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Andrew Brock Assignment 4

Silvia Federici in her book “Caliban and the Witch” tells us about the time of the fifteen hundreds and how women were treated and affected negatively in that time. One event at the time had an exuberant amount of repercussions in coming times, the closing of commons. Early on in her text Federici tells the reader of how the commons at the time were a place for farmers to provide for themselves and they were also a common place for social gatherings. By being a place to have social gatherings, these commons were a great place for women to come together and share news and give their viewpoint on things with like minded people. The abolishment of the  open- field system  took this place of peace from women and ended up killing families that could no longer provide for themselves. A page later she tells us of the most affected of those that survived, older women. Due to the closing of communal areas these women had to survive by borrowing, petty theft, and delayed payments. Witch hunts were prevalent in the  fifteen hundreds. Women accused of witchcraft were given basically no trial and were killed in the thousands. While the closing of commons may not have been a direct cause, it easily was a factor in bringing about accusations. Nearly all accusations were false or were based on hatred. Simple things such as asking for help financially or unpaid rents were cause for accusations. This distrust of women became such a problem that even giving birth was cause for severe punishment if not done under strict guidlines. Contraception of any kind was seen as cause of infanticide with the consequence of death if discovered. Even having a birth that was not directly monitored by a male doctor was also cause for punishment among many other obscene reasons. Federici’s text tells us of the many injustices done to women such as removal of public spaces, the witch hunts, and capital punishment for what would be minor offenses, all stemming from a time of death and poverty.