Katherine Harrison Witch Paper
Katherine Harrison- An Explanation Behind the Madness Although witchcraft is commonly associated with the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, there were also other trials throughout the century across colonial New England. It is important to look at some of these other trials also in order to see their cultural and historical impacts. The impacts are often overlooked because all of the attention tends to be put towards the Salem trials. One trial in particular, the 1669 trial of Katherine Harrison, is interesting to look at because of its particular circumstances. Although the essays by two respected historians, Jane Kamensky and Carol Karlsen, never address the trial specifically both seem to offer explanations for Katherine Harrison’s particular witchcraft circumstances. In order to fully compare the accuracy of their explanations to her situation a few things need to be addressed. First off there shall be a brief history of witchcraft in New England, then a clear description of the case against Katherine. Following that there shall be a summary of the historians’ individual viewpoints from their essays. Then finally, and most importantly, is the evidence of why Karlsen and Kamensky have explanatory power in the Harrison case. Witchcraft trials started around 1648 in New England and were fueled by the strong faith of the Puritans. The Puritans, a devout religious group, believed that Satan was an angel who had turned against god1, and that witches had been possessed by Satan. In turn, accusations typically arose from social tensions between neighbors and often times targeted people who were difficult or disruptive towards their society2. For most of the seventeenth century witchcraft trials occurred across New England but were not prominent. There were actually only fourteen executions up until 1692, however, witch-hunting seemed to take a turn for the worse during the infamous Salem trials. These trials began when young girls cried fowl and their words were taken