January 3, 2013 Today’s Lesson: Define.. McCarthyism Blacklisting HUAC What is an allegory? Homework: Vocab List 5 Crucible Paper Due 11/21 Write Now 16: One of the themes in The Crucible is: Justice vs. Revenge What does this mean and how does it relate to the play?
McCarthyism: History in Literature? Arthur Miller’s Reasons for Writing The Crucible
The Red Scare We were in the middle of the Cold War with Russia, which was not a war in the traditional sense, but more of a competition between the U.S. and what was then the U.S.S.R. – from the 1940s until the early 1990s. (For the most part, it was an “arms race,” meaning the countries were trying to outdo each other in both production and quality of weapons.)
What is Communism? A true communistic state is characterized by collective ownership of property (the people) and the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members. However Communism has never worked because… The government controls the economy and a single party holds power, claiming to work toward a social order in which goods are equally shared
Historical Context 1917 Two Russian Revolutions 1919 Tensions mount in States over Communism House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) formed in 1938; permanent committee in 1945 1945 Truman declares Cold War 1947 HUAC investigates Communism in motion pictures
What is McCarthyism? a movement made up of mostly senators and lead by Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy which started in the late 1940s-1950s; also known as “The Second Red Scare”
During this time, Sen. McCarthy – and others – created a “blacklist” of those people believed to be Communists; these people, including celebrities, often lost money, their jobs, and their freedoms because of these false accusations
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was a group formed specifically to investigate any cases of alleged Communism. This group investigated anyone who seemed “unusual” or “outside of the norm,” anyone who questioned society or who took risks. Another famous HUAC member (and director of the FBI) was J. Edgar Hoover.
So what people did McCarthyism/”The Second Red Scare” affect? This movement affected anyone, but especially entertainers such as actors, screenwriters, singers, playwrights, musicians, and authors. Who was responsible? – Joseph McCarthy and his House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
McCarthy and the Conflict In 1950 Lincoln Day speech McCarthy asserted 205 Communists in State Department McCarthy interrogated numerous Americans about their Communist leanings on televised Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearings Encouraged them to escape punishment by confessing and identifying other alleged communists.
What does this have to do with The Crucible? Arthur Miller Arthur Miller wrote one of the most influential plays in American literature The Crucible, which was written about “The Salem Witch Trials,” but it was actually a thinly disguised play abou about McCarthyism. Allegory: A story with two meanings – a liter literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.
Why Miller Cared So Much: First, Arthur Miller was claiming his own political statement about the times. Even more importantly, Miller was retaliating against the government for their actions against him. McCarthy and his gang had even accused Miller of being a COMMUNIST !
Celebrities Accused of McCarthyism Lucille Ball, actress
Richard N. Wright, author
Charlie Chaplin, comedian and entertainer
Langston Hughes, author and poet
Works Cited “AmSt.2010.” University of Colorado at Boulder. 2002. U of C at B. 24 September 2008. <http://www.colorado.edu/AmStudies/lewis/2010/mccarthy.htm> Buhle, Paul, and David Wagner. Hide in Plain Sight: The Hollywood Blacklistees in Film and Television, 1950-2002. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Miller, Arthur. “Are You Now or Were You Ever?” The Guardian/The Observer. 13 July 2000. 24 September 2008. <http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/miller-mccarthyism.html>
This powerpoint can be found on my teacher’s website under American Literature I