The Salem Witch Trials: The Salem Witch Trials: History of the HysteriaHistory of the Hysteria

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IntroductionIntroductionTasTaskkProcessProcessEvaluationEvaluation

ConclusionConclusion

Index

ResourcesResources

You are about to delve into the life of a Puritan in 1692. Back in England your

family was condemned for their religious beliefs. Religious intolerance led them to

Salem, Massachusetts, where people could worship however they chose without

persecution, or could they? With many hardships to face such as famine, disease and rough weather, now a new epidemic has risen…witchcraft. Numerous villagers are being accused of conjuring up spells and spirits to harm others. A witch hunt

has begun. What is the cause of this mass hysteria? What or who will bring this chaos to a close? And most importantly, will you

be casted as a witch?

Oh no! Just days after having a big fight with a good friend of yours, you have discovered they have gone to the courts and accused you of being a witch! You have been thrown in jail, and are now awaiting trial. You are faced with a very important decision; Do you break the traditional

Puritan code of telling the truth and lie about being a witch to save yourself, or do you hold fast to your beliefs and sacrifice your life out of

fear that you will not be forgiven by God on Judgment Day? After carefully examining the history of the Salem Witch Trials, and reviewing the facts and trials of members of the village who were actually accused

and convicted, you will write a letter to a friend or family member stating reasons why this person accused you, what evidence they have against you, and what you will plead. You will complete this task on the

task template provided on the link below. The choice is yours…chose wisely!

Task Template

CLICK TO VIEW NYS

STANDARDSASSOCIATED

TO THIS WEBQUEST

STEP ONE: We will take a look at life in 1692. The people of Salem faced many hardships, even before the witch trials

were conjured up. Many families had to work long hours tending to crops,

raising animals for resources and make their own clothes, houses and equipment. The climate was rough, cold at

times, and drought and famine ran rampid through

the villages at times. Diseases, such as smallpox, spread like wildfire, killing children, and in some cases whole families. Salem was

under attack by Native Americans on a daily basis. Life was not easy in 1692!

The following are some links that willprovide you with information on

Salem life in 1692.

Life in Salem Religion in Salem

Economic and Social Division in Salem Children of Salem

After reviewing these links, click on the worksheet link and complete.

STEP TWO: Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and

caldron bubble…Witchcraft is the name of this game. We will

answer some questions using research such as: How did an

entire village get caught up in the hysteria of witchcraft? How did

this witch hunt start? How many lives were lost? What is the true

story behind the Salem Witch Trials? There were so many men, women and children involved…

there were the accused, the accusers, the investigators, the persecutors, all in a frenzy over the “demons” lurking in Salem.

What is the story?

The following is a link of the story of the Salem Witch Trials.

Salem Witch Trials StoryMake sure you are taking notes and

carefully reading…you will need to utilize details in your task.

STEP THREE: “She’s a witch!”, “He’s a sorcerer!” We will start getting into

character by answering the following questions: How would you feel if you were

being accused of witchcraft? What was going

through the minds of the accusers? What would you

do if you were a judge listening to these cases

being brought into court, and having to condemn so many lives to death? What

were these people thinking?

TitubaSarah Good

Rebecca Nurse

The following links are slides that highlight some of the individual stories of the people

that were involved in the Salem Witch Trials..

The following links are provided that show

chronological lists of events in which people were accused, on trial

or sentenced to death.Chronology of Events

The Accused and The Executed

Mary EastyGiles Corey

*Remember that for your task YOU are awaiting

trial. Examine these trials and biographies closely so you can use as much detail as possible in your

letters.

STEP FOUR: So many lives were at stake literally. You have read

the story of the Salem Witch Trials, and have read short biographies of some of the

people involved. Now you are ready to see it played out in a short film. If you click on the

cauldron below, you will be able to access a video on the Salem

Witch Trials.

Still having trouble making your decision on whether to plead guilty or not guilty?

Maybe this virtual game will allow you to make an easier choice. Click the game link below and see what is in

store!WITCH HUNT GAME!

STEP FIVE: Now that you are armed with all STEP FIVE: Now that you are armed with all of this information, it is time for you to of this information, it is time for you to complete your task. You have a tough complete your task. You have a tough

decision to make, so be careful. Make sure decision to make, so be careful. Make sure you know the evidence being held against you know the evidence being held against

you in addition to understanding the you in addition to understanding the consequences of your actions. consequences of your actions.

Click on the picture to Click on the picture to return to your TASK!return to your TASK!

Click for Rubric

This rubric will evaluate This rubric will evaluate the students task based the students task based on the organization of on the organization of the essay, paragraph the essay, paragraph

construction, quality of construction, quality of information inserted, information inserted,

explanation and analysis explanation and analysis skills.skills.

Now that you Now that you have been a have been a

witch for a day, witch for a day, you understand you understand

all of the all of the hardships the hardships the

accused had to accused had to suffer even if suffer even if

they were they were innocent. innocent.

Are you still Are you still interested in interested in

learning about learning about the Salem the Salem

Witch Trials? Witch Trials? For our For our

Resource Page Resource Page and for more and for more information information

click the witch click the witch below!below!

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/life/

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/life/religion.html

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/life/divisions.html

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/life/children.html

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_ACCT.HTM

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/people/tituba.html 

The following are the resources that were used for this WebQuest:

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/asa_tit.htm

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/people/titubapics.html

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_TITX.HTM

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/sal_bnur.htm

http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/enquirer/witch.htm

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon-salem/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=salem/texts/pics.xml&style=salem/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=p7&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes

http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/images/image.php?name=MMD1034

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon-salem/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=salem/texts/courtexams.xml&style=salem/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=c2&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_NURX.HTM

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon-salem/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=salem/texts/bios.xml&style=salem/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=b12&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_BGOO.HTM

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_GOOX.HTM

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/images/07194.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/&usg=__WxlJK5QJc2E5VqiiNanGOzc0PYc=&h=175&w=275&sz=16&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=b_xXh_pqTYuOmM:&tbnh=73&tbnw=114&prev=/images

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/sal_beas.htm

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon-salem/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=salem/texts/bios.xml&style=salem/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=b8&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes

http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/Literature/Quakers&Witches/AliceDoane/MMD2139.html

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_EASX.HTM

http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=BoySal1.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/oldsalem&tag=public&part=241&division=div2

http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=BoySal1.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/oldsalem&tag=public&part=242&division=div2

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon-salem/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=salem/texts/bios.xml&style=salem/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=b11&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_BCOR.HTM

http://www.witchway.net/times/giles.html

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon-salem/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=salem/texts/pics.xml&style=salem/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=p3&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=47303

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/salem/

http://library.thinkquest.org/25958/html/chronology.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/25958/html/executed.htmFor Further Reading

Click Here

The following are links that will provide more information on the Salem Witch Trials. Have Fun!

http://www.unmuseum.org/salemwitch1.htm

http://www.unmuseum.org/salemwitch2.htm

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASAL_DE.HTM

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon-salem/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=salem/texts/names.xml&style=salem/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&group.num=all&clear-stylesheet-cache=yes

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASAL_CH.HTM

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/bcr/salem/salem.html

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/generic.html

We hope you learned a lot while traveling back to

1692! CLICK HERE TO SEE AUTHOR’S DEDICATION PAGE

Although she was undoubtedly a slave, it cannot be said for sure what ethnicity Tituba really was. Although

the original documents of the trials label her as an “Indian” (an individual of Native American descent) recent historians have begun to question this idea,

claiming that Tituba was born in Barbados and brought to the colony of Massachusetts by her master, the

Reverend Samuel Parris to watch over his family. One thing can be said for sure; it was the villager’s

suspicions of Tituba that brought forth the origins of the Salem Witch Trials. Tituba was known for her

radical stories and native customs among the people of Salem. While Reverend Parris was absent from his

home, Tituba would enlighten the Reverend’s daughter Elizabeth and niece Abigail Adams. Soon, Tituba’s

audience of young girls began to grow, and for whatever reason, the girls started claiming that

Tituba’s stories and “spells” would physically affect them in such a way that it resulted in the girls falling

into states of convulsions, accusing Tituba of trafficking with the Devil and sending out her spirit along with the spirits of others to infiltrate evil into the peaceful and

religious village known as Salem. To save herself, Tituba confessed to the accusations of witchcraft; but she didn’t stop there! She accused others as well of

helping her conduct the devil’s work, which fueled the girl’s imaginative story-telling, spiraling into countless accusations of not only others deemed “undesirable”,

but also respected members of the village.

For further reading on Tituba, click on the following links:

Tituba 1Tituba 2

For images of Tituba, click on the following link:Pictures of Tituba

For an insight of Tituba’s examination during her trial, click on the following link:

Tituba's TrialGo Back to the Process Page!

If there was a member of Salem which no one would have expected to be charged with

witchcraft, it was Rebecca Nurse. Before the trials, Nurse was viewed by her community as a virtuous, pious woman who was of good nature

and a devout Puritan. Why then were the young girls so quick to accuse the frail old woman, aged 71, of witchcraft? Nurse and her family

lived on a vast estate consisting of 300 acres of land, the ownership of which was often said to

be disputed by the Putnam family, claiming that parts of the land legally belonged to them.

Despite claims that Nurse would send out her spirit to torment the accusing girls, there was much dispute among the people of Salem in

deciding whether or not she was in fact guilty of witchery. As a result, 39 members of Salem signed a petition stating that they did not

believe Rebecca Nurse ever trafficked with the Devil nor could an individual of her nature ever send out her spirit to torment others. Taking

such claims into account, the jury decided that Rebecca Nurse was innocent; the first time the girls’ claims were ignored. Unfortunately, with

the persistence of the girls formulating new accusations against the feeble woman, her case was reevaluated and was eventually found guilty

by the jury who sentenced her to death by hanging on July 19, 1692.

For further reading on Rebecca Nurse, click on the following

links:Rebecca Nurse 1Rebecca Nurse 2

For images relating to Rebecca Nurse, click on the following

links:Images of Rebecca Nurse 1Images of Rebecca Nurse 2

For an insight of Rebecca Nurse’s examination during her trial, click

on the following links:Rebecca Nurse's Trial 1Rebecca Nurse's Trial 2

Go Back to the Process Page!

It is no surprise that the townspeople of Salem believed the allegations against Sarah Good as being a witch who tormented the people of the village. After all, Good was classified by many of the villagers as a “filthy” woman.

Although a devout Puritan at heart, she rarely associated herself with the other members of the Salem community,

with the exception of begging her fellow neighbor’s for money, food, or drink. Although the people of Salem

slowly learned to ignore her, they could not help but notice a strange correlation between Good’s visits on their property and the death of many of their livestock.

Therefore, when Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Ann Putnam, Jr. claimed that the bite marks, pinches, and

other forms of torture inflicted upon them, it was no surprise that one of the women named was Sarah Good.

Ironically, it was during Sarah Good’s trial on March 1, 1692 that the imaginative nature of the young accusers was first noticed. One of the young girls fell on the floor

and claimed that Good had sent out her spirit and stabbed her with a knife, showing the court only a fragment of

what she claimed was all that was left after Good’s attack. It was at this point that a man came forth and identified

the fragment as being his, claiming that he had broken his knife earlier and the piece produced by the young accuser was actually a remnant of his original weapon. Although one would think that the judges would begin to mistrust

the young girls’ claims after such an incident, the girl was simply told to never exaggerate the truth again. Sarah

Good pled innocent to the accusations of her involvement with witchcraft and was hung along with four other

convicted “witches” on July 19, 1692.

For further reading on Sarah Good, click on the following

links:Sarah Good 1Sarah Good 2

For an insight of Sarah Good’s examination

during her trial, click on the following link:

Sarah Good's TrialFor a look at Sarah Good’s

Tombstone, and others that were executed click on the following link:

Tombstones

Go Back to the Process Page!

Mary Easty was the sister of Rebecca Nurse and like her sister, she was a well respected member of the village of Salem. It comes then as no surprise how shocked the villagers were to discover that Easty too was accused of witchcraft. Easty’s trial was very similar to that of her sister’s; she was first accused by the “afflicted girls”, particularly Mercy Lewis, of tormenting them through witchcraft. Despite these accusations, Easty was granted freedom on May 18, 1692 and released from the chains which kept her in jail. Her freedom however was cut short after more accusations were presented to the jury by Lewis accompanied by the other girls. After being arrested for the second time, Easty lost her battle for freedom during her second trial and was condemned to death on September 9, 1692 despite her countless pleas and even a personal petition sent by her to the jury. Her hanging took place less than a month later on September 22, 1692 along with Martha Corey, Ann Pudeator, Alice Parker, Mary Parker, Wilmot Redd, Margaret Scott, and Samuel Wardwell, leaving behind a husband and twelve children at the age of 58.

For further reading on Mary Easty, click on the following links:

Mary Easty1Mary Easty 2

For further insight to Mary Easty’s petition to the judges

observing her trial, click on the following link:

Mary Easty's Petition To JudgesFor an insight of Mary Easty’s

examination during her trial and both of her indictments, click on

the following link:Mary Easty's Trial 1Mary Easty's Trial 2Mary Easty's Trial 3

Go Back to the Process Page!

Giles Corey was eighty years old when he was accused by the girls for being a “Wizard”, sending out his spirit to force the afflicted girls to sign the Devil’s book. Before the trials Corey was said to be a prosperous, outspoken farmer, voicing his opinion to the detriment of some of the villager’s reputations. Unlike many of the other members of the village, Corey was viewed as a man who was not in favor of living peacefully among his fellow neighbors, participating in various lawsuits and forcefully spoke out against the Putnam family. After being accused by Ann Putnam, Jr., Marcy Lewis, Abigail Williams, Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Hubbard in April of 1692 of wizardry, Corey pleaded “not guilty” however refused to stand for trial. As a result, Corey was found guilty on account of the girls’ testimonies (as well as others) and was convicted by the court as a “standing mute”, the penalty for which was the sentence of “peine forte et dure” or being pressed to death by piling heavy stones on his body. Many associate Giles Corey with his famous last words, “More weight”. Corey was pressed to death on September 18, 1692, the only individual accused of witchcraft to be put to death by means other than hanging.

For further reading on Giles Corey, click on the following links:

Giles Corey 1Giles Corey 2Giles Corey 3

For images of Giles Corey, click on the following link:

Giles Corey ImagesGo Back to the Process Page!

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Research Report : Salem Witch TrialsTeacher Name:____________________________

Student Name:____________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Organization Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs.

Information is somewhat organized with well-constructed paragraphs.

Information is barely organized, and paragraphs are not well-constructed.

The information appears to be disorganized.

Paragraph Construction All paragraphs include introductory sentence, explanations or details, and concluding sentence.

Most paragraphs include introductory sentence, explanations or details, and concluding sentence.

Paragraphs included related information but were typically not constructed well.

Paragraphing structure was not clear and sentences were not typically related within the paragraphs.

Quality of Information Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.

Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples.

Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.

Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.

Explanations and Analysis

Student clearly explains the reason for being on trial. Student also writes their reasons for choosing their plea and shows that they are aware of the consequences of their decisions.

Student somewhat explains the reason for being on trial . Student also writes their reasons for choosing their plea but is unclear whether they are aware of the consequences of their decision.

Student barely explains the reason for being on trial. Student writes their reasons for choosing their plea, however does not state the consequences.

Student barely explains the reason for being on trial. No reason for their plea is given, and no consequence is stated.

TAKE ME BACK TO THE EVALUATION PAGE!

HISTORY:

Standard 1:   History of the United States and New YorkStudents will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

TECHNOLOGY:

Standard 5:   TechnologyStudents will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.

ENGLISH:

Standard 1:   Language for Information and UnderstandingStudents will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 2:   Language for Literary Response and ExpressionStudents will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3:   Language for Critical Analysis and EvaluationStudents will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

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Kali, Elina and Dominique would like to dedicate this WebQuest to Professor “Sir”

Blanchard. We have suffered for weeks doing this project, and in turn learned that

we actually were not technologically illiterate, but quite the contrary. Although we still resent you for making us do this tedious project…we love you!!!!!!!! Hope

you enjoyed the WebQuest.