Salem Witch Trials

Today we got to focus on what Salem is famous for, the witch trials.  After we left the cemetery I thought we went to places that were not considered tourist traps, but really did show what it was like during the trials.  To me it is hard to believe that something like this could happen, that a village and/or town could get so causght up in this type of hysteria.  Seeing the video on the bus up to Maine I think showed really how ridiculous  these accusations were, even though I think they overdramatized things a bit too much.  The most serene part of the day was going to the cemetery, but at the same time it was sad to see the grave of a woman who was so wrongly accused and to think about what she must have gone through.  That put it into perspective how serious the outcomes can be, that someone would have to die for what these girls did.  To me it was very sad and gave a different point of view to the trials.

Deerfield

Growing up I had always heard of Deerfield because my cousin went to Prep school there, but I never realized the historical significance of the town.  The lecture by Kevin Sweeny was very informative about what actually happened in that area.  Even though I knew the frontier was a dangerous place for the colonists to live, and there were frequent Indian attacks, I don’t think I completely realized how dangerous it was until we were actually there.  I understand the town referring to the attacks as a massacre because a lot of people did die, but I would also have liked to hear a Native American perspective on why they attacked the town.  Sometimes I think we forget that we were encroaching on their territory rather than they were attacking the colonists on colonial territory.  I think as an educator we need to make sure that both sides of the issue are explored; we can’t just say the Native Americans attacked the colonists therefore it was a massacre, we also need to look at why they did it and if maybe they were provoked.  I think that would be a good teaching tool with the students to be able to show them both sides of the conflicts with Indians.

                Enough about that.  I really did like the town, I thought it was beautiful, although it did seem somewhat strange- it was almost like the town hasn’t entered the 21^st century.  There were no stores or things you are so used to seeing in a town, which even though it is different it is nice that a town doesn’t have all of that.  My favorite part of the day was going to the Wells-Thorn House.  I was amazed at how the house changed from the one room house to a house with multiple rooms.  It was also interesting to see how the house changed with the addition of material objects.  I thought our tour guide did a great job of showing us the house and explaining everything that was in it.  If I could take anything from the town and bring it back to my students in Colorado to show them, that would be it.  I think it really showed how life began to change on the frontier.