The Crucible historical background The Crucible The play

The Crucible historical background

The Crucible The play is based on Puritanism and the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible” in 1953

1950’s and Arthur Miller was inspired by what was going on in the U. S. during the 1950’s. Grew up during the Great Depression The U. S. and Russia were at “war”: Cold War America was terrified of Communism “Red Scare”

Senator Mc. Carthy Senator Joseph Mc. Carthy was convinced that Communists had infiltrated the State Department Mc. Carthy was a member of the Senate Permanent Investigations Subcommittee Summoned hundreds of Americans to come testify about possible Communists in their communities People were “blacklisted” because of these suspicions and lost their jobs Many celebrities and athletes were on the “blacklist”

Salem Witch Trials Some girls in the village of Salem began having “fits” after dabbling in magic in the forest They are diagnosed as “victims of witchcraft” The girls blame other women in the town for their ailments Zealous ministers demand that all witches be “rooted out” and severely punished. Soon, the accusations become out of control. Over 100 people are accused of being a witch and are hanged or jailed. The term “witch hunt” came from the trials.

The Crucible Arthur Miller used the information from the Salem courthouse to create his plays. The characters were real people Some details like age were changed to add to the drama element The audience of the 1950’s would be familiar with the Salem Witch Trials, and knew that Arthur was writing about the political climate/turmoil of the 1950’s.

“The Big 5” in The Crucible Historical Connection Theme Allusions Stage Directions Characters