In Conceived in Liberty, Rothbard said:
Women were viewed as instruments of Satan by the Puritans
http://mises.org/daily/5964/
Which puritan of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 17th century wrote this? William Bradford? John Cotton? Richard Mather? Cotton Mather? John Winthrop? John Endecott? Which? And in which puritan book or letter is written this? I searched in books and letter of the Puritans of the time and not found.
John C: Dear Kakugo. I haven't read Angelographia by Increase Mather. But I read The Wonders of the Invisible World. In this book, Cotton Mather was not referring to all women, but only to Witches and dishonest women. And "coercion from the devil" does not exist in book: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28513/28513-h/28513-h.htm
Dear Kakugo.
I haven't read Angelographia by Increase Mather. But I read The Wonders of the Invisible World. In this book, Cotton Mather was not referring to all women, but only to Witches and dishonest women. And "coercion from the devil" does not exist in book: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28513/28513-h/28513-h.htm
My bad, the term "coercion from the devil" was actually used by Carol Karlsen in Damned Women which deals exactly with the topic at hand.
Searching more about, the Puritan viewed not the women as instruments of Satan, on the contrary, were viewed as "helpers". The Puritans understood that the wife and husband have their roles. The wife stayed at home for children. The husband toiled to sustain the wife and children. To women did not benefit working in traditionally male jobs.