The Big Questions When is it okay to kill another human being? – When it is self defense – During a war – If you are trying to save someone else – if a person murders someone and get the death penalty When is it not okay to kill another human being? – REVENGE – It’s not okay for gangs to kill other gangs – It’s not okay for terrorists to kill innocent people – It’s not okay to kill people you don’t like or people that bug you – It is not okay for a regular person to kill someone who kills someone else – The “cide” words, matricide, patricide, fratricide, genocide

Hannah Dustin: Heroine Or Murderer?

The Case of Hannah Dustin Most of the information we know about Hannah Dustin comes from Cotton Mather. In 1689, Cotton Mather wrote, “These evil spirits are all around… Go tell mankind, that there are devils and witches… New England has had examples of their existence… and that not only the wigwams of Indians … but the houses of Christians… have undergone the annoyance of evil spirits.” Cotton Mather interviewed Hannah after this incident and was the first person to write down a “complete” version of the story. Is Cotton Mather a good source of information? Why would he want to retell Hannah’s story?

On March 15, 1697, a group of Natives invaded the village of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Mr. Thomas Dustin was out working in the fields when the Natives began their attack – His wife, 8 children including a week old infant, and a nurse maid were at home. – His wife, Hannah, was at home in bed, still weakened from childbirth.

Thomas grabs his gun and rides for home When he arrives, he tells his 7 oldest children (ages 2 to 17) to run to safety. The children head for the woods Hannah is still weak having given birth a week before. She will have difficulty moving quickly. As a good colonial husband, what should Thomas do?

Thomas can’t get Hannah up and out of the house before the Natives are at the door. Thomas leaves Hannah, the nurse, and the newborn and rides away to protect his other children – He knows he can’t save them all, so he chooses to save his children over saving his wife, newborn, and nurse maid – He also believes he can’t save all his other children so he contemplates who he should save. – The children he can’t save will be left “unto the care of Divine Providence”

– When he can’t make a decision about who to save, he decides to save them all or die trying – Thomas does successfully defend and protect the other children from the invaders – Thomas and the children walk a mile or two to another house for shelter Escape of Thomas & children. Source: Some Indian Stories of Early New England, 1922 found on

Back to Hannah Hannah, baby Martha, and Mrs. Mary Neff were left alone in the home – They have no gun – There is no man to defend them – Hannah is still weak – They can’t make a break for it with a newborn Hannah tells Mary to take the baby and run – Mary takes the baby, starts to run, but gets intercepted by the attacking Natives.

The Natives invade Hannah’s house – They order her to get up, get dressed – They start tearing her house apart taking anything of value – They burn the house to the ground – Hannah, Mary, and baby Martha are dragged out of the house Hannah is pulled away in such haste that she is missing a shoe. 27 people in the village are killed, 13 are captured

Mary is carrying the baby and moving far more slowly than what is expected One of the Natives takes baby Martha from Mary, swings it by its feet, and smashes its head against an apple tree in front of Hannah. Other captives who can’t keep up “were sent unto their long home”

Hannah and Mary are then forced to walk 12 miles that first day. – There is still snow on the ground – The terrain is rough, rocky, and trails have not been “broken” – Hannah is only wearing one shoe Hannah is cold, weak, hungry, depressed, angry, unarmed, and now enslaved by this tribe

As a good colonial woman, what should Hannah do? As a good colonial woman, what CAN Hannah do?

Hannah’s Choices What can Hannah do? What will happen if she makes that choice? Prediction: What will Hannah do?

When the group reaches an area near Contoocook and Merrimac Rivers, 12 of the Natives split off from the main group and take Hannah and Mary with them Her new master’s family consists of – 2 men – 3 women – 7 children – And an English boy named Samuel Lennardson Samuel was kidnapped and has been enslaved for the last year Hannah and Mary travel approximately 66 miles by foot in the next few days.

Hannah’s captors were converted by the French and were devoutly religious – They prayed 3 times a day – They expected the children to pray before eating and before sleeping Hannah and Mary also sought solace in prayer – One of their captors told them, “What need you trouble yourself? If your God will have you delivered, you shall be so!”

The group is traveling to a location (near modern day Penacook, New Hampshire) where they will meet up with another group of Natives The plan is to meet up with them and then head to Canada Hannah and Mary are informed when they arrive at the first location, they will be put through a gauntlet – A gauntlet is a path between two lines of people – In this case, the two lines will be comprised of men, women, and children from the tribe

– Hannah and Mary will be expected to walk down the gauntlet, naked, while the tribe members are allowed to hit, beat, throw things at them, spit on them, tease them, etc. – It is after this news that Hannah decides enough is enough, and she must escape – Hannah would rather die trying to escape than to undergo this humiliation

How was Hannah able to escape? – No guard was kept on Hannah, Mary, and Samuel – The Natives did not think that these two women were capable of escaping They were weak from traveling They were “white women” – The natives trusted Samuel because he had been a member of their tribe for over a year. So what is Hannah’s plan?

Cotton Mather excludes parts of Hannah’s plan in his retelling Part of the missing piece of the story is found in Samuel Sewall’s Diary entry dated May 12, 1697 – Samuel was one of the judges who presided over the Salem Witch Trials – Long known for keeping a diary – Hannah visits him while in Boston

Hannah’s plan – Hannah knew the Natives scalped people but didn’t know the technique for accomplishing the task – Hannah sends Samuel to go ask how to do it – Since Samuel is trusted and still “young,” one of the members of the tribe gives him instructions and directions on how they scalp the enemy – Samuel comes back and tells Hannah

On March 31 st, 1697 Hannah puts her plan into action Hannah, Samuel, and Mary wait until the family is in a “dead sleep” Hannah told Cotton Mather that she did not feel there was any law that forbid her from “taking away the life of the murderers by whom her child had been butchered.”

Hannah scalps her master Samuel scalps the man who gave him the directions Painting by Julius Stearns Not Historically accurate

Hannah, Samuel, and Mary scalp the rest of the family except for 2 people – One male child was left alive Hannah claims she was planning on taking him with The boy awoke during the scalping and ran – One woman escaped She had been scalped, left for dead. Despite her wound, the woman got up and ran for safety

Hannah is free to go. She leaves with a gun, tomahawk, Mary, and Samuel Hannah realizes that no one will believe her story without evidence – She goes back and collects the scalps and places them in a sack – She also believed that she could collect £ 50 for the scalps

Hannah, Samuel, and Mary take one of the Native’s canoes and head for home

When they arrive at home, Hannah finds her husband and other children are alive and well – Thomas decides that his wife’s actions against the “enemies of the colony” deserve to be rewarded – Thomas takes Hannah, Mary, and Samuel to Boston to try to claim the bounty – They arrive on April 21, Thomas files a petition to the Governor. The petition is read on June 8, – His petition claims that because he lost his property and his wife was kidnapped, Thomas deserves special consideration for the bounty

The bounty on scalps had expired, but Hannah was awarded £ 25, and Mary and Samuel each collect £12. Hannah is also hailed as a hero – She receives gifts from others – The Governor of Maryland sends her an inscribed silver tankard – She also receives a statue in the town of Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Is Hannah a Heroine or a Murderer? Hannah told Cotton Mather that she did not feel there was any law that forbid her from “taking away the life of the murderers by whom her child had been butchered.” Is Hannah correct? Did Hannah have the right to take the life of someone else? Go back to the T-chart we created earlier. Where does revenge fall? Is Hannah a heroine or a murderer?

Activities Put Hannah on Trial – Defense – Prosecution – Witnesses Skills: Asking and answering questions, summarizing/ retelling information, developing support for a position, listening to information and responding appropriately

Activities Create a pro/anti Hannah newspaper article about the events Create a wanted poster for Hannah or a MISSING poster for Hannah Essay: Should our rubric be changed? Why? Skills: summarizing/ retelling information, developing support for a position

Activities Internet Sources: Have students Google Hannah Dustin and find sources that have inaccuracies and identify what those mistakes are. (Wonder Woman comic, 4WebSite/history/Native%20Americans/indianwars.html) Create a picture book/ comic based on Hannah’s story Essay: Was Hannah a heroine or a murderer? Skills: summarizing/ retelling information, developing support for a position