The Ransom of Red Chief Lesson Plan

Why do Sam and Bill decide to kidnap someone for ransom? Why do they target the town of Summit and the Dorset family? Do you think their reasons were compelling and/or well thought out? Why or why not?

Sam and Bill have a plan regarding a fraudulent town-lot scheme in Illinois, but they only have $600 between them and need an additional $2000 to be able to successfully pull off their plan. As they ride through southern Alabama, the kidnapping idea simply strikes them.

There are a few reasons why the men settle on Summit and the Dorset family:

· Sam states that philoprogenitiveness, the tendency to love and produce offspring, is strong in rural communities. As such,...