1. The Crucible Background The Salem Witch Trials And The Red Scare

2. In the 1600s, Puritans settled on the East coast of the United States. They brought with them the hope of religious freedom, but instead became embroiled in hysteria over the existence of witches. They had been persecuted in their native England, but they created a theocracy and eventually persecuted others.

3. Salem was settled in1626 by the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony. They were awaiting the arival of a new governor. The church and the government were closely connected. Hard work and attending church were the way of life. Games and toys were not what children did. They worked and learned Bible verses.

4. Most of those accused of being witches were women. Many were healers, and used plants to heal people. Many were without family, and this made them easy targets. They were people who did not fit in with the mainstream for some reason.

5. 18-21 executed 3-5 more died in prison Between 175 to 200 imprisoned Two dogs were killed for being accomplices Spectral Evidence was when the accuser claimed to see the shape of the accused who was locked up in prison. This was considered evidence. Usually the accused attacked the girls who claimed to see them.

6. How did it start? In 1692, several girls in the village of Salem, Massachusetts became intrigued when a West Indian servant told them stories of magic and voodoo from her native land. Bored and restricted by the oppressive Puritan life, the girls slipped into the woods one night and “conjured” love charms and hexes. One girl, Betty Parris, slipped into unconsciousness when her father caught them. She wouldn’t wake up, and this started the discussion of witchcraft. To avoid punishment, the girls created the story of the “witches” who made them dance and conjure the spells.

7. Why did it happen? It then became an ideal way to get revenge on anyone whom you disliked. People started accusing their neighbors of being witches so they could steal their farmland. People accused others of being witches if they wanted to steal their husbands or wives or possessions. These girls were lying, and once they started lying about witches; they could not stop.

8. In February 1692 a few girls in Salem Village (present day Danvers) began to experiment with magic. Afterwards, these girls developed a mental illness called hysteria. They began to have unusual fits by falling on the floor and screaming. It began as a way for the oppressed girls to avoid being punished.

9. Their parents brought them to many doctors and the only answer the doctors had was that the girls were bewitched. People began to call these girls the “afflicted girls.” Soon they said they were being tortured by witches. And the Salem witch trials started…

10. Types of Witchcraft In the 1600s witchcraft was put in three categories. When a white witch was experimenting with magic, it was for harmless purposes. When a black witch was experimenting with magic, it was to commit hardships and injury. Contact with the Devil was the most extreme form of witchcraft.

11. Tests for Witches The Touch Test There were two ways to find out who was a witch and who wasn’t. The touch test was one way to see if a person was a witch. The accused would touch the accuser and if her fits stopped, which usually happened, the person was proven guilty.

12. The Water Test The water test was the second way to find out if a person was a witch. This test was widely used in Europe, but not much in Salem. The water test was that the accused would be thrown into the water. If he or she drowned, they were innocent. If they floated, he or she was guilty.

13. Trials and Punishment The trials were basically quite simple. It was based on whether the jury believed the word of the accused or the a ccuser. Punishment was severe during the witch trials. You could be hanged or put in prison. They thought witches could not do magic if he or she wore heavy leg irons.

14. Those accused of being witches were most often found guilty. Sometimes they were sentenced to be tied to a rock dunked in a pond, and if they sank, they were declared innocent. Sometimes they were sentenced to be tied to a rock dunked in a pond, and if they sank, they were declared innocent. If they somehow survived the dunking, they were obviously witches, and they were executed. Most of those found guilty of witchcraft were hung. One man was pressed to death with rocks because he refused to plead guilty or innocent, insuring that his sons still inherited his lands. Many were forced into confessing by torture and fear.

15. The End of the Trials The educated began to realize that those put to death and/or accused could have been innocent. In October 1692, Governor William Phipps of Massachusetts was disgusted with the trials, so he put an end to it. Samuel Sewall, one of the judges during the witch trials later apologized publicly of all the deaths. Soon, the court cleared the names of those who died.

16. Arthur Miller Born in New York in the family of Isidore, a moderately rich jewish ladies wear manufacturer and shopkeeer, and Augusta Miller; His family was ruined in the Great Depression and he had to work in automobile parts warehouse to earn money for college; Studied journalism, but graduated in English from the University of Michigan. His decision to become a writer was under the impression of Dostoevski’s The Brothers Karamazov; Married his college sweetheart Mary Slattery.

17. Works The Man Who Had All the Luck – his first play (1944); All My Sons (1947) – NY Drama Critics Circle award and two Tony awards; The Story of Gi Joe (1945); Focus (1945) – his first Novel; Death of a Salesman (1949) – Miller’s plays often depict how families are destroyed by false values; The Crucible (1953).

18. Some Other Facts Wrote two short plays under the collective title of A View From The Bridge(1954); Married Marilyn Monroe (1956), wrote screenplays (Misfits) with roles for his wife, and divorced her (1961); 1965 – Miller was elected president of P.E.N, the international literary organization 1968 – At the democratic Party Convention he was elected delegate for Eugene McCarthy, whose era of mass hysteria as depicted in Miller’s The Crucible, where “accepted the notion that conscience was no longer a private matter but one of state administration”; Numerou problems with the House of Un-American Activities Committee for being a “romantic marxist”; After the Fall – a biographical play Finishing the Picture – last play, depicted the making of Misfits.

19. Why Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible” Arthur Miller, one of America’s most famous playwrights, lived during the 1950s and experienced the Communist hysteria of the era. People thought their were Communists everywhere. Senator Joseph McCarthy, made it his personal mission to find Communists and destroy their lives by bringing them before something called the HOUSE UNAMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE.

20. Senator McCarthy accused many people: actors, writers, people in media, people in the military of being Communists. of being Communists. He held hearings where people were commanded to give names of other Communists in order for leniency (to not be punished as harshly). People were afraid they might be named as Communists, and it was called the Red Scare. (‘Red’ was a word used for a Communist.)

21. The Crucible was Arthur Miller’s way of protesting the House Unamerican Activities Committee hearings. He compared the Communist hearings to the witch hunts of Salem, where gossip, rumors, and fear were evidence enough to convict people. The term “witch hunt” now applies to any activity where people are looking for a scapegoat or where they are using accusations to get revenge or to get personal gain or attention.

22. So, What’s the Truth? THIS IS FICTION: Tituba led six girls into a nearby forest to cast charms and spells, followed by a wild dancing ritual. Ruth Putnam was the first girl to become afflicted. The only symptom of bewitchment was that the victim could not be woken from a deep slumber. John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey were all hung on the same day. AND THIS IS FACT: Tituba was asked to bake a “witchcake” in order to figure out who was afflicting Betty Parris. She was later accused of witchcraft by Betty and Abigail. Betty Parris and Abigail Williams were the first to become afflicted. Actual symptoms consisted of violent, physical tantrums. Rebecca Nurse was hung on July 19 th, John Proctor on August 19 th, and finally, Martha Corey on September 22 nd. ***Tituba brought stories of voodoo and other supernatural events from Barbados. This alone compelled the girls to take part in harmless fortune-telling.

23. The Parris Family THIS IS FICTION: Mrs. Parris had been dead for years and the family consisted of Betty (daughter), Mr. Parris, Abigail (niece), and Tituba (slave). Betty was present for the trials. Mr. Parris claimed to be a graduate of Harvard. Tituba was single and didn’t have family as a slave. Tituba confessed quickly. AND THIS IS FACT: Mrs. Paris was alive during the incident and died in 1969, four years after the incident. The Parris family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Parris, Betty, Thomas, and Susannah; Abigail was only “kinfolk.” After the trials began Betty was sent away. Mr. Parris actually went to Harvard, but dropped out. Tituba was actually an Indian woman who had a husband named John and a daughter named Violet. She was also tortured for a long time before she confessed.

24. The Proctor Family THIS IS FICTION: John Proctor is young and is a farmer. Elizabeth is his only wife. John Proctor only has two young sons. Mary Warren was 17 in the story John and Abigail committed adultery. Abigail worked for the Proctors before Mary AND THIS IS FACT: John is actually 60 and a tavern keeper. Elizabeth is his third wife. John has a daughter that is 15, a son that is 17, and another son that is 33 from a previous marriage. Mary Warren is 20. The adultery between Abigail and John is unlikely to occur as they lived far from each other and Abigail never worked for them.

25. The Putnams, Nurses, & Giles Corey THIS IS FICTION: Daughter is named Ruth Putnam. Ruth was the only child of 8 to survive. Both of the Nurses were deeply respected and revered. Giles Corey was executed for refusing to reveal the name of a witness. AND THIS IS FACT: The daughter’s real name is Ann, just like her mother’s. The Putnams had 6 living children. Rebecca Nurse was considered least likely to be a witch – she was seen as saint-like. The Nurses were not extremely respected because they owed money. Corey was accused of witchcraft and didn’t enter a plea. He was pressed with stones in an attempt to force him to plea either way, but he refused.

26. But, what really makes The Crucible so special even to this day, is that the story applies to the events that we witness right before our own eyes. Yes, we have allowed ‘witch hunts’ to continually take place, proving that we have yet to correct the mistakes that were made over 300 years ago.

27. REFLECTION (150 + words) Based on what you’ve heard about the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy hearings, write a paragraph detailing any connections you see between the two occurrences. Why do you think Arthur Miller chose to use the period of history (1692) that he chose? Why didn’t he just write about the Red Scare and the McCarthy trials?s Are there any differences between the two occurrences (other than the obvious things, like time periods and clothes, etc.) How do you think both of these “witch hunts” were stopped eventually?