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Directions: Many of the middle and New England colonies were founded as safe havens for people of various religions to practice, free from persecution. Still an especially curious kind of persecution persisted throughout the colonies and Europe from about 1450-1750: The Witch Hunt Phenomenon.

Why, and could it ever happen again? This is the question that students will take on here. Look over The Salem Witch Trial info graphic and Watch the three short videos on witch hunts below. As you read and watch, consider the following discussion questions:

• What do you think caused the witch hunts at Salem and throughout Europe?
• What is McCarthyism, and what do you think led to it?
• How was McCarthyism a kind of witch hunt?/What similarities did McCarthyism have with the witch hunts of Salem and Europe?
• Could something like either of these examples happen today?

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