Introduction
	You are being sent back in time to the year 1692, the time when the Witch Trials were happening in Salem, Massachusetts to change the course of history...or NOT!
	You and your group are going to become the court that decided the fate of many men and women who were accused of being witches or having some association with the devil. You will each have a position to fulfill in making the final decision. Just remember that if found guilty, these men and women will be hung or burnt at the stake and the decision is yours to make! Are you up for the challenge?
	Task
	In this WebQuest, you will research historical witchcraft trials and especially the 1692 Salem Witch Trials and create your own court pertaining to the way you think things should have turned out. After some preliminary research, some groups will be encouraged to investigate other historical witch trials, in order to expand our knowledge of the historical context for the Salem Witch Trials. You will work in a group of 5, including 3 judges, 1 accused and 1 accuser to decide the fate of 2 factual people that you will select to represent. Along with creating your own outcome for the selected people, you will also research some of the people who were accused and killed.. You will also research the town of Salem around this time period in order to understand why things happened the way they did and how these trials and deaths could have been prevented as well as relating the events that occurred to present day. You will combine all of this into a multi-media presentation, either a PowerPoint presentation or a web page (it can be as simple as you want, but remember higher marks are given for the more effort and creativity put into the site) that displays your decision in the court as well the memorial to the people who died and the Salem town information.
The Process
1.	You will get into a group of 5 people and divide yourselves into the following positions. * The Judges (there will be 3) * The Accused * The Afflicted
Accused
	The person who accepts "The Accused" task will pick someone, who in 1692, was accused of witchcraft to represent. This person must an actual person from Salem in this time period who was accused of associating with the devil. You can find names as well as biographies on these people at the following sites.
	Accused of Witchcraft - To see the biographies of these people, click on their name. There will be pictures and other information on each person. List of all persons accused of witchcraft in 1692 - Gives the names and residence of people accused as well as the date they were accused. Accused More Accused
Accusers
	The person who accepts "The Afflicted" task will pick someone who was supposedly "afflicted" by the devil to represent. This person, too will have to be a real person from Salem. You can find the names as well as biographies of some of these people at these sites Accusers List The Afflicted - A list of the afflicted persons. "Afflicted Girls" - A list of the afflicted people, as well as their place of residence. Afflicted Girls - Biographies and trial information of some of the afflicted. Even more Afflicted
Victims
Defenders
Judges
	The 3 people who accept "The Judges" task will select a judge from the list below and represent them. * The Judges * Judge John Hathorne - Biography * Judge Samuel Sewall - Biography * Judge William Stoughton - Biography
2.	Once you have picked the person you wish to represent, you will research them using the links given and other links in the resource section. For the afflicted and accused, you will do a lengthy research on your character and decide whether or not you think they were guilty of witch craft and write a report on your decision. This report will be submitted to the judges, who will have the final say in deciding the fate of your character. You should ask yourself the following questions when making this decision. Remember, you are trying to prove that your character is innocent and trying to get the judges to see this too.
	* What kind of life did this person lead? * Did he/she have any reason to lie and say they had an association with the devil or did they have any reason to lie and say they didn't? * Was this person young, middle aged, old, single, or married? What effect would this have on the trial? * What would have been the reason for this outbreak of witchcraft in Salem in this time period? * What are some known personality traits of your character? * Was this person well respected in the town? * What other reasons could there have been, besides witchcraft, for the hysteria in Salem?
3.	The accused and afflicted will then write their report on the innocence of their character and submit it to the judges, who will make a decision on the fate of your character (the verdict). The judges will be responsible to decide if the character is innocent or guilty of witchcraft and why? They too, will write a report on why they think this person is guilty or innocent. They will base their decision on the questions above for the afflicted and accused. The judges will also get to decide what happens to this person. Will they be set free or killed? Hung or burnt at the stake? The 3 judges should make their decisions together and write 2 reports (one for each character) together. These reports will be written to represent the verdict in court.
	*Note: All written reports will be summarized and presented in the multimedia (PowerPoint) presentations.
General Resources
	Famous Trials--Salem Witchcraft Trials
	Cotton Mather’s Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions (1689)
	The Essex County Witch Trial of 1692
	The Salem Witch Trials
	Transcripts from the Salem Witch Trials (primary documents)
	Interactive Map of Salem
	The Salem Witch Musuem
	National Geographic--The Salem Witchcraft Trial (Interactive)
	The Salem Witch Trials: the World Behind the Hysteria (Discovery Education)
	The Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive
	The Salem Witch Trials: Background information
	Secrets of the Dead: PBS site examining the theory that ergot poisoning from fungus on rye caused the outbreak.
	The Salem Witch Trials: an overview from the Smithsonian
	The Salem Witch Trials: Eyewitness to History
	The Salem Witchcraft Papers: Documents and Participants
	History.com--The Salem Witch Trials
Video
	Salem Witch Trials (Discovery School)
	Teacher Tube: Salem Witch Trials
	Salem Vs The Crucible

History Theories Why It Happened An Alternative Explanation to the Salem Witchcraft Trials Salem Witchcraft Trials: History in Depth -the Davenport Library

Academic Analysis Cyber Essay: The Crucible Witchcraft Trials Dr. Linda Tate's Hawthorne-Salem Web Pages: a good example of a web based course in American literature and culture.

Legal History Salem: A legal history Salem Trials and the Law How Salem Changed the Law

A Quote on Responsibilities: "The three groups most responsible for the trials included the young girls claiming to be bewitched; ministers of the Congregational Church (the official church of the colony), and government officials: the governor, William Phips, and the magistrates. Betty Parris, the minister's daughter, raised the initial charge. She was soon followed by five other girls, most of whom had some allegiance to the Putnams. Class warfare may have been vital to the spread of the accusations: The Putnams (representing the poorer farmer class) may have encouraged the girls to focus their efforts on those associated with the Porters (representing the wealthier merchants). Ministers, including Parris of Salem and Cotton Mather of Boston, fearing that the colony was under attack by evil forces, permitted the scare to become hysteria. The governor, hoping to calm public panic, authorized the trials. The magistrates, manipulated by fear, fashioned testimony (so as to mold it into accepted categories), and pressed for convictions. Thus, personal animosity (the Putnam clan), a true belief that Satan was on the attack (the ministers), and political advancement (the governor and the magistrates) all contributed to the hysteria. The first few accusations were levied against marginal members of the community; the girls then accused respectable members of the community, followed by other prominent men and women in the colony (including the governor's wife). Hoffer provides an analysis of the trials of five individuals: Bridget Bishop, the disreputable woman; Rebecca Nurse, the good wife; John Proctor and George Burroughs, the scoffers; and Giles Corey, the hard man (who refused to take part in the trial and was pressed to death under a pile of rocks). The judgments against Burroughs and Corey, executed in the Fall of 1692, signaled a change in public sentiment."

Salem:

Brief Literary History of Time-- Virginia Etext: Clickable Picture: The Salem Witchcraft Papers: a site with records on the accusers and judges

The Players:

Afflicted Girls: List of Judges Puritan Ministers involved in the trial Selected list of Accusers and Persons Against Whom They Testified Rebecca Nurse List of Defenders

Category	Excellent	Good	Developing (OK)
Information	Information was clear, accurate, and reflects the opinion of the presenters.	Information was sometimes clear, sometimes accurate, and sometimes reflected the opinion of the presenters.	Information was accurate and sometimes clear.
Graphics	Appropriate, well placed graphics were used to make essential points.	Appropriate graphics were used to make essential points.	Graphics were used to make points.
Effects	Transitions, sounds, and/or animations were used to help understand the message.	Transitions, sounds, and/or animations sometimes helped in understanding the message.	Transitions and sounds were used.
Presentation	The presenters used a clear, compelling voice and included additional information to enhance the presentation.	The presenters clear and compelling voice enhanced the multimedia presentation.	The presenters clear voice enhanced the multimedia presentation.

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