A Primary Source Investigation of the Salem Witch Trials

by Zoe Lowery

This detailed volume tells the dark story of the Salem witchcraft trials with a lively narrative and primary source documents, such as transcripts and letters, that highlight the tales and voices of both the victims and the perpetrators. Readers will learn about the harsh living conditions as well as the religious and social views of the day and how they influenced society's reactions to the unknown and difficult (or impossible) to explain. This text also meets the Common Core standards for history and social studies, such as evaluating various explanations for actions or events and determining which explanation best accords with textual evidence.

64 pages, ebook

First published July 15, 2015

Reviews

[Kiersten Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides the background and history of the Salem Witch Trials, including the first women who were accused of being witches. The book continues on to discuss the stories of some of the women who were hung as witches in Salem, and how they eventually got to the point of ending the accusations. This book would be good for upper elementary/middle school students who are learning about the Massachusetts Bay Colony and what early settlement life was like in Salem.