Setting up The Crucible

 In 1534, Henry VIII severed ties with the Roman Catholic Church and created the Church of England (Anglican Church)  The Church of England remained very similar to the Catholic Church except that it did not recognize the pope as supreme authority.  In the early 17th Century, extremely conservative religious groups did not like this direction and set sail to the newly “discovered” America.

PILGRIMS  Established American colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts in  Broke completely with the Church of England  Flagship: The Mayflower PURITANS  Founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony around present day Salem and Boston in the 1630s  Attempted to reform the Church of England  Flagship: The Arbella

 Followers believed in the teachings of John Calvin ( )  Calvin taught that human beings were depraved sinners and that God had chosen only an unknown few for salvation.  Those not chosen by God were condemned to eternal damnation

 No one really knew if he or she was saved or damned; Puritans lived in a constant state of spiritual anxiety, searching for signs of God's favor or anger.  It was important to be converted in the soul.

 Conformity to religious beliefs was required and dissent was only tolerated under strict limits.  Governments were also to be held responsible for the salvation of the people.  Hard work and self-discipline were very important  Puritans strongly disapproved of sexual relations outside of marriage, of drunkenness, and of activities such as gambling, drama (acting), and celebrating holidays, such as Christmas.

 Refers to a series of hearings around Salem, Mass. from May 1692 to May 1693 in which courts attempted to prosecute men and women accused of witchcraft.  Any accusation of witchcraft would be taken seriously, while denials would not be.  Overall, 25 people died during the witch trials.  This is the setting for The Crucible.

 By the late 17 th and early 18 th centuries, Puritanism was on a clear decline.  Fiery speakers such as Jonathan Edwards (P. 72) brought a brief revival of Puritanism in New England in the late 1720s and early 1730s, but this did not last long.

 Puritans blamed this decline on swearing; a tendency to sleep at sermons; the spread of sex and alcohol, especially in taverns, where women were known to bare their arms and, upon occasion, even their breasts; and, most telling, the marked increase in lying and lawsuits.

 While there are not many “Puritans” in America today, their influence is still felt. Here are some of the believed influences:  Hard work and discipline are valued work traits  Survival and self-sufficiency  The quest for religious freedom, while being intolerant of other religions  A negative view of alcohol  A negative portrayal of sexuality and of the human body

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