(Solved): F. [Women accused of Witchcraft in New England were] women [who] stood to inherit, did inherit, or ...

F. [Women accused of Witchcraft in New England were] women [who] stood to inherit, did inherit, or were denied their apparent right to inherit substantially larger portions of their fathers' or husbands' accumulated estates than women in families with male heirs. Whatever actually happened to the property in question . . . these women were aberrations in a society with an inheritance system designed to keep property in the hands of men. Finally, inheriting or potentially inheriting women were vulnerable to witchcraft accusations not only during the Salem outbreak, but from the time of the first formal accusations in New England at least until the end of the century. . . The Salem outbreak created only a slight wrinkle in this established fabric of suspicion. Contextual Insights: