The Big Questions

1
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
• Its not okay for gangs to kill other gangs
• Its not okay for terrorists to kill innocent
  people
• Its not okay to kill people you dont 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

2
Hannah Dustin

• Heroine
• Or
• Murderer?

3
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 Hannahs story?
4

• 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.

5

• 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?

6

• Thomas cant 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 cant save them all, so he chooses to
  save his children over saving his wife, newborn,
  and nurse maid
• He also believes he cant save all his other
  children so he contemplates who he should save.
• The children he cant save will be left unto the
  care of Divine Providence

7

• When he cant 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
http//www.hannahdustin.com/index2.html
8
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 cant 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.

9

• The Natives invade Hannahs 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

10

• 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.
• Others captives who cant keep up were sent unto
  their long home

11

• 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

12
As a good colonial woman, what should Hannah
do?As a good colonial woman, what CAN Hannah do?
13
Hannahs Choices

• What can Hannah do?

• What will happen if she makes that choice?

Prediction What will Hannah do?
14

• 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 masters 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.

15

• Hannahs 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!

16

• 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

17

• 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

18

• 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 Hannahs plan?

19

• Cotton Mather excludes parts of Hannahs plan in
  his retelling
• Part of the missing piece of the story is found
  in Samuel Sewalls 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

20

• Hannahs plan
• Hannah knew the Natives scalped people but didnt
  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

21

• On March 31st, 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.

22

• Hannah scalps her master
• Samuel scalps the man who gave him the directions

Painting by Julius StearnsNot Historically
accurate
23
(No Transcript)
24

• 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

25

• 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

26

• Hannah, Samuel, and Mary take one of the Natives
  canoes and head for home

27

• When they arrive at home, Hannah finds her
  husband and other children are alive and well
• Thomas decides that his wifes 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, 1697. Thomas files a
  petition to the Governor. The petition is read
  on June 8, 1697.
• His petition claims that because he lost his
  property and his wife was kidnapped, Thomas
  deserves special consideration for the bounty

28

• 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.

29
(No Transcript)
30
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?

31
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

32
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

33
Activities

• Internet Sources Have students Google Hannah
  Dustin and find sources that have inaccuracies
  and identify what those mistakes are. (Wonder
  Woman comic, http//www.govwentworth.k12.nh.us/goa
  ls2000-4WebSite/history/Native20Americans/indianw
  ars.html)
• Create a picture book/ comic based on Hannahs
  story
• Essay Was Hannah a heroine or a murderer?
• Skills summarizing/ retelling information,
  developing support for a position