Happy Tuesday! Have the following materials out BEFORE THE BELL RINGS: Notes from yesterday pen or pencil

McCarthyism and The Crucible

The Second Red Scare Throughout the 1940s and 1950s America was overwhelmed with concerns about the threat of communism growing in Eastern Europe and China.

Was this fear justified? Well…yes and no… Because the Communist Party in the United States helped to organize labor unions and was opposed to fascism, it gained a membership of about 75,000 members in 1940-1941.

The Cold War During WWII, the United States was allied with the Soviet Union. When we were fighting together, no one cared about communism. After WWII, as the Soviet Union expanded its territory, the Cold War and fears of communism began again.

One thing that scared us… The Soviet Union tested an atomic bomb in 1949, earlier than many analysts had expected.

Another scary thing… That same year, Mao Zedong's Communist army gained control of mainland China despite heavy American financial support of the opposing Kuomintang.

And also… In 1950, the Korean War began, pitting U.S., U.N., and South Korean forces against Communists from North Korea and China.

Who is Joseph McCarthy? A Marine Corps veteran of World War II, McCarthy was elected to the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin in 1946.

1950 Joseph McCarthy speech He leapt to national fame on February 9, 1950 with a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, where he waved a piece of paper and claimed "I have in my hand" a list of known communist loyalists working in the State Department.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) While the House Un-American Activities Committee had been formed in 1938 as an anti-Communist organ, McCarthy’s accusations heightened the political tensions of the times.

HUAC Investigates Hollywood The Committee began to subpoena screenwriters, directors, and other movie industry professionals to testify about their known or suspected membership in the Communist Party.

The Committee Wants to Know “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party of the United States?"

Hollywood Ten Among the first film industry witnesses subpoenaed by the Committee were ten who decided not to cooperate. These men, who became known as the Hollywood Ten, not only refused to cooperate with the investigation but denounced the HUAC anti-communist hearings as an outrageous violation of their civil rights, as the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave them the right to belong to any political organization they chose.

Real Life Repercussions The ten were sentenced to 6 months to 1 year in prison for contempt of Congress. They were also blacklisted from working in the film industry in Hollywood, until the 1960s when the ban was lifted.

Arthur Miller and HUAC Arthur Miller had already been named as a suspected communist by another suspect at the hearings. Miller (now married to Marilyn Monroe) applied for a new passport. The HUAC used this opportunity to subpoena him to appear before the committee.

Before appearing, Miller asked the committee not to ask him to name names, to which the chairman agreed but later ignored the agreement. When Miller attended the hearing, he gave the committee a detailed account of his political activities (leaving out the fact that he was a communist party member).

Miller in trouble Miller refused to name others, saying "I could not use the name of another person and bring trouble on him.“ As a result a judge found Miller guilty of contempt of Congress in May 1957. Miller was fined $500, sentenced to thirty days in prison, blacklisted, and disallowed a U.S. passport. (sentence later overturned)

Banned Books McCarthy examined authors for allegations of Communist influence. Yielding to the pressure, the State Department ordered its overseas librarians to remove these books from their shelves. Some libraries actually burned the newly forbidden books. Memorial to burned books

A New Target McCarthy's committee then began an investigation into the United States Army. McCarthy garnered some headlines with stories of a dangerous spy ring among the Army researchers, but ultimately nothing came of this investigation

Army-McCarthy Hearings McCarthy next turned his attention to the case of a U.S. Army dentist who had been promoted to the rank of major despite having refused to answer questions on an Army loyalty review form. McCarthy's handling of this investigation, including a series of insults directed at a brigadier general, led to the Army-McCarthy hearings.

McCarthy Flops The Army and McCarthy traded charges and counter-charges for 36 days before a nationwide television audience. While the official outcome of the hearings was inconclusive, this exposure of McCarthy to the American public resulted in a sharp decline in his popularity

McCarthy fall from popularity In less than a year, McCarthy’s position as a prominent force in anti-communism was essentially ended. On December 2, 1954, the Senate voted to censure Senator McCarthy by a vote of 67 to 22, making him one of the few senators ever to be disciplined in this fashion.

About three years later… McCarthy died on May 2, 1957, at the age of 48. The official cause of death was acute hepatitis; it is widely accepted that this was exacerbated by alcoholism.

Victims of McCarthyism The number imprisoned is in the hundreds, and some ten or twelve thousand lost their jobs. Some of those who were imprisoned or lost their jobs did in fact have some connection with the Communist Party. But for most, both the potential harm to the nation and the nature of their communist affiliation were tenuous.

Homosexuals targeted McCarthy did not just go after suspected communists, he also targeted gays. The hunt for "sexual perverts", who were presumed to be subversive by nature, resulted in thousands being harassed and denied employment.

The Crucible and McCarthyism The play focused heavily on the fact that once accused, a person would have little chance of exoneration, given the irrational and circular reasoning of both the courts and the public.

Introduction to The Crucible Arthur Miller and Joseph McCarthy

Part I: Overview American play Written in the 1950s Playwright: Arthur Miller Focuses on residents of Salem, Massachusetts Issues: greed, guilt, motivation, morality We will focus on each of these bullets as we go through the slideshow

Overview: American Drama 1950s drama was heavily influenced by: World War II just ending The desire for change Feelings of guilt and exploration of identity The Crucible premiered in January 1953 in New York City. WWII ended in 1945; America “won” the war, but many people were in a state of “shock” after the war Going to the extreme (searching for identity, pointing out differences)

Overview: Arthur Miller Born in 1915 in New York City His father’s business failed because of the Depression Family moved around a lot because of poverty Attended the University of Michigan Dad had a garment manufacturing business. Explain Depression

Overview: Arthur Miller Returned to NYC after graduating college No luck with writing! Finally had a play of his on Broadway All My Sons (1947) In 1949, wrote Death of a Salesman His first play, “The Man Who Had All the Luck,” received horrible reviews.

Overview: Arthur Miller Married Marilyn Monroe (lucky guy!) Divorced after a few years Had three wives altogether Wrote The Crucible in the early 1950s Was accused of being a Communist Died in 2005 Communism: a type of government that believes everyone should chip in equally and get equal benefits (from each according to his ability, to each according to his need). Why bad? Russia and China; also, execution of ideal is difficult

Overview: Salem, Massachusetts Located on the coast of Massachusetts Settled mainly by Puritans in 1626 A group of people who left England so they could practice religious freedom Often let their religious beliefs guide their daily lives Most known for the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 Nickname: “The Witch City” Witch museums, etc. as tourism industry

Overview: Issues Greed: How do you define greed? Is greed ever a good thing? Guilt: What leads people to feel guilt? Motivation: What is the biggest motivator in your life? Morality: List your top three “moral rules.” How do these fit into our ideas of America?

The Facts Young girl named Betty Parris became ill Fever, extreme pain, running around the house More children in Salem became ill Ann Putnam, Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott Doctors were called in to find the reason for this sickness

But… Doctors couldn’t explain illness, so they defaulted to “witchcraft” Townspeople were easily convinced A servant in town was suspected of witchcraft Townspeople decided to arrest the servant, Tituba, and an older woman for witchcraft

Why did this happen? People were suspicious/fearful A book about witchcraft had just been published by Cotton Mather People were at war with Native Americans Death/evil were on the mind of many (because of fighting and disease) Puritan culture easily accepted the devil as the source of evil/wrong in life Students respond to the question on their guided notes: What is the benefit of blaming something/someone like the devil (or even God)? What is the problem with this?

“The Crucible” and Communism Allegory: work of literature that tells one story on the surface while referring to another sub textually Comparing the play to the Red Scare Can you see how these historical events are similar to those of the Salem Witch Trials?

Part IV: Character Introduction Protagonist=Main character Antagonist=Who/what the protagonist is “fighting” vs

Character Introduction Abigail Williams: Leader of the group of girls Having an affair with John Proctor Smart, manipulative, jealous

Character Introduction John Proctor: Farmer Married, but having an affair with Abigail Proud and (usually) honest

Character Introduction Elizabeth Proctor: John Proctor’s wife Moral and honest Sometimes seen as “cold”

Character Introduction The Girls: Betty Parris: Daughter of the town minister Ruth Putnam: Daughter of a wealthy, greedy landowner Mary Warren: Servant of the Proctors Mercy Lewis: Servant of the Putnams

Character Introduction Reverend Parris: Town minister Paranoid Concerned with what others think of him

Character Introduction John Hale: “Expert” on witchcraft Asked to come to Salem for his knowledge Intelligent and logical

Character Introduction Tituba: Slave from Barbados Performs voodoo Accused of witchcraft

Major Themes Intolerance: Hysteria: In Salem, everything and everyone belongs to either God or the devil; dissent is not merely unlawful, it is associated with satanic activity. Hysteria: In the end, hysteria can thrive only because people benefit from it. It suspends the rules of daily life and allows the acting out of every dark desire and hateful urge under the cover of righteousness.

Major Themes Reputation: In an environment where reputation plays such an important role, the fear of guilt by association becomes particularly malicious. Focused on maintaining public reputation, the townsfolk of Salem must fear that the sins of their friends and associates will taint their names. Various characters base their actions on the desire to protect their respective reputations.