The Salem Witch Trials Individual Website Junior Division Madelyn Oberschmidt

What happened in the small town of Salem from June to September 16 !" Stran#e occurrences be#an with women becomin# ill$ violent$ uncontrollably contortin# in pain$ and most of all hallucinatin#% The people of Salem became concerned$ but no one &new why these stran#e thin#s were happenin#% The 'uritan church leaders$ who were leadin# the town at the time$ fi#ured they needed to #ive an e(planation to their people and that e(planation was witchcraft% )s these events unfolded$ in the end$ one hundred ei#hty five people were accused% Out of all one hundred ei#hty five people$ only nineteen were actually e(ecuted$ fourteen women and five men% *o one really &nows why these stran#e events occurred$ but they do have many theories as to how thin#s may have started% The Salem Witch Trials relates to +i#hts and +esponsibilities because when these stran#e occurrences be#an the #overnment felt they had a responsibility to tell the people what was #oin# on% They had a responsibly to stop these thin#s from happenin# so they came up with reasonin# for the thin#s that were happenin#% The people who were tried did not have the same ri#hts we have% They were not tried fairly% The people were not #iven a lawyer or someone to represent them% They didn,t have the same ri#hts we have today$ and the trials were totally different than the trials we have today% I chose the Salem Witch Trials for my -istory Day pro.ect because I visited Salem while in /oston last summer% We saw a reenactment of the /rid#et /ishop trial and the whole town intri#ued me% It was surprisin# all the thin#s you can find about an event that happened so lon# a#o% I wanted to &now more about why the people did the thin#s they did and why they had to ma&e these theories about someone% I found a lot of information on the trials and about the whole history of Salem% When I went to choose

my history day pro.ect the Salem Witch Trials was the first thin# that came to my mind% I am #lad I pic&ed this topic because I can barely stop readin# all the interestin# stories and aspects of it0 I chose to ma&e a website for my -istory Day pro.ect because I am very #ood on the computer% I can pic& up concepts very 1uic&ly on the computer$ but never built a website% I thou#ht it would be fun to learn how to ma&e a website alon# with learnin# all about the Salem Witch Trials% I also decided I wanted to do somethin# different than .ust writin# a paper or ma&in# a display% I wanted to be different and ma&e a website to #o out of my comfort 2one% The process that I went throu#h to complete this assi#nment was a bit complicated% I started to loo& up information every chance I #ot% I #ot so much information about the trials that I did not need$ but wanted to include% I watched videos and found many drawin#s documentin# the trials% One thin# that was difficult was tryin# to translate some of the trial transcripts I found% They,re written in what appears to be old 3n#lish and therefore it was not easy to understand% Then$ I really be#an crac&in# at the pro.ect% I be#an to desi#n a Weebly website that wor&ed well with all the information I found% Once I #ot the format all ready I be#an to put information on it% )fter that I went throu#h minor editin# to the website and I was eventually ready for .ud#in# at the end of March0