Which of the following fits the description of a person most likely to have been accused of witchcraft in seventeenth-century New England?
A) a single young woman whose attractiveness meant that some saw her as a threat to Puritan values.
B) a married woman who normally was subservient to her husband and the community,which made her behavior seem all the more bizarre.
C) a widow who presumably was too lonely or too dependent on the community to be taken seriously,but who had to be tried and convicted to keep others from thinking similarly.
D) a married woman who had just lost a child.
E) a woman beyond childbearing age who was outspoken,economically independent,or estranged from her husband.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In seventeenth-century New England, women who were outspoken, economically independent, or estranged from their husbands were often accused of witchcraft. These women were seen as a threat to the patriarchal society and were suspected of using witchcraft to gain power and control. Women beyond childbearing age were also seen as more likely to engage in witchcraft, as they were no longer fulfilling their traditional roles as wives and mothers. Therefore, the woman who fits this description is most likely to have been accused of witchcraft.

Which of the Following Fits the Description of a Person