The Visionary Girls Witchcraft In Salem Village

The story of the Salem witch hunts and of the hundreds of women who were accused of dealing with the devil.

In 1692, a group of girls in Salem Village set off a witchcraft panic that engulfed eastern Massachusetts. As a result, nineteen people were hanged as witches and an old man was killed under torture. Through an engaging recounting of historical events enhanced by memorable photographs and illustrations, readers will examine witchcraft beliefs in Europe and colonial New England. They will examine the factors that influenced the panic in Salem, including why the town and the surrounding communities fell prey to such unbridled terror and why, instead of calling for calm and reason, the authorities also became swept up in the hysteria.

Stories of magic, superstition, and witchcraft were strictly forbidden in the little town of Salem Village. But a group of young girls ignored those rules, spellbound by the tales told by a woman named Tituba. When questioned about their activities, the terrified girls set off a whirlwind of controversy as they accused townsperson after townsperson of being witches. Author Shirley Jackson examines in careful detail this horrifying true story of accusations, trials, and executions that shook a community to its foundations.

Presents a history of the Salem witch trials, including the events that led up to the trials and the efforts by colony leaders which finally brought an end to the hysteria.

Presents a history of the Salem witch hunt and witch trials that occurred during the late seventeenth century.

Learn about the Salem witch trials, an important event in American history, that influcenced social, economic, and poltical policies that affected the nation's future.

Would your readers join the madness? It is a frigid cold winter in Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1692. Some teenage girls may be suffering from mysterious afflictions. They accused certain townspeople of being witches. What would you do? Would your readers believe the girls? Would your readers defend the accused during the trials? Give them an opportunity to find out about this tragic period in American history.