Two
50-minute classes.
In 1692, the town of Salem, Massachusetts is settled by a group of
Puritans. Their purpose in leaving England was to purify the religious
edicts of the Church of England and worship with religious freedom.
Unfortunately, they were very zealous in their beliefs and felt
that religious tolerance was merely an excuse “…to
tell lies in the name of the Lord.” These words were spoken
by John Cotton, a New England Puritan minister. In 1641, English
law made witchcraft a capital crime. In 1689, Cotton Mather, the
minister of the Old North Church in Boston, published Memorable
Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions. This book
was influenced by his involvement with Martha Goodwin, a thirteen
year old girl, supposedly bewitched by Goody Glover who was hung
for her crimes. This book strongly influenced Samuel Parris who
became the new minister of Salem in that same year. He took with
him his family and two servants. One of the servants was Tituba,
a slave from Barbados. It is believed that the children may have
become involved in fortune telling and other non-puritan activities
with Tituba and were afraid of their father’s wrath. These
events led to hysterical behavior on the part of a number of teenage
girls and the condemnation of twenty residents for practicing witchcraft.
The need for separation of church and state became apparent in the
years that followed. Two great statesmen, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson,
took up the cause and the First Amendment was signed into law.
Through the activities in this lesson, students will become familiar
with the principles of Puritanism, the leading figures in the Salem
Witchcraft Trials, the literature of Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the struggle
for religious freedom in the New World. After examining Web sites and
video clips, students will participate in hands-on activities in which
they will reenact the opinions of the leading figures in the trials.
This lesson is ideal as a companion to the PBS film series, Freedom:
A History of US.
History
and English/Language Arts
Students will be able to:
• Describe
the basic beliefs of the Puritan religion.
• Identify
the principle figures in the Salem Witch Trials
• Explain
the events that led to the mass hysteria suffered by the
town.
• Relate
the literature of Nathaniel Hawthorne to the events that
occurred in Salem.
• Analyze
the First Amendment.
United States History Standards for Grades 5-12
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/era5-5-12.html
Standard 2: How political, religious, and social institutions emerged
in the English colonies.
Louisiana Department of Education
http://www.doe.state.la.us/DOE/asps/home.asp?I=CONTENT
Louisiana English Standard 6
Students read, analyze, and respond to literature as a record of life
experiences.
Benchmark
ELA-1-H4: interpreting complex texts with supportive explanations
to generate connection to real-life situations and other texts (e.g.,
business, technical, scientific); (1, 2, 4, 5)
Louisiana Social Studies Standard 5
Organizing Information: Students effectively sort, manipulate, and
organize the information that was retrieved. They make decisions on
how to use and communicate their findings.
Benchmark
C-1B-H4: evaluating issues related to the differences between
American ideals and the realities of American social and political
life; (1, 2, 4, 5)
Video:
Freedom: A History of US, Episode 3: Liberty for All?
Web sites:
Freedom: A History of US. Home PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/index.html
This Web site offers segments from the PBS series, Freedom:
A History of US, pertinent links to related information, and
educational guidelines.
Famous American Trials: Salem Witchcraft
Trials 1692
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SALEM.HTM
This Web site offers an account of events in Salem, a map, chronology,
biographies, the complete witchcraft papers, selected images, Salem
Witchcraft Jeopardy, and much more.
Find Law
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment01/
This Web site is an avenue to laws, cases, codes, and regulations.
Per Student:
• A copy
of the Basic Beliefs of the Puritans (attached)
• Pencil
and paper
Per Group (of 4 – 5 students):
• Activity
sheets for research (attached)
• Video
Questions
Prior to teaching this lesson, bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson
on each computer in your classroom. (Go to Teacher Resources for
a companion lesson plan by Johns Hopkins University.)
Prepare the hands-on element of the lesson
by copying the Basic Beliefs of the Puritans page
and the group activity sheets.
Create groups of
5 – 6 students each.
Read Young Goodman Brown,
a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
When using media, provide students with
a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, a specific task to
complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing
of video segment, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.
Step 1. Explain to your students the concept of
separation of church and state. Tell them that events such
as the Salem Witch Trials eventually led the government
to mandate that separation. At one time, the church was
in a leadership position in many communities when laws
were being passed. Very often people were chosen for political
positions because of their religious status. Also explain
that this is not a religious lesson, but an analytical
view of the impact of certain religious beliefs upon an
early New England community.
Step 2. Distribute the Basic
Beliefs of the Puritans page to your students.
Ask your students to read and discuss the basic beliefs
and analyze how this would affect the interaction of
people within a community.
Step 3. Guide the discussion about
the affect on the interaction of people within a community
by asking the following questions:
• What
do you think the Puritans meant by total depravity?
Webster defines it as corruption and wickedness.
• If
some are chosen for salvation and some are not, who
makes this determination?
• What
do you think they meant by Limited Atonement? What
acts are limited? How would this be interpreted in
Salem?
• How
would you know if you were showered with Irresistible
Grace? How would others know it?
• Does
being saved mean that the individual has no constraints
on his behavior?
Guide your students to understand that people were judged harshly according
to their behavior. The Puritans did not believe in religious tolerance.
They believed in strict adherence to the laws of the Bible. They also
believed in the existence of witches. This belief had a long tradition
in Europe since the Middle Ages. Women were usually the focus because
they were considered weak when it came to concerns of the flesh and
easily tempted by the devil. A woman must appear to be innocent and
pure or she was in league with the devil.)
1. Ask your students if they think that religious
freedom is alive in America today. Tell them that the separation
of church and state has made that possible. Say that we
are about to watch excerpts of a PBS film entitled Freedom:
A History of US that shows why the Puritans left
England, sought their own freedom of religion, and the
community of Salem, Massachusetts where government and
church are one and the same.
2. Insert Freedom: A History
of US, Episode 3, Liberty for All?, into the
VCR. Provide your students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA
INTERACTION, asking them to answer the following
questions:
• Was
church and state one and the same in England?
• What
did King James I offer the Puritans in order to
interest them in colonizing America?
• How
many pilgrims came across on the Mayflower?
• From
1620 to 1630, how many people had come to America?
Have the students each choose a question to answer. START the
tape at the beginning and stop at the view of the red altar. This segment
should last about four minutes.
Students will answer
the questions and the teacher will guide them in a discussion.
(Guide the students to understand that under the rule of
King James I, church and state were one. King James I wanted
all Englishmen to conform to The Church of England. In
order to persuade people to become colonists, he offered
them the freedom to worship as they chose in America. From
1620, when 102 pilgrims came on the Mayflower, to 1630;
20,000 people immigrated to the American colonies.)
3. Tell the students that they are
about to watch another excerpt from Freedom: A History
of US. This segment will show how much power the
clergy had in Massachusetts. Provide a FOCUS FOR MEDIA
INTERACTION, asking them to answer the following questions:
• What
did Roger Williams believe?
• What
did he do when he was not accepted into Massachusetts
society?
• What
part did Cotton Mather play in the Salem Witch Trials?
• Why
did the townspeople believe that the condemned were
witches?
• How
many people were put to death?
START the film at STOP point and PLAY until
the view of the round window. This segment will run
approximately four minutes.
Students will answer the questions and
the teacher will guide them in a discussion. (Guide the students
to understand that Roger Williams believed that no one should
be forced to worship in a certain manner. He left Massachusetts
and founded Providence, Rhode Island. Cotton Mather, minister
of Boston’s Old North Church, was a staunch Puritan
and had investigated witchcraft. This investigation produced
his best known writings, Memorable Providences, in which
he condemns witchcraft. Three of the five judges appointed
to the court were from his congregation. The courts were
led to condemn the accused because of the hysterical behavior
of a group of teenage girls. Nineteen or twenty people (sources
disagree) and two dogs were put to death.)
4. Tell the students that they will
see the results of the complications in the colonies with
freedom of religion and local governments controlled by the
churches. Provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION,
asking them to answer the following questions:
• What
great statesmen fought for a separation in church
and state?
• How
long did it take?
• What
was the law called?
START the film at STOP point and continue
until the title Westward Ho! This segment is approximately
two minutes.
Students will answer the questions and the teacher will read the First
Amendment and guide them in a discussion.
First Amendment: Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances.
(Guide the students to understand that James Madison and Thomas Jefferson
fought for nine years to get the First Amendment signed into law. After
this, people did not have to belong to a state church in order to succeed
in government.)
5. The teacher will read Young
Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne aloud to
the students. Students will be asked to take notes and
compare Hawthorne’s portrayal of a young Puritan
husband and his temptations to the beliefs of the Puritans.
Inform the students that Nathaniel Hawthorne is the grandson
of John Hathorne, one of the judges at the Salem Witch
Trials. He added the “w” to his name to distance
himself from association with his grandfather.
After the reading of Young Goodman Brown, have the students
discuss the depth of the Puritan beliefs. Note that Hawthorne was a
Puritan and believed that the town symbolized God and order, while
the forest was symbolic of the devil and chaos.
1. Inform the students that the next activity will
involve researching a key person in the Salem Witch Trials.
Distribute the group activity sheets. Tell the students
that they will choose two people for computer research,
two people to write a script and one person to act the
part of the character they research. The students should
answer the questions on the activity sheet. The purpose
is to show the personal beliefs of the individuals and
why these beliefs caused conflict in Salem.
2. The students take turns going
to the computer for the research. They will utilize Web site:
Famous American Trials: Salem Witchcraft Trials 1692
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SALEM.HTM
The students are to go to Biographies on the Web site’s Home
Page. While the students are taking turns, the groups will collaborate
on a short explanation of Young Goodman Brown in which
they use elements of the story as illustrations of Puritan belief.
3. Students collaborate on scripts
and present characters to class.
4. Assessment of this lesson can
be a quiz from the video questions, the paper written on Young
Goodman Brown, and the presentations. Encourage students
to go to the Freedom: A History of US Web site
in order to review the script from Webisode 3, Liberty
for All? This can be used in development of their
script and review for a quiz. They should also utilize the
additional resources segment for more detailed information.
Tell the students to explore the Web site for other Webisodes
of American history in which they are interested. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/index.html
MATHEMATICS:
• Research
the economy of the mid 1600’s. What type of money
did they use? How useful was bartering? How much of the
income of Massachusetts depended on goods from England?
TECHNOLOGY/SOCIAL STUDIES:
• Research
Mary Dyer, Roger Williams and the founding of Providence,
Rhode Island. How did they impact the fight for freedom
of religion?
VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS:
• Search
the Web sites and create a pictorial history of Salem, Massachusetts.
• Invite
a Judge and clergyman to discuss the interrelationship of church and
state and the impact upon both.
• Visit
local museums and study the first missionaries in your area. What role
did the church play in the early founding? How did your local government
evolve?
• Research
the changes in the relationship between church and schools in the last
one hundred years. Were students permitted prayer in public schools?
See attached. Student Materials include:
• Group Activity
Sheet. ( PDF )
• Video Questions. ( PDF )
• Basic Beliefs
of the Puritans. ( PDF )
