Historical Context - Salem Witch Trials & the Red Scare

Arthur Miller warns in the preface to The Crucible that “this play is not history,” but it is certainly dependent on historical events for its story.

The primary period of this play is the 17th century, specifically the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Running parallel to these early events in American history are those that took place in Miller’s own time; he uses the play to criticize McCarthyism and the RED SCARE of the 1950s.

Miller claims that McCarthyism was nothing more than a modern-day WITCH HUNT.

( source: New Rep On Tour)

Connecting 1692 & the 1950s

Salem Witch Trials-1692 The Salem witch

trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft—the Devil's magic—and 20 were executed.

History of Witch Trials

A "witchcraft craze" rippled through Europe from the 1300s to the end of the 1600s. Hundreds of thousands of supposed witches—mostly women—were executed. BUT the Salem trials came on just as the European craze was winding down, so why did this occur in Salem?

Female “witches” being burned at the stake; Source:

www.gendercide.org

Why Salem?

Controversy also brewed over Reverend Samuel Parris, who became Salem Village's first ordained minister in 1689, and was disliked because of his rigid ways and greedy nature.

In 1689-1690, Salem begrudgingly welcomed refugees from King Williams’s War (in upstate NY and Canada). The displaced people created a strain on Salem's resources. This aggravated the existing rivalry between families with ties to the wealth of the port of Salem and those who still depended on agriculture.

Local Issues

In January of 1692, Reverend Parris' daughter Elizabeth, age 9, and niece Abigail Williams, age 11, started having "fits." They screamed, threw things, uttered peculiar sounds and contorted themselves into strange positions, and a local doctor blamed the supernatural. Another girl, Ann Putnam, age 11, experienced similar episodes.

Witch-Craze

On February 29, under pressure from magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne, the girls blamed three women for afflicting them: Tituba, the Parris' Caribbean slave; Sarah Good, a homeless beggar; and Sarah Osborne, an elderly impoverished woman.

What might have motivated these accusations?

The Devil came to me...

All three women were brought before the local magistrates and interrogated for several days, starting on March 1, 1692. Osborne claimed innocence, as did Good. But Tituba confessed, "The Devil came to me and bid me serve him." She described elaborate images of black dogs, red cats, yellow birds and a "black man" who wanted her to sign his book.

All three women were put in jail.

Governor Phipps

With the seed of paranoia planted, a stream of accusations followed for the next few months. Charges against many women in Salem followed.

On May 27, 1692, Governor William Phipps ordered the establishment of a Special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide) for Suffolk, Essex and Middlesex counties.

Bridget Bishop

The first case brought to the special court was Bridget Bishop, an older woman known for her gossipy habits and promiscuity.

She was quickly found guilty and, on June 10, became the first person hanged on what was later called Gallows Hill.

Painting: The Trial of Bridget Bishop

Paranoia strikes deep...

The Bishop hanging caused an even bigger flood of accusations and court cases, including one of Dorcas Good, who was 4 years old.

People began to haphazardly accuse others of being witches.

You’ve be accused! Your options:

Try to flee Salem. Several accused witches did escape from jail and

survive the 1692 hysteria.  They included Philip and Mary English, John Alden, Hezekiah Usher, and Mrs. Nathaniel Cary.   However, all these accused persons had either money or influence that made their escape possible. 

Get pregnant! Pregnant women, even if convicted, would not be

executed. The theory is that even if you deserve death, the baby inside you does not--so the officials will put off your execution.  This was called "reprieve for the belly.” Of course, you still might be executed eventually, but the hope is that the hysteria won't last another nine months.

It was YOU! Okay, it was me!

Accuse someone else! The theory here is that if you're afflicted by

witchcraft, you can't be a witch yourself.  This theory even convinced some daughters to testify against their own mothers.  It's not a bad idea (if you have no conscience). 

Confess! The Puritans believed that once a person made

a full confession, his or her fate should be left in God's hands, not man's.  Fifty-five persons in the Salem area confessed to witchcraft in 1692, adding substantial credibility to the initial charges of witchcraft made by the afflicted girls.

Stand Trial

Plead Innocent & Stand Trial This is the approach that led to nineteen innocent

persons being carted off to Gallows Hill during the summer of 1692.  If you plead innocent, you'll have to face trial without a lawyer and without the ability to call witnesses on your own behalf, answer unanswerable questions before a court that unanimously believes in witchcraft and believes that you're guilty.  You'll face spectral evidence--and how do you propose to convince the court that your apparition was not doing all this work on the part of the Devil? 

Refuse to stand trial!

Giles Corey gave this option a try.  Knowing the fate that awaited him if he stood for trial, Giles refused to answer the ritual question, "Will you be tried by your God and your country (that is, a jury)?" 

The penalty for refusing to answer was peine forte et dure, an especially unpleasant way of going that involves piling heavy stones on your body until you either agree to stand trial or are crushed to death.

Wait! Stop! Too late...

Governor Phipps eventually stopped the court cases, where visions and dreams were being used as evidence, and he eventually pardoned most the people who had been jailed.

19 were hanged on Gallows Hill; a 71-year-old man was pressed to death with heavy stones; several people died in jail; nearly 200 people, overall, had been accused of practicing "the Devil's magic."

Bad Mushrooms?

Numerous hypotheses have been devised to explain the strange behavior of the girls that occurred in Salem in 1692. One of the best studies blamed the abnormal habits of the accused on the fungus ergot, which can be found in rye, wheat and other cereal grasses; eating ergot-contaminated foods can lead to muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions and hallucinations.

1692 1950s

Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953 in response to the Red Scare and the McCarthyism paranoia in the 1950s.

Red in this case refers to Communism. Technically there were two Red Scares,

1919-1920 and 1947-1957; Miller was concerned with the second one.

Although the Soviet Union and the United States had been allies during World War II, their alliance quickly unraveled once they had defeated their common enemy.

Russia acquired the atomic bomb. By reason of the

Soviets’ atomic testing, together with the thought that spies had stolen American ideas and given Russia the bomb, many feared that Russian communism posed a great threat to America. Some feared the Truman administration was not vigilant enough in eliminating this threat of communism.

The political unrest of a post-war society, a rising uneasiness with a change in “American values” and a fear of lax morality, and widespread intolerance were all factors leading to THE GREAT SCARE of communism.

(Oakley)

Harry s. Truman

33rd President of the United States

in office from April 12, 1945 – January 20,

1953

Factors Leading to McCarthyism

Who was Joseph McCarthy?

Joseph McCarthy, a republican senator from Wisconsin, spent his first three years in office “undistinguished.”

Some described him as a “lazy and ineffectual senator, and an easy captive for any lobbyist willing to put a few extra bucks into his personal or political bank account.”

He sought fame and power. His political career was fading, until he used

the charged political climate to boost that career.

(source: Oakley)

On February 9, 1950, Joseph McCarthy dropped a political bombshell. McCarthy gave a speech in which he attacked the Truman administration and claimed to have a long list of Communists in the State Department. No one in the press actually saw the names on the list, but McCarthy's announcement made the national news. (Schulz)

McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) worked to root out all Communist sympathizers in the country. He began an investigation into the lives of citizens who appeared to have communist ideals. He held public trials and encouraged FEAR and PARANOIA.

(New Rep On Tour)

McCarthy’s Rise to Power

It is widely accepted that McCarthy made up these accusations solely to AGGRANDIZE his political power.

Many people were willing to believe his charges without evidence because people wanted to feel secure. His focus on weeding out corruption made people feel that someone was doing something to keep them safe.

( Oakley)

Those who were sympathetic to the communist cause, or those who had connections with Russia, could be summoned before the committee to explain their involvement.

People were told to recant communist beliefs and name their former friends and associates in the communist cause. When people denied allegations or refused to name names, they were punished.

(New Rep On Tour)

The Rise of the “Witch Hunt”

The evidence in McCarthy trials was “questionable” and often relied on the testimony of those attempting to avoid persecution themselves.

McCarthy was never able to truly substantiate his charges. They are now widely accepted as false. Many believe he launched this Witch Hunt for his own gain.

(New Rep On Tour)

witch hunt: noun

1 : a searching out for persecution of persons accused of witchcraft.

2 : the searching out and deliberate harassment of those (as political opponents) with unpopular views

3: a political campaign launched on the pretext of investigating activities subversive to the state.

(Merriam-Webster)

What causes a Witch Hunt?

Insufficient tolerance for human diversity Prejudice/Bias Scape-goating Persecution of

unpopular minority groups

Overblown fear of the unfamiliar Heightened Emotions Irrational Fear and

Paranoia

Self-Righteousness and Moral Judgment Blind Idealism A STRINGENT concept

of Purity/Morality

Mob Mentality Hysteria

Corruption of Power Self-Absorbed Authority

Figures

The House Un-American Activities Committee were interested in those practicing communists in the artistic community. The most dangerous methods for converting Americans to communist beliefs would be through the films, music, and art that they enjoyed. McCarthy prosecuted a great many playwrights, screenwriters, and other artists. In a number of cases, McCarthy was successful in “blacklisting” these artists – which meant no one would purchase their services for fear of being linked to communism. (Oakley)

Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible, was directly connected to the world of Hollywood. He even

married Marilyn Monroe.

Who was targeted?

What do you think were the connections between the Salem Witch Trials and the

Red Scare that inspired Miller to write The

Crucible?

PROTEST LITERATURE: (n) literature with a specific political or social aim, an intention to raise awareness or bring about change. (Merriam-Webster)

Arthur Miller’s intention was to emphasize the injustice of the McCarthy trials by relating them to a time in history that everyone accepts as morally and legally unjust.

ALLEGORY: (n) the expression, by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions, of truths or generalizations about human existence. (Merriam-Webster)

Arthur Miller wrote the play as a political and social allegory for McCarthyism. His characters and events represent historical truths.

Literary Merit of The Crucible

TRAGIC HEROES Two men are credited with the definition of differing

TRAGIC HEROES..

Aristotle Arthur Miller

Greek Tragic Hero GREEK TRAGIC HEROES ARE:   BORN INTO NOBILITY

RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN FATE

ENDOWED WITH A TRAGIC FLAW

EVENTUALLY, TRAGIC HEROES  

FALL FROM GREAT HEIGHTS OR HIGH ESTEEM

REALIZE THEY HAVE MADE AN IRREVERSIBLE MISTAKE

FACE AND ACCEPT DEATH WITH HONOR

MEET A TRAGIC DEATH

Miller’s Tragic Hero

Arthur Miller , the author of The Crucible, argues that a tragic hero need not be of high social standing.

He asserts the value in the common man hero –a man with flaws, with meekness.

What makes this man a hero is his desire and willingness to fight to maintain his own personal dignity.

What makes him relevant to our times is that he exists in everyday life. He is not royalty or rich or on any sort of pedestal from which to fall.

THE SULLIED HERO

In a tragedy, the protagonist is often placed on a pedestal so that, when he or she falls, the fall will be much greater and more heartbreaking.

In contrast, Miller’s protagonist, John Proctor, is not a perfect man. He is FLAWED from the beginning. His FALL is still tragic and the audience can relate to his flaws.

The common man is flawed and the audience is full of common men.

(New Rep on Tour)

TRAGEDY AND THE COMMON MAN

Miller states that the flaw, or crack in character, for a common man tragic hero is “nothing but his inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity.”

In other words, the hero refuses to give up his place in society and lose his personal pride. He will do anything to keep his good name.

(Miller)

• “Allegory.” Merriam Webster On-Line Dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

Miller, Arthur. “Tragedy and the Common Man." The Theater Essays of Arthur Miller. Viking Press. 1949/1977. Reprinted (by permission of Viking Penguin, Inc.) on The Literary Link. http://theliterarylink.com/miller1.html

Study Guide, The Crucible by Arthur Miller. New Rep On Tour: Professional Performance in Your School. Fall, 2007. New Rep Administrative Office.

Oakley, Ronald J. “The Great Fear.” God’s Country: America in the Fifties. Republished in Literature Connections: The Crucible and Related Readings. Illinois. McDougal Littel, 1997. 199-221.

Schutz, Stanley K. , University of Wisconsin History Professor. Lecture 23, “The Coils of Cold War.” American History 102: Civil War to the Present. 2007. http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture23.html

“Sullied Hero.” “Allegory.” Merriam Webster On-Line Dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

“The Salem Witch Trials Page” http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm

“Witchhunt.” Merriam Webster On-Line Dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

Works Cited