Witch Hysteria Comes to Salem Village

Early in 1692, Puritan girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts began to act strangely. No one could understand what was causing their "fits." Some people suspected witchcraft, and even the local doctor suggested the devil was at work. The girls were urged to name the people who were causing their illness. Soon, local residents were being jailed for practicing in witchcraft. For more than a year, witch hysteria controlled the lives of the people of Salem Village. This primary source portfolio contains ready-to-use, hands-on primary source documents, most in their original sizes, and reproducible essays, which provide historical background for understanding the documents. A timeline of events between 1486 and 1711 puts the experience into broad perspective. Also provided is a comprehensive Study Guide with reproducible activities including vocabulary, writing, research, and creative thinking exercises, and a teacher's response key. 4 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Witchcraft on the European Continent * No Peace for Salem Village * A Town Turned Upside Down * The People of Salem Village 11 Primary Source Documents: * Map of the Salem Village area in 1692 with index * Four pages from the Salem Village Church Record Book, November 1691 through December 1692 and August 1706 through March 1709 * The examination of Martha Corey, March 21, 1692 * Witchcraft painting: "Examination of a Witch," 1853 * Bridget Bishop death warrant and return, June 1692 * William Barker confession, August 29, 1692 * Mary Esty petition, September 1692 * Jailer's bill, 1692 * Act passed by the General Court of Massachusetts reversing attainders of several convicted and condemned witches, October 17, 1711 * Poster: Judges, ministers, and books important in the history of Salem Village witchcraft * List of those persons who died during the witch hysteria, 1692-1693