Lesson plan
Edith Maxwell
Edith Maxwell (April 24, 1914 – May 2, 1979) was a Virginian schoolteacher who, at the age of 21, was convicted of murdering her father in rural Appalachia, triggering a nationwide media sensation. On July 20, 1935, the young teacher spent the evening with friends at "the Little Ritz" in Wise, Virginia. When she returned home late at night in Pound, Virginia, she had an argument with Trigg Maxwell, her coal miner father. Trigg attempted to whip his daughter for staying out late. According to Edith Maxwell, during the fight, she hit her father with a high heeled shoe, accidentally killing him. Other accounts asserted various alternate scenarios, including that she hit her father with an iron skillet, that he fell and banged his head on a butcher's block, or even that he had had a stroke and died. The prosecutor's case was circumstantial, and no one had a good idea of what really happened that night. After a two-day trial, Edith was found guilty by an all-male jury in November 1935, and when that decision was overturned in 1936, a second trial later found her guilty of murder and she was sentenced to 25 years in jail. Edith's mother, Ann, was originally jointly charged with her for Trigg's death, however after Edith's first trial, the states attorney decided to not go forward for lack of sufficient evidence for a first-degree conviction.…
Article summary
Edith Maxwell (April 24, 1914 – May 2, 1979) was a Virginian schoolteacher who, at the age of 21, was convicted of murdering her father in rural Appalachia, triggering a nationwide media sensation. On July 20, 1935, the young teacher spent the evening with friends at "the Little Ritz" in Wise, Virginia. When she returned home late at night in Pound, Virginia, she had an argument with Trigg Maxwell, her coal miner father. Trigg attempted to whip his daughter for staying out late. According to Edith Maxwell, during the fight, she hit her father with a high heeled shoe, accidentally killing him. Other accounts asserted various alternate scenarios, including that she hit her father with an iron skillet, that he fell and banged his head on a butcher's block, or even that he had had a stroke and died. The prosecutor's case was circumstantial, and no one had a good idea of what really happened that night. After a two-day trial, Edith was found guilty by an all-male jury in November 1935, and when that decision was overturned in 1936, a second trial later found her guilty of murder and she was sentenced to 25 years in jail. Edith's mother, Ann, was originally jointly charged with her for Trigg's death, however after Edith's first trial, the states attorney decided to not go forward for lack of sufficient evidence for a first-degree conviction.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.