" were hanged at the gallows in Salem, Massachusettes alone. It wasn't until the very late 1600's and early 1700's that people began to realize that innocent women were unfairly put to death and that the devil was responsible for causing such hysteria. Interesting considering that beforehand, in their minds, it was the devil that created the witches in the first place. In 1695 a Quaker named Thomas Maul publicly brought forth the idea that innocent women ha dbeen persecuted and by 1700 there were petitions to the Massachusettes government to formally reverse all convictions of witchraft. By 1711 many convictions were reversed.