What Really Happened During the Salem Witch Trials

According to the text, why were the accused in the Salem Witch Trials more likely to be found guilty if they insisted on their innocence?

• The justice system valued repentance over truth.
• The villagers believed that confessing and implicating others would lead to freedom.
• The authorities only accepted confessions as hard evidence.
• The accused were not given a fair trial.

According to speculation by researchers, what reason was behind the strange behavior exhibited by Betty Parris and Abigail Williams? CLICK ALL THAT APPLY

• They were under the influence of evil spirits.
• They were suffering from hallucinations caused by fungus.
• They were suffering from a condition that caused swelling of the brain.
• They were pretending to be afflicted.

Why did the authorities accept false confessions during the Salem Witch Trials?

CLICK ALL THAT APPLY.

• They wanted to save the accused from execution.
• They believed that the accused were telling the truth.
• They did not want to thoroughly investigate the charges.
• They were influenced by the Church's teachings.

What was the role of spectral evidence in the Salem Witch Trials? CLICK ALL THAT APPLY

• Spectral evidence was considered hard evidence by the court.
• Spectral evidence was used to accuse innocent people of witchcraft.
• Spectral evidence was used to prove the innocence of the accused.
• Spectral evidence was not accepted as valid evidence in the trials.

Why were many of the jurors in the Salem Witch Trials considered biased?

• They were relatives of the accusers.
• They were influenced by the Church's teachings.
• They were afraid of being accused themselves.
• They believed in the supernatural powers of witches.

Why did the Salem Witch Trials come to an end?

• The accused were proven innocent.
• The governor of Massachusetts colony suspended the trials.
• The villagers stopped making accusations.
• The authorities realized their mistakes.

What can be inferred about the role of fear in the Salem Witch Trials based on the information provided? CHOOSE TWO.

• Fear played a significant role in manipulating human perception.
• Fear had no impact on the outcome of the trials.
• Fear caused the accused to confess their guilt.
• Fear led to a fair and impartial investigation of the accusations.

How did the paranoia about the supernatural and misdirected religious fervor contribute to the Salem Witch Trials? CLICK ALL THAT APPLY

• The religious fervor caused the accused to confess their guilt.
• The religious fervor led to the execution of innocent people.
• The paranoia led to false accusations and a belief in the existence of witches.
• The paranoia prevented a fair and impartial investigation of the accusations.

scapegoat 1. a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency. 2. (in the Bible) a goat sent into the wilderness after the Jewish chief priest had symbolically laid the sins of the people upon it (Lev. 16). Think about a time when you witnessed or experienced scapegoating in your own community or society. How did it make you feel? What lessons can be learned from the Salem Witch Trials about the dangers of scapegoating?