 b. New York City, Oct. 17, 1915  Miller began writing plays while a student at the University of Michigan

 His father, Isidore Miller, was a ladies- wear manufacturer and shopkeeper who was ruined in the depression. The sudden change in fortune had a strong influence on Miller  To study journalism he entered the University of Michigan in 1934, where he won awards for playwriting

 Miller married the motion-picture actress Marilyn Monroe in 1956; they divorced in 1961.

 first successes--All My Sons (1947) and Death of a Salesman (1949)  Miller condemned the American ideal of prosperity on the grounds that few can pursue it without making dangerous moral compromises.

 Puritanism  Salem Witch Trials

Theological Beliefs of the Puritans Total depravity: Humankind is totally sinful through the fall of Adam and utterly unable to work out their own redemption. Unconditional election (Predestination): God is under no obligation to save anyone. He saves or “elects” those who he wills with no reference to good works. Limited atonement: Christ died only for the elect. Irresistible grace: God’s free grace is neither earned nor refused. Anyone who has it, has it. Perseverance of saints: Those whom God has chosen have thenceforth full power to do the will of God and the ability to live uprightly to the end.

 Believed Native Americans were heathens and the woods and forests full of demons  Believed in mandatory attendance at church  Believed that people were expected to work hard and repress emotions and opinions  The church dictated that dark, somber dress was appropriate  Never get caught sleeping in church or stealing food What do these beliefs tell us?

 Read natural signs to see God’s will or Satan’s tricks (when a neighbor’s crop failed or a child became sick, saw it as God’s will and did not help)  Believed Satan selected the “weakest”—women, children and the insane to carry out his work.  Believed those who followed Satan were considered witches  Punished witchcraft by death What does this tell us?

 Innocent prank caused mass hysteria during time of unrest  Hysteria implies Puritans deep belief in supernatural Puritans cannot handle anything threatening the quest for perfection/religious purity (magic is out of place)  Puritans brought pre-existing ideas about women & magic to colonies Women = evil & sexual--targets for Devil

 As early as 1450, witch hunts all over Europe  Many thousands were hanged, drowned or burned at the stake  Women were viewed as “imperfect” as they were formed from a man’s rib whereas men were the privileged sex (Christ--a male)  Popular view of women was source of witch hunt hysteria…seen as inherently evil and sexual—thus targets for the devil

 Possibly the single, most studied event in colonial American history  Fear of magic and witchcraft was common in New England, as it had been in Europe  Over 100 alleged witches had been tried and hanged in New England during the 1600s  In early 1692, the witch hunt hysteria began in Salem

 From early spring to September 1692, over 150 “witches” were taken into custody  19 men and women refused to confess and were hanged on Gallows Hill  One man was pressed to death under stones  Four died in jail

 Author: Arthur Miller  Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials Believed those who followed Satan were considered witches Punished witchcraft by death  Over 100 alleged witches had been tried and hanged in New England during the 1600s

 From early spring to September 1692, over 150 “witches” were taken into custody  19 men and women refused to confess and were hanged on Gallows Hill  One man was pressed to death under stones  Four died in jail

The Crucible – Wrap Up

Examining a Witch

The Arrest Warrant - Proctor

The Witch House  The Witch House, home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the Witchcraft Trials of 1692.

Salem in the 1700’s

Rev. Samuel Parris

The Grave Site for Salem

Real Gravestones

Giles Corey

Rebecca Nurse

What do we learn?  Weak vs. Strong  How did this happen?  How can we stop this from happening?  What’s my role in stopping these witch hunts?

1. a vessel of a very refractory material (as porcelain) used for melting and calcining a substance that requires a high degree of heat 2. a severe test 3. a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development