Witch trials in the early modern period

A black-and-white section of a painting of a woman surrounded by men in Puritan garb.

Most witches are women, because witch hunts were all about persecuting the powerless

October 23, 2019Women & Gender

Using “witch hunt” to decry purportedly baseless allegations reflects a misunderstanding of American history. Witch trials didn’t target the powerful. They persecuted society’s most marginal members — particularly women.

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