PURITAN CULTURE AND HISTORY INTRODUCTION TO THE CRUCIBLE

PURITAN CULTURE AND HISTORY & INTRODUCTION TO THE CRUCIBLE

Puritans and England Mid 16 th Century Catholic Church Originated from theology of Calvinists � Protestants (Reformers) who split from Lutherans � John Calvin (1509 -1564) – Geneva Calvinism spreads to England, fighting amongst Protestant factions Rival and Separate from Church of England (Anglican Church aka Episcopal Church - USA) � 1534 – Henry VIII – Head of Church of England

Types of Puritan Movements England Breaks with Catholic Church Europe Reject Pope’s Authority on principled grounds Puritans demand reforms in the Anglican Church � Presbyterians (John Knox of Scotland) – want National Church governed by ministers and elders � Congregationalists – want independent, self-governing congregations – more local control, less State control � Separatists broke completely from the Church of England Create own communities Colonists

Puritans and England English Civil War (1640 s) � � Beheading of Charles I and Dissolution of the Monarchy � � Puritans sought to simplify religious practices Puritans – all traditions must be grounded in scripture Oliver Cromwell (1650) – 10 year reign � State run Church of England Puritans – Greater representation in Parliament Clash Civil War Puritan Leader of the Parliamentary Army Lord Protector of England (not King) Monarchy Restored Charles II � � � Reverses the reforms of the Puritans to the church Reintegrates English Puritans into Church of England (some peacefully, some with resistance) Influence of Puritans in American colonies Methodist and Evangelical Movements in Colonies and in England

Some Puritan Beliefs Predestination – the elect Limited Atonement – Jesus dies for the redemption of the elect only No theatre or religious music Free schooling What lives in the forest

Salem Witch Trials - Data Salem, Massachusetts 1692 19 people hanged 1 person pressed – failed to plead guilty or not guilty 7 died in jail Magistrates: John Hathorne + 8 others Justices: Thomas Danforth + 4 others Clergy: John Hale of Beverly, Samuel Parris of Salem Village + 4 others

Possible Causes to Hysteria 1. Strong belief that Satan is acting in the world. "The invisible world": disease, natural catastrophes, and bad fortune 2. A belief that Satan actively recruits witches and wizards Prior witchcraft cases 3. A belief that a person afflicted by witchcraft exhibits certain symptoms. 4. A time of troubles, making it seem likely that Satan was active. Congregational strife in Salem Village; frontier wars with Native Americans 5. Stimulation of imaginations by Tituba (slave). 6. Teenage boredom. 7. Confessing "witches" adding credibility to earlier charges. 8. Old feuds (disputes within congregation, property disputes) between the accusers and the accused spurring charges of witchcraft.

Spectral Evidence “The girls contorted into grotesque poses, fell down into frozen postures, and complained of biting and pinching sensations. In a village where everyone believed that the devil was real, close at hand, and acted in the real world, the suspected affliction of the girls became an obsession. ” Douglas Linder “"Spectral evidence refers to a witness testimony that the accused person's spirit or spectral shape appeared to him/her witness in a dream at the time the accused person's physical body was at another location. It was accepted in the courts during the Salem Witch Trials. ” - salemwitchmuseum. com

“The theatre is so endlessly fascinating because it’s so accidental. It’s so much like life. ” ARTHUR MILLER MODERN AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHT “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks. ”

Biography 1915 – 2005 Early Years: Harlem, New York – Moderately Affluent October 1929 Brooklyn, New York University of Michigan

Early Works 1940 – The Man Who Had All the Luck (IRONY) 1946 – All my Sons – Broadway; Tony Award (Best Author) 1949 – Death of a Salesman – One Day One Act; � Pulitzer Prize; The New York Drama Critics Award; Tony Award � Original Cast - 700 Performances

DEATH OF A SALESMAN – THE LOMAN FAMILY

Early Loves 1940 – Mary Slattery � 1944 – Daughter – Jane � 1947 – Son – Robert 1951 – Affair with Marilyn Monroe 1956 – Divorces Mary; Marries Marilyn

The Demise and the Inspiration 1952 – House Un-American Activities Committee and Elia Kazan – Group Theatre as Communist Party members Attendance at Communist Party Meetings Contempt of Congress – Trial Passport Revoked The Red Scare – Motivates to Research Salem

Family Drama 1961 – Divorces Marilyn � The Misfits, Divorce, and Overdose 1962 – Marries Inge Morath � 1962 – Daughter – Rebecca � 1966 – Son – Daniel (down syndrome, is institutionalized and reunited with family at son-inlaw Daniel Day-Lewis’s insistence) 1996 – The Crucible Miller – Dies 2005

THE RED SCARE (1950 S)

Paranoia After World War II, the Soviet Union controls much of Eastern Europe. Soviet Union and Communism were world powers. There were small groups of communist supporters in the U. S. A fear spread that these Americans might engage in subversive (secret, anti-government) activities

Early Hunts for Subversives President Truman, a democratic president, feared losing office if he was seen as ‘weak’ on communism He set up Loyalty Review Boards, which reviewed government employees in order to remove/fire subversives The House of Representatives set up a committee (the House Un-American Activities Committee or HUAC) to find and root out subversives. � � They did not just search in the government. For example, famously, they held hearings to find subversives in Hollywood. Blacklists

Paranoia Hysteria 1949 � � China fell to Communism Soviets get the atom bomb Court Hearings and Executions of Alleged Spies

Judge in the Rosenberg case, when handing down his sentence “I consider your crime worse than murder. . . I believe your conduct in putting into the hands of the Russians the A-Bomb years before our best scientists predicted Russia would perfect the bomb has already caused, in my opinion, the Communist aggression in Korea, with the resultant casualties exceeding 50, 000 and who knows but that millions more of innocent people may pay the price of your treason. Indeed, by your betrayal you undoubtedly have altered the course of history to the disadvantage of our country. No one can say that we do not live in a constant state of tension. We have evidence of your treachery all around us every day for the civilian defense activities throughout the nation are aimed at preparing us for an

Modern Witch Hunts Joe Mc. Carthy � � � Mc. Carthyism � � � Republican senator from Wisconsin Felt he was unlikely to win reelection Uses public fear of communism to boost his career Mc. Carthy went on a rampage, announcing that the government was stuffed with ‘reds’ Made claims that he had inside knowledge and proof (for example, he’d say ‘I have a list of 205 people in the government who are members of the communist party’, but then would refuse to produce the names. Senators, when speaking in the senate, are immune from the charge of slander (knowingly telling lies to hurt another person’s reputation) Successful strategy � � Mc. Carthy won reelection and became famous However, when he accused the army of having tons of communist subversives, and called hearings on this issue, army officials blasted Mc. Carthy and he became a national disgrace

Impact of the Red Scare on American People Bomb shelters in neighborhoods Duck and cover drills in schools Demand for conformity (doing the same thing everyone else is doing) to prove loyalty � Same clothes, same haircut, same lifestyle and goals, etc.

PARALLELS BETWEEN ARTHUR MILLER’S 1950 S AMERICA AND PURITANS’ 1690 S COLONIAL AMERICA PRIOR TENSIONS PARANOIA HYSTERIA WITCH HUNTS

Reminder: Salem, Massachusetts • • • 1692 – Salem Witch Trials Spectral Evidence Abigail Williams and Reverend Paris Putnam Land Claims and Feuds June to September – 20 Executions 1953 - The Crucible – A place of severe test or trial

“EXAMINATION OF A WITCH”