Salem Witchcraft Trials
As a follow-up to your Unit 2 Essay, you will will use the same website for this discussion: Salem Witchcraft Trials.
In your reading, you should pay particular attention to Douglas O. Linder's "An Account of Events in Salem," as well as the material in the "Examinations and Evidence" and "Petitions of Accused Witches" links.
In your discussion post, consider the following questions:
Think about what you knew about the Salem Witchcraft Trials prior to the readings for this course.
What sort of assumptions did you have about those events?
What types of images came to mind when you heard "Salem Witchcraft Trials."
Have the readings for this course changed your perception at all about Salem? How?
Why do you think the popular image of Salem is different than the actuality?
What does this tell us about the presentation of history to the public?
Your initial post should be an in-depth response that addresses all the questions and issues involved. After you make your initial post, respond to the posts of at least two of your peers. In your responses to classmates, consider how much your assumptions about the trials were similar to those of others. What does that mean for our general perceptions of the past?