Salem Witch Trials

Introduction to The Crucible

Salem, Massachusetts

• Founded in 1626 • Most famous for witch trials of 1692

Suspicious Behavior

• Launched by the bizarre behavior of two young girls– Betty Williams (daughter)– Abigail Williams (niece)

• Both girls related to Salem Village minister, Reverend Samuel Parris

Witch Hunt Begins

• February 1692: three accused women were examined by Magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne

Salem Witch Trials

• Hysteria began soon after girls were examined.

• 24 people died. – Nineteen were

hanged on Gallows Hill in Salem Town

– Some died in prison.

Interrogation and Torture

• Giles Corey – At first pleaded not

guilty to charges of witchcraft

– Subsequently refused to stand trial.

– Refusal meant he could not be convicted legally.

– Examiners chose to subject him to interrogation by the placing of stone weights on his body.

– Survived this brutal torture for two days before dying.

“Witch Hunt”

• Term used when a politician or the police go looking for someone with opposing views

Comparison to Salem Witch Hunts: Look familiar?

• House of Un-American Activities Committee, 1938-1975

• Salem Witch Trials, 1692 • Salem Witch Trials, 1692

Arthur Miller

• 1915-2005• Playwright• Wrote The Crucible

and Death of a Salesman

Joseph McCarthy

• Republican Senator from Wisconsin in 1950s

• Head of HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

McCarthy’s “Witch Hunt”

• February 1950: publicly charged that 205 Communists had infiltrated the State Department

• Fed on the fears and frustrations of nation– Korean War – Communism Europe and China.

McCarthy’s “Witch Hunt”

• Nationwide, militant anti-Communist “crusade”– Supporters thought he was true patriot– Detractors thought he was an

irresponsible and self-serving.

• Failed to make a plausible case against anyone

McCarthy’s “Witch Hunt”

• Many people lost jobs• Many were blacklisted from getting

jobs• McCarthyism: persecution of

innocent persons and forced conformity that resulted.

McCarthy vs. Miller

• Miller was Called before HUAC in 1950s– Was asked to name possible communists in

Hollywood– Refused and was found in contempt of court

• “Few of us can easily surrender our belief that society must somehow make sense. The thought that the state has lost its mind and is punishing so many innocent people is intolerable. And so the evidence has to be internally denied.”

McCarthy’s Downfall

• McCarthy’s claims were often unsubstantiated

• Members of the media began to get suspicious

• Went after Army in a nationally televised, 36-day hearing.

• Hearings exposed him, turned public opinion against him.

The Crucible

• Set in Puritan-era Salem, Mass.

• Dramatization of Salem Witch Trials

• Meant as an allegory for McCarthy’s witch hunt

Allegory

• The expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence

• Using an entire work to represent something about society, or commenting on society through an entire work.

What is a crucible?

• a severe test• a place or situation in which

concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development

The story of The Crucible

• Weird behavior followed by a rumor being spread leads to accusations of witchcraft against several citizens of the village.

• In 1950s, suspected “un-American” behavior followed by a rumor being spread leads to accusations of communism against several American citizens.