1. Ladies and Gentlemen
Welcome
to the story of:

2. The Crucible By Arthur Miller
. . . When History and Literature Collide

3. The Crucible is . . . Puritanism + Witchcraft McCarthyism
Arthur Miller

4. It is the spring of 1692. The small town of Salem, MA
had been established a mere forty years earlier, and had
yet to make it its mark on the rest of the world. However,
while not all were immediately aware, 1692 would be a year
of ‘revolution’ in America. No longer was everyone willing
to adhere to the strict lifestyle that had been set down by
their forefathers. While the town of Salem may have
appeared to be a serene and enjoyable place to live, it was
about to experience an event that would change their lives
forever. Little did they know, though, that their story
would still have a tremendous effect on us today.
Meet the people

5. 1692 Salem Witch Trials This is the basis for Arthur
Miller’s screenplay, The
Crucible. Who was
executed, why?

6. Salem, 1692

7. The Salem Witch Trials In 1692, twenty were executed; 150 were jailed.
The Puritan culture attributed its hardships to the Devil.
Several girls in the town began to have seizures and lapses of unconsciousness after seeking Tituba, a slave from Barbados, for fortunetelling.

8. The Salem Witch Trials (cont.)
Tituba and two elderly women were accused at first; by the end, many of the community’s most prominent citizens were accused.
Overall nineteen were hanged, four accused died in prison, and one was pressed to death
In 1706, Ann Putnam signs a letter of apology.

9. Salem Witch Trials (cont.)
Samuel Sewell was the only judge to apologize for actions.

10. Possible Causes Hallucinations from spoiled food Boredom
Strict society
Social cleansing?
Land dispute

11. Connections
Miller wrote The Crucible as a metaphor for the Red Scare in the 1950’s.
He felt there was a “witch hunt” within the government and beyond
Like the witch trials, it was easier to admit guilt than maintain innocence.
The play is widely performed when social unrest is present in a culture.

12. 20th Century Witch Hunts
The Holocaust

13. 20th Century Witch Hunts
Japanese-American Internment Camps

14. 20th Century Witch Hunts: Racial Profiling
African Americans
Native Americans
Arab/Middle-Eastern decent

15. Closing Thoughts Be aware of false accusations Rumors do harm
Integrity is key
Not all things are as they seem

16. Arthur Miller: A Life Born on October 17, 1915
Attended the University of Michigan from
Graduated with a degree in journalism
Wrote and produced five plays during college career
Married three times
Two daughters, one son

18. Miller and HUAC
Investigated for possible associations with the Communist party from 1953 to 1955
In 1956, he was called to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC).
Only attended meetings looking to advocate social justice and equality
When brought before the committee, he refused to name any other attendees.

19. Miller and HUAC (cont.)
Found guilty of contempt
Later released

20. The Red Scare A time of paranoia and hysteria over communism
Many government officials were involved or accused.
Many writers, actors, and directors lost their jobs
Many named names to save their own careers

21. Why wasThe Crucible written?
The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller in
1953 as an allegory for McCarthyism or the so
called (second) Red Scare. Miller felt many
personal convictions to McCarthyism as a result
of a multitude of events that happened in his life.
Wanting to point out to the world the amazing
parallel between the unjust Salem Witch Trials of
1692 and the (second) Red Scare from 1948 to
1956, Miller wrote The Crucible to make a
powerful statement about the dangers of hysteria
and the dehumanization that can result.

22. Did you know? Marilyn Monroe Miller was married to legendary
actress....
Marilyn Monroe

23. During McCarthyism, the United States was terrified of Communism's
influence. Like the witches, communists were seen ingrained within
every aspect of society. Miller was sent to jail for withholding
information from the court, namely the names of those assumed
to be communists. Many of Miller’s peers fearing the wrath of the court
provided names of suspected communists in an attempt to save
themselves.

24. Miller
“McCarthy's power to stir fears of creeping Communism was not entirely based on illusion, of course; the paranoid, real or pretended, always secretes its pearl around a grain of fact.”
-Arthur Miller
“McCarthy—brash and ill-mannered but to many authentic and true—boiled it all down to what anyone could understand: we had "lost China" and would soon lose Europe as well, because the State Department—staffed, of course, under Democratic Presidents—was full of treasonous pro-Soviet intellectuals. It was as simple as that.”
-Arthur Miller
Speaks