Summary
The Puritans who founded Massachusetts dreamed of building a society without sin. But in 1692, in the village of Salem, that dream turned into a nightmare. When two local girls began to have mysterious fits, they accused three women of witchcraft. For a people who believed all kinds of things were the work of the devil, it made sense to blame witches for the girls' strange behavior. Fear and panic spread as dozens more were accused—most older women, widows, or outcasts from Puritan society. A special court was set up to put these so-called witches on trial. On little evidence other than visions and dreams, 20 people were convicted and hanged, and one was crushed to death. Only after respected members of society were targeted did the hysteria finally die down. But witch hunts didn't disappear. The Red Scare of the 1950s was a modern example of a metaphorical witch hunt: a campaign that uses fear to target people with unpopular ideas. Click "play" to learn more about the witch hunt that made them famous.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Salem Witch Trials:
- What is one new thing you learned about salem witch trials?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining salem witch trials.
- Draw or give one example of your own.