-
-
|
- The
Topic:
- Salem
Witch Trials
|

- Easier - In the
summer of 1692, ignorance and fear ruled over Puritan
Salem, Massachusetts. Several men and women stood
trial for witchcraft. People called them witches and
believed the devil had given them special powers.
Nineteen of the accused were judged guilty and put to
death by hanging. Another was crushed to death for not
pleading guilty. Many others suffered and some died as
a result of the turmoil and mistreatment.
-
- Harder - It was a
tough, cold winter in Salem, Massachusetts and
sometime during February 1692, a small girl became
strangely ill. She complained of pain and fever, burst
out in incomprehensible gibberish, experienced
convulsions and contortions; her symptoms baffled
everyone. Cotton Mather had just written a popular
book describing suspected witchcraft in nearby Boston.
Then three other girls, playmates of the afflicted
Betty Parris, began to exhibit similar unusual
behaviors. Doctor Griggs examined the girls and after
his first administrations failed, he declared that the
girls' afflictions might be the result of
witchcraft.
-
- That grim diagnosis triggered a Puritan
inquisition throughout the community. Finger pointing
began. The first to be arrested were a Caribbean-born
slave along with Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn, two
elderly women of poor reputation. The hysteria raged
into the summer months and filled the prisons with
innocent people. Eventually, 150 "witches" were taken
into custody. By late September, 19 men and women had
been hanged on Gallows Hill, an eighty year old man
pressed to death under stones for refusing a trial,
five more accused had died in jail, but none of the
executed had confessed to witchcraft. Then almost as
fast as it had started, the witch hunt ended.
-
- Hunting for Witches: Intolerance, Persecution and Injustice in Salem and Beyond... by M. Frazel
- http://www.midgefrazel.net/salem.html
- This comprehensive links-site provides
resources, activities, lesson plans, and much more
on the Salem Witch Trials.
-
- Salem
Witch Museum
- http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/
- Here you can read about the history behind the
Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Trials of Hysteria by K.A. Gustafsson from
Suite 101
- http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/womens_history/53774
- 3) Salem Witch Trials http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/salem.html
- 4) Salem Witch Trials 1692: A Chronology of
Events http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/
-
- Salem
Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription
Project from University of
Virginia
- http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/
- This project consists of an electronic
collection of primary source materials relating to
the Salem witch trials of 1692 and a new
transcription of the court records.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Salem Witchcraft Trials 1692 by D. Linder
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SALEM.HTM
- 3) Salem Witch Trials by T. Sutter http://www.salemwitchtrials.com/
- 4) Salem Witch Trials: The World Behind the
Hysteria from Discovery School
http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/
- 5) Salem Witch Trials, 1692 at EyeWitness to History from Ibis
Communications Inc.
- http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/salem.htm
-
- Salem Witchcraft Hysteria from National
Geographic
- http://www.nationalgeographic.com/salem/
Here you find clues and testimony to
investigate the Salem Witch Trials.
Related Websites:
2) Salem Witchcraft http://home.texoma.net/~adwignall/
3) Witches
Curse from PBS's Secrets of the Dead
II
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_salem/index.html
-

- After visiting several of the
websites, complete one or more of the
following activities.
-
- Complete A Salem Witch Trials
WebQuest. Follow or adapt the
instructions found at these webQuest
sites:
- 1) The Crucible (Grades 10-12) by C.
Driscoll http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips/t3prod/driscollwq1.html
- 2) The Crucible: Miller v. McCarthy
(Grade 11) by L. Wallace and J.
Kimmel
- http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webquests/crucible/
- 3) Salem Witch Trials (Grades 5-6) by
T.Bonaguaro http://coleman.glenrocknj.org/bonaguarot_webquest/terrybquest.htm
- 4) Salem Witchcraft Trials WebQuest
http://www.geocities.com/salemwitches_ca/
- 5) Studying the Background of Arthur
Miller's The Crucible (Grade 11) by A.M.
Moore
- http://www.teachtheteachers.org/projects/AMoore/Crucible.htm
- 6) Witchcraft or Witchhunt (Grade 11)
by D. Jacobs
- http://www.teachtheteachers.org/projects/DJacobs/index.htm
-
- Hold A Mock Salem Witch Trial.
This group project can involve several
people. Begin by researching the history
of the Salem Witch Trials. Use primary
source documents to provide as much
information as possible. Assign roles for
the trial such as prosecution, defense,
defendants, witnesses against, character
witnesses for (family, friends), jury,
judge, bailiff, and medical expert
witness. Identify the way that the trials
were conducted; i.e., testimony, type of
evidence allowed, defense, etc. Conduct
the mock trial as accurately as
possible.
-
- Read The Witch on Blackbird
Pond. Read the 1959 Newbery
Award winning book, The Witch of
Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George
Speare. You can learn more about it and
find lots of related resources and
information at the eduScapes Literature
Ladder's site: The
Witch on Blackbird Pond. You might
also be interested in Witch
Child by Celia Rees.
-
- Analyze the Causes for the Salem
Witch Trials. Use the sites to
research the trials. Identify the theories
of why they occurred. Make your own
decision and present your findings and
beliefs of what really caused this
horrific chain of events. In other words,
justify your decision.
-
- Debate Whether Any Witch Hunts Are
Occurring Today? You hear the term,
witch hunt, thrown around in public media
forums and politics. The question is what
if any witch hunts are being conducted
today? Research and organize your
evidence. You decide for yourself; then
present your case. An alternative activity
would be to identify witch hunts that have
been conducted in recent history - - the
last one hundred years for instance.
-
- What Can Be Done To Prevent Witch
Hunts? Identify the factors or
conditions which you think prevent the
conduct or success of witch hunts. Create
a persuasive presentation to convince and
educate others.
|
- Websites By Kids For Kids
- Salem
Witch Trials (1999 ThinkQuest Internet
Challenge)
- http://library.thinkquest.org/25958/
- This site covers the Salem Witch Trails and
also includes an analysis of The Crucible by Arthur
Miller.
-
- Witches
of Salem? (2000 ThinkQuest Junior
Project)
- http://library.thinkquest.org/J002395/
- Learn about how the accusations started, the
people who were tried as witches, and about the
trials of the accused.
-
- More Websites
- Ann
Putnam Jr.: Predator or Victim? by M.
Munro, Suite 101
- http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/historys_wild_women/82983
- As a young girl her accusations sparked the
infamous Salem Witch Trials. Was she really a
malicious spirit, or simply a pawn in her parent's
political scheming?
- Related Websites from Suite 101:
- 2) Torture and the Witchcraze of Early Modern
Europe by M. Powell-Smith, Suite 101
- http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/church_history/26568
- Note: To visit all
seven parts of this article, click on "Next
Article" at the bottom of each
Webpage.
-
- Miller,
Arthur: The Crucible, 1953 from ©
SwissEduc
- http://www.swisseduc.ch/english/readinglist/miller_arthur/crucible/
- Start with a summary of the play, then an act
by act synopsis, plus lots of other related
resources at this comprehensive website.
- Related Sites:
- 2) Arthur Miller's The Crucible: Fact &
Fiction by M. Burns
- http://www.17thc.us/docs/fact-fiction.shtml
- 3) Hysteria and Ideology in The Crucible (1953)
by R. Hayes
- http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/crucible.html
- 4) The Crucible by Arthur Miller from Anglia
Campus http://www.angliacampus.com/public/sec/english/crucible/
- 5) The Crucible - Story Analysis http://www.dramatica.com/story/analyses/analyses/crucible.html
- 6) The Crucible-Study Guide http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/crucible.html
- 7) The Crucible from SparkNotes
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/crucible/
- 8) The Crucible by Arthur Miller 1953 by W.
Bly from Barrons PinkMonkey
- http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/crucibl.asp
- 9) Why I Wrote "The Crucible": An Artist's
Answer to Politics by Arthur Miller
- http://teachers.sduhsd.net/mcunningham/why_i_wrote.htm
-
- Cotton
Mather by P.R. Johnson
- http://www.gty.org/~phil/mather.htm
- This site features writings of and about Cotton
Mather - - a leader and minister of Puritan
NewEngland and a figure in the Salem Witch
Trials.
-
- Puritanism
in New England by D. Cody from the
Victorian Web
- http://www.victorianweb.org/religion/puritan2.html
- This brief article summarizes the history of
Puritans in the 17th century Colonies.
- Related Websites:
- 2) About the Puritans from Fire and Ice: Puritan and Reformed Writings
- http://www.puritansermons.com/aboutprt.htm
- 3) Puritans in Colonial America http://lonestar.texas.net/~mseifert/puritan.html
- 4) Puritanism, Puritans http://www.mb-soft.com/believe/txc/puritani.htm
- 5) Puritanism in New England by D.M. Campbell
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/purdef.htm
- 6) Puritan Jurisprudence: Progress and
Inconsistency by J.G. McClendon
- http://www.reformed.org/webfiles/antithesis/v1n1/ant_v1n1_juris.html
- 7) Resources on the Puritans (Links-site)
- http://syllabus.syr.edu/HIS/ldaly/his101/puritan.htm
-
- Rebecca
Nurse: A Tragedy of Justice
- http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/enquirer/witch.htm
- Why were the townspeople so shocked by the
accusation of Rebecca Nurse? What ulterior motives
did Rebecca's accusers have for accusing her of
witchcraft? What did Ann Putnam confess in 1706
about her accusation of Rebecca Nurse?
- Similar Websites:
- 2) Mary Bradbury's Trial http://members.aol.com/MaryARoots/trial.index.html
- 3) Susanna North Martin http://www.rootsweb.com/~nwa/sm.html
-
- Salem
Witchcraft Trials 1692 by D.W. Koeller
- http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/USA/Salem.html
- This site provides a short summary of the
events leading up to the trial and the
outcomes.
|
- Witch Hunts (A.D. 1400-1800) by B.A. Pavlac, Kings College
- http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/witch/
- The European Witch Craze started roughly during conclusion of the 15th century and peaked during the first half of the seventeenth century.
- Related Sites:
- 2) Early Modern Witch-Hunt by S. Muhlberger http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/muhlberger/2155/witch.htm
- 3) Witch Hunt in Modern Europe
- http://www.termpapers-termpapers.com/dbs/a4/bwa40.shtm
-
- Witchhunts
That Don't Involve Witches
- http://www.curriculumunits.com/crucible/whunts/huntable2.htm
According to American Heritage Dictionary, a
witchhunt is a political campaign launched on the
pretext of investigating activities subversive to
the state. Examine campaigns, some of which have
happened in our century, where groups of human
beings were persecuted because of race, religion,
or political beliefs.
Related Website:
2) About McCarthyism from Poets Index
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/mccarthy/mccarthy.htm
3)
Hollywood Blacklist by D. Georgakas http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/blacklist.html
3) McCarthyism
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmccarthyism.htm
-
-
- Websites For Teachers
- The
Crucible by J.A. Frieden and D.W.
Elliott
- http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/crucible.html
- This learning guide for the film presents
Arthur Miller's play about the Salem witchcraft
trials. The play and the films capture the sense of
the late 1600s as well as the hysteria and
injustice of the red scare of 1947 - 1956.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Teaching The Crucible: A Guide to Curriculum
Integration from Social Studies School Service http://www.socialstudies.com/c/@kjqn0ii8QwQlg/Pages/crucibleindex.html
- 3) The Crucible by Arthur Miller
- http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-3498.html
- 4) The Cruicible by P. Coogan http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/units/crucible/home.html
- 5) The Crucible from SCORE http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cruc/cructg.html
- 6) The Crucible Project http://www.curriculumunits.com/crucible/main3.htm
- 7) Salem Witch Trials (Grade 11) by J. Condon
at My School Online
- http://www.myschoolonline.com/folder/0,1872,2683-130122-2-15204,00.html
-
- Crucible-Witch
Hunts (Grades 9-11) by C. White, D.
Underwood, & R. Campbell from The Solution
Site
- http://www.thesolutionsite.com/lpnew_bin/UI_Metadata/public/1457
- This unit begins with an overview of Puritain
doctrine in relation to the Salem Witch Trials of
the late 17th century. The lesson includes a
reading of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," a
statistical analysis of the Salem Witch trials, a
simulation of the hysteria which infected the
village like a virus.
-
- Puritanism
and Predestination by C.L. Heyrman from
National Humanities Center's
TeacherServe
- http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us:8080/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/puritan.htm
- This lesson plan site contains a summary of
Puritanism and the idea of predestination, student
activity ideas, and questions and answers regarding
Puritanism.
-
- Salem
Witch Trials (Grades 9-12) from
Discovery School
- http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/salemwitchtrials/
- Students examine the allegations and offer
alternatives to witchcraft to explain the
peoples behavior.
-
- Salem
Witch Trials by A. Perno
- http://www.perno.com/history/lessons/witch.htm
- The site contains a lesson outline and
resources.
-
- Salem
Witch Trials by (Grades 7-9) P. Keitel and
J. Kunzler
- http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/roosevelt/salem/teacher.htm
- The lesson's focus is the Salem witch hysteria.
It is a cooperative activity that requires students
to research, role play, respond, and report.
-
- Salem
Witch Trials Unit (Grade 5) by J.
Christensen and W. Williams
- http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnesF2000/jilchr/default.htm
- This unit plan offers lessons, activities, and
both off and online resources for study of the
Salem Witch Trials.
-

Salem Witch Trials |
witch |
warlock |
colonial life |
New England |
witch hunt |
Colonial
life |
Gallows Hill |
witchcraft |
accusation |
Puritan |
trial |
hysteria |
paganism |
Court of Oyer and Terminer |
admission |
execution |
jail |
hearsay |
superstition |
guilt |
spectral evidence |
belief |
Devil |
illness |
supernatural |
spiritual perfection |
possession |
confession |
defense |
evil spirit |
demon |
"red scare" |
justice |
Puritan Law |
obsession |
interrogation |
occult |
innocent |
testimony |
hanging |
torture |
1692 |
ethics |
revenge |
apology |
atonement |
Salem,
Massachusetts |
-
-
-
Created by
Annette
Lamb and
Larry
Johnson,
12/05.
|