were often charged with witchcraft. Social tensions again played an important role in the witchcraft trials in Salem. The puritans believed that God ordained the class structure; therefore, women should not rise on the social ladder. The Devil in The Shape of a Women states, "submissiveness, a quality expected in puritan society… Nor was it common among witches, most of whom were decidedly assertive." The trials enabled puritan men to keep puritan women submissive and to prevent upward social mobility of women. If a woman became too assertive or rose on the social scale she would be brought to trial. At this time, Puritan women were gaining control over there own lives. Consequently women were blamed as witches more often then men. Most importantly, the trials were used to place women over forty on trial. These women were at a point in there lives where they could no longer perform the major role of a woman. These women could no longer bare children and therefore no longer benefited puritan society. It is stated in The Devil in The Shape of a Women, "Whether a widow remained a widow or remarried, whether she held on to her means of support or relinquished them, she competed with her sons for precious resources." Also, men resented that some women could live alone without the need of a man. This was not the accepted social structure. Hence the trials reflected the feelings of the men in puritan society. Quaker women were put on trial because they believed in the right to female spiritual leadership. They felt that there was no need for an ordained ministry because women and men could teach each other the "divine truths". This went against the Puritan beliefs by making women equal to men in the teaching of God. Thus, Quaker women were put on trial. Putting these women on trial put there views on trial, hence the trials suppressed Quaker women and kept the male dominated Puritan society intact. The Salem witchcraft trials were caused...
