Curious Colonial Punishments

As an end of the unit activity on the American Colonial Era, we had a round-table discussion on common colonial punishments.  In advance, I researched and compiled a list of historical crimes and punishments that had happened or typically happened in the 13 American colonies and put them on slips of paper.  Each student had to choose a slip, then read their crime and their punishment for said crime.  Some of the crimes include:


"You will be set in the pillory for delivering false dinner invitations and for being the author of a rough practical joke."

 (The Pillory)

"You were caught gossipping...you are sentences to wear the 'gossip's bridle'.  This was a sort of heavy iron cage, that covered the head; a flat tongue of iron, sometimes spiked, was thrust into the mouth over the criminal's tongue."

(The Gossip's Bridle)

"You stole a pair of breeches in 1638 and are sentenced to 'sitt in the stocks on the next Sabboth day...from the beginninge of morninge prayer until the end of the Serman, with a pair of breeches about your necke."

(The Stocks)

The students LOVE this activity! Their fascination probably stems from the fact that in pre-Constitution times there was no such thing as protection from 'cruel and unusual punishment' so the punishments they received were very interesting!