7th grade: Comparison/Contrast- Salem Witch trials vs. McCarthyism

7^th grade 11/11/11

Directions: You will be reading and comparing/contrasting the Salem Witch Trials with the McCarthy hearings. Follow the directions below culminating in the writing assignment at the end. Type the paragraph, save, and print.

1.       Salem Witch trials:

Read excerpts from the following websites to gain a basic understanding of the Salem Witch trials:

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/

http://www.salemwitchtrials.com/transcripts.html

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/tips.html

2.       Go to the following website, scroll down towards the bottom, and click: “You’re Accused!” Play the game to see what your options are as an accused witch.

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm

3.       Now, go to the following website and read about the McCarthy hearings:

McCarthy hearings-

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/arthur-miller/mccarthyism/484/

4.       Finally! Now that you’ve read a little about both topics, write a comparison/contrast  paragraph about the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy hearings. Are there similarities between the two events? Why did people refer to the McCarthy hearings as “witch hunts?”