Primary source item record: https://www.loc.gov/item/mcc.003/
In this lesson snapshot, a 10th grade English class reading The Crucible pauses to study a primary source artifact from 1692: a letter written by accused witches petitioning for their bail during the Salem Witch Trials. Students ask questions about the motives and rhetoric (“Do those in charge want the accused to suffer? Why else would the prisoners be kept in such conditions?” “Are they really unafraid to go to trial?”), lives and consequences of the actors involved (“If the women who were pregnant died, would the governor or the court get in trouble?” “Did they ever get released?”), and ultimately connect to the humanity of people from several centuries ago.
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