THE INTERNATIONAL STATUTE OF WIZARDING SECRECY
1st Year - Option One
No other law had more impact on the Wizarding World than the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Signed in 1689 and established in 1692, it quickly and forcibly changed our everyday life and the way we interacted with our muggle neighbors.But let's start at the beginning: Why was the Statute created?
In the roughly 300 years before the Statute was created, many witches and wizards, especially younger ones, fell victim to persecutions by muggles. This can be ascribed to religion. In Europe, where most of the medieval persecutions happened, Christianity was the predominant religion. And, according to Christianity, witchcraft is evil. And I should add that religion was one of the major influences during that times. So when the Church started blaming witchcraft for catastrophes like wars or pestilences, it was easy to bring muggles together to hunt down our folk.
"Magic is Might" statue in the British Ministry of Magic
When the Statute was enacted, wizards went into hiding. All-Wizard communities like Hogsmeade and Concealment Charms helped hiding our presence from muggles.The Statute also includes rules about our dress code when entering the muggle world, or regulations to sports like Quidditch.
Of course, we also have to talk about breaches.One of the most serious breaches ever occurred just one hundred years after the creation of the Statute. A witch by the name of Dorcus Twelvetree revealed her magic, the location of both, the headquarters of MACUSA and Ilvermorny, as well as information about the International Confederation of Wizards to the No-Maj Bartholomew Barebone, who descended from Scourers, a group of rogue wizarding mercenaries in the 17th century. This breach led to the creation of Rappaport's Law, leading to the total segregation of No-Majs and magical folk in North America. While it might have been possible to prevent this breach, others are almost inevitable. Powerful magical creatures or beings might breach the Statute, and we can do nothing to prevent this. This happened in New York in 1926, when an Obscurial went rogue and destroyed parts of the city.
When the Statute was enacted, wizards went into hiding. All-Wizard communities like Hogsmeade and Concealment Charms helped hiding our presence from muggles.The Statute also includes rules about our dress code when entering the muggle world, or regulations to sports like Quidditch.
HOMEWORK:
1) Describe one of the breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy. What happened? Why is it notable?
2) How was the Statute adopted in Britain? How in the United States? Are there similarities? What are the differences?
Do you think there is another way how the Statute could have been implemented?
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*credit for this lesson belongs to TheSmartpool