1. The Crucible By Arthur Miller

2.  1915 Arthur Aster Miller was born on October 17th in New York City  1928 Father's business was struggling and the family moved to Brooklyn. Attends high school. Plays on football team.

3.  1931 Delivery boy for local bakery before school, works for father's business in summers.  1933 Graduates from Abraham Lincoln High School. Registers for night school at City College, but quits after two weeks.

4.  1934 Enters University of Michigan in the Fall to study journalism. –Reporter and night editor on student paper, The Michigan Daily. –Becomes English major

5.  1940 Marries Mary Grace Slattery.  1941 Takes extra job working nightshift as a shipfitter’s helper at the Brooklyn Naval Yard. Writes radio plays.

6.  1945 Focus (novel) published.  1947 All My Sons premiers and receives two Awards.  1949 Death of a Salesman  1951 Pressures from the House Un-American Activities Committee begin  1952 Visits the Historical Society “Witch Museum” in Salem, to research for The Crucible.  1953 The Crucible premiers.

7.  1954 Asked to attend the Belgian premier of The Crucible –unable to attend as denied passport by the US.  1955 HUAC interferes with Miller’s freedoms.

8.  1956 Lives in Nevada for six weeks in order to divorce Mary Slattery. –Marries Marilyn Monroe.  Subpoenaed to appear before HUAC.

9.  1957 Arthur Miller's Collected Plays published. –Convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to name names to the HUAC.  1958 United States Court of Appeals overturns his contempt conviction.

10.  1961 Divorces Marilyn Monroe.  1962 Marries Inge Morath. –Marilyn Monroe dies.

11.  1985 Death of a Salesman with Dustin Hoffman airs on CBS.  Spends the next 20 years writing, publishing, and speaking.  2005 Miller dies of heart failure in his Connecticut home on 10 th Feb.

12. From The Crucible to McCarthyism End of WWII, two powerful nations emerged: USA and USSR A battle for nuclear weapon superiority arose between the two: –Gave rise to the ‘Cold War’ –US worked to oppose the spread of communism.

13. US Senator alleged that communists were infiltrating the government. He accused many public servants Joseph McCarthy

14. Miller was caught up in the frenzy He refused and was sent for trial. He was fined and given a suspended prison sentence He appealed and was acquitted. Miller fought to maintain his dignity and his principles

15. The Pen is Mightier than the Sword…  During this whole ideal, Miller vented by writing The Crucible.  Written to express what happened to him personally.  Aimed at congressional investigation of “communist activities”

16.  He related The Crucible to The McCarthy Trials because: –Many innocent Americans were put on trial. People were accused without evidence –A non-existent threat was made into a big deal. –Innocent people’s names were tainted forever.

17.  Both McCarthy and Judge Danforth had unrestricted power.  Both began with a common fear at that time (based on emotion, not reason)  Both events had lasting effects on many people. Similarities: