Assignment task: According to The witch and we, the People (Salem witch trials)
The two events taking place at the same time in Philadelphia in 1787; the constitutional convention and case concerning an alleged "witch"
1. The author makes it clear that the Philadelphia convention represented the highest ideals of the enlightenment in America yet what very famous event in the past does he use to show that people of 1787 did not particularly reflect this ideal?
2. In general what was the attitude of the newspaper towards this case and what was their opinion about superstition and witchcraft?
3. How were the prisoners treated at that time in Philadelphia and what particular crime was very common? How were these criminals seen by the ruling elite?
How were the poor included in this? How did these attitudes influence the development of the Constitution in terms of the ideas about democracy?