The rules our ancestors lived by mystify us, at times. They horrify us, on occasion. In a hysteria, citizens executed neighbors accused of witchcraft. One human could own another. A woman’s children could be placed under a guardian’s control upon her husband’s death. And children born to unwed parents were shamed and impeded in life. We ask of our ancestors, “How could they?” and “Why would they?” In most cases, you find the beginnings of the answer by asking a more fundamental question: “What were they afraid of?”
Researching the Past at Human Scale