1. The Witch of Blackbird Pond
An Introduction

2. The Basics Written in 1958 by Elizabeth George Speare
Takes place in Wethersfield, CT – a real place! – in 1687
(The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692)
Main character is Kit, a teenage orphan who has left her home in Barbados to live with her aunt and uncle in Wethersfield
Political and religious tension in this time and place
Politically – Connecticut wants to be free – completely – from England
Religious – Puritans believe anyone other than them is evil

3. Historical Background
King James II – King of England at the time this novel takes place
Puritans – very moral beliefs, left England because they felt it was too relaxed
Quakers – reject worship and feel religion comes from within, devoted to peace, came from a part of England different from the Puritans
Connecticut Colony Charter – Connecticut people could govern themselves but had to send money back to the king
American Revolution –

4. Topics and Tid Bits
Social outcasts – doesn’t belong to the larger group, exclusion
Scapegoat – wrongly blamed for something
Intolerance – No acceptance for people who are different
There is a relationship between understanding and fear – we fear what we don’t understand
“Branding” is meant literally in the book – permanent mark on the skin
Novel is an excellent representation of “I know what is best and you’re not it”

5. Characters Kit – Main character, teenager, from Barbados
Hannah – Elderly, Quaker, lives in the meadows, branded a witch
Nat – Captain’s son, skilled sailor, same values as Kit
John – Smart, in Wethersfield to study from Reverend Bulkeley
Matthew and Rachel – Kit’s uncle and aunt in Wethersfield
Mercy and Judith – Matthew and Rachel’s daughters, Kit’s cousins

6. Characters, cont’d
William – Richest man in Wethersfield, young bachelor
Goodwife – small-minded cruel woman, mean to husband and Kit
Prudence – Goodwife’s daughter, mistreated
Reverend Bulkeley – Real person from history, loyal to the King
Governor Edmund – Real person from history, loyal to the King