1. Author, History, Content

2. Arthur Miller o Raised in a prosperous Jewish family o Family suffered financial ruin during the depression o Attended and graduated from University of Michigan in 1938, began to write plays o Married Marilyn Monroe in 1956, divorced in 1961 o Wrote plays that examine the loss of integrity in the face of social hysteria and hypocrisy o His plays have led to social institutions being seen as reflections of the good and evil that resides in human nature Text

3. Puritan Era o The Puritans were a group of people who grew discontent in the Church of England and worked towards religious, moral and societal reforms. o The Puritans believed that the Bible was God's true law, and that it provided a plan for living. o Religious exclusiveness was the foremost principle of their society. o Each church congregation was to be individually responsible to God, as was each person. o Their interpretation of scriptures was a harsh one. o Conversion was a rejection of the "worldliness" of society and a strict adherence to Biblical principles.

4. Puritan Era o God could forgive anything, but man could forgive only by seeing a change in behavior. Actions spoke louder than words, so actions had to be constantly controlled. o The devil was behind every evil deed. Constant watch needed to be kept in order to stay away from his clutches. Words of hell fire and brimstone flowed from the mouths of eloquent ministers as they warned of the persuasiveness of the devil's power. o Three English diversions were banned in their New England colonies; drama, religious music and erotic poetry. The first and last of these led to immorality. Music in worship created a "dreamy" state which was not conducive in listening to God.

5. Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials began in what is now known as Danvers Massachusetts. In the 17 th century Danvers was known as Salem Massachusetts. The Salem Witch Trials lasted from June of 1692 to September of 1692. By the end of the trials 150 people had spent time in jail and 24 innocent people were killed. The trials began with 11 year old Abigail Williams and 9 year old Elizabeth Parris. These girls acted in a manner that was strange to the Puritans of the time.

6. Salem Witch Trials Abigail and Elizabeth began acting strangely: speaking in tongues and having wild convulsions. The village doctor was called in, he was sure the girls were victims of witch craft. One Sunday in January as the Reverend began his sermon the girls in town fell into a fit. The town concerned for the girls asked who had cast a spell on them. Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne were named: Tituba, a slave. Sarah Good, a homeless woman. Sarah Osborne a woman who had married her servant.

7. Salem Witch Trials When placed on trial both Sarah’s maintained their innocence, Tituba however claimed there were other witches in Salem. This admission started the wave of hysteria that engulfed Salem. Behind this paranoia were Elizabeth and Abigail. The hysteria was being controlled by two young girls. Many of those accused were prominent members of the Salem community. Many of these characters are seen in the play The Crucible.

8. Finally… THE CRUCIBLE o The WORD: a place or set of circumstances where people or things are subjected to forces that test them and often make them change o The PLAY: Drawing on research on the witch trials he had conducted while an undergraduate, Miller composed The Crucible in the early 1950s. Miller wrote the play during the brief ascendancy of Senator Joseph McCarthy.

9. McCarthyism A movement leaders such as Senator Joseph McCarthy started in the late 1940s-1950s; also known as “The Second Red Scare” During this time, Sen. McCarthy – and others – created a “blacklist” of those people believed to be Communists; these people, including celebrities, often lost money, their jobs, and their freedoms because of these false accusations The HUAC (House Un-American Activities Comm.) was a group formed specifically to investigate any cases of alleged Communism. This group investigated anyone who seemed “unusual” or “outside of the norm,” anyone who questioned society or who took risks. The Crucible, which was written about “The Salem Witch Trials,” it was actually a thinly disguised play about McCarthyism.