The Salem Witch TrialsS.H.E.G.- Stanford History Education Group

What were the Salem Witch Trials? ¡ The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and

prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts in 1692-1693.

¡ Over one hundred people were arrested and put in prison.

¡ Twenty people were executed. Nineteen were hung and one was pressed to death with heavy rocks.

¡ Five more died in prison waiting trial.

¡ All of them claimed innocence.

¡ Most of the accused were women.

Salem Witch Trials¡ The episode is one of America’s most famous

cases of mass hysteria.

¡The story has been memorialized in popular literature and film as a cautionary tale of isolationism, religious extremism, and lapses in due process (of law.)

Central Historical Question

¡What caused the Salem Witch Crisis of 1692?

Salem Summary

Salem Evidence: A

Salem Evidence: B

Handout: Complete A & B (ONLY!) in PAIRS!

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Salem Evidence: C & D

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Salem Evidence: C & D

Handout: Complete C & D (ONLY!) in PAIRS!

Share out:

¡What do YOU think???

¡Political- Government?¡Social- Status?¡Economic- $ ?

Medical Theories: ¡ ERGOT POISONING-convulsions were caused

from eating RYE bread infected by a fungus (ergot) which causes hallucinations

¡ BIRD-BORN ILLNESS (encephalitis) causing lethargy, sleep paralysis, fever, headaches

¡ PSYCHOLOGICAL response (hysteria, PTSD) to the fear of Indian attacks

Political and Economic motivations¡ Economic jealousy of fringe groups (families) in

the small culture who felt disenfranchised (powerless) and deprived. They intended to get revenge on landholders and wealthy citizens.

¡ Jealousy, Attention, Fear

Prompt: ¡ Using information from ALL 4 pieces of

evidence, write a THESIS STATEMENT in paragraph form that best answers the question:

¡WHAT CAUSED THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS OF 1692?

REFLECTION¡ WHAT CAUSED THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS OF 1692?

¡ Use the ACES format to answer the following prompt

¡ You will need TWO pieces of textual evidence from the documents provided!!!!

¡ Therefore:

¡A- C-E- C-E -S

Correct Citations¡ (Salem Witch Trials, Summary)

¡ (Salem Evidence A, “Discourse on Witchcraft”

¡ (Salem Evidence B, Testimony of Abigail HOBBS)

¡ (Salem Evidence C: Chart of Family Farms”

¡ (Salem Evidence D: Map of Salem Village)