“Hanged for a Witch”
“Hanged for a Witch”
Witch-Hunting in New England before 1670
This chapter presents a narrative of witch-hunting in New England between the late 1630s and 1670 and begins the process of placing it in the broader context of the English Atlantic. It examines the process by which cases of occult crime took shape. It also illuminates the transatlantic dimensions of witch prosecutions in the Puritan colonies and addresses questions essential to understanding the phenomenon of witch-hunting in the early modern period. The chapter mentions Alice Young of Windsor, Connecticut who appears to have been the first person executed for witchcraft in New England. It investigates how Young's execution marked the beginning of an intense period of witch-hunting in New England.
Keywords: witch-hunting, New England, occult crime, witch prosecutions, Puritan colonies, Alice Young
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