Who Were the Puritans?

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Who Were the Puritans?

• The Puritans were a group of people who grew
  discontent with the Church of England.
• They believed the Church of England had become a
  product of political struggles and man-made
  doctrines.
• To escape persecution from the king, Puritans
  fled to America.

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What were the Puritans major religious beliefs?

• Puritans believed the Bible was
• Gods true law.
• Puritans believed in exclusiveness.
• People of opposing faiths were asked to leave the
  community.
• Native Americans who refused to accept the ways
  were often killed.
• Actions spoke louder than words and had to be
  constantly monitored.
• People were predestined for heaven.
• Hard work led to rewards in heaven.

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What were the Puritans beliefs about society?

• Politics should be guided by religion. One is
  not separate from the other.
• Education was of the utmost importance in order
  to be able to read the Word of God.
• Three diversions were banned theater,
  religious music and worldly poetry
• All actions are dictated by God or the devil and
  should be examined to determine good or evil.
• Devil could take forms, witches exist, dreams
  tell the future, miracles and monsters happen.

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What were the major Puritan Innovations?

• Established the first free schooling in 1635.
• Established the first American college, Harvard
  University.
• Establish the first printing press in America in
  1638.
• Wrote the first childrens books.

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Salem Witch Trials

• Began in the Spring of 1692 when a group of young
  girls began behaving strangely.
• The girls began to accuse fellow villagers of
  witchcraft, and the hysteria spread through the
  village.

• Witch experts and judges from around
  Massachusetts began holding hearings in which the
  girls made a spectacle.
• People were asked to confess or face death.

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• Experts looked for witches with marks or
  unbecoming behavior and conducted tests.
• When government officials wives and devout
  church members were accused, the girls began to
  lose credibility.
• When the trials ended, 25 people had lost their
  lives. 19 were hanged, 1 was pressed, 5
  (including a young child) died in jail.

• History lost track of some
• of the girls. The leader
• disappeared others
• married and moved away
• and only one apologized
• before the entire church.

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Witch or Not?
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Witch or Not?
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Witch or Not?
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Witch or Not?
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Witch or Not?
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Witch or Not?
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Witch or Not?
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Witch or Not?
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Witch or Not?
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Why Did Miller Write the Play?

• To protest the communist hunt taking place in the
  1950s
• Four years after the play, Miller was accused of
  Communism
• His own trial was a theater with people trying to
  strike deals using his wife (Marilyn Monroe).
• Compared the hunt for Communism to Salem Witch
  Trials
• Fictional play based on historical trials
• Tried to draw comparisons between ridiculous
  hysteria of Salem and the Red Scare

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The hunt for Communism was known as the Red Scare

• Fear of communism came both
• after WWI and WWII
• This fear of Communism was sparked by three
  things.
• Russias successful test of the atomic bomb in
  1949
• President Trumans determination to show
  Democrats werent soft on communism
• High profile prosecutions of communists Julius
  and Ethel Rosenberg

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• How to Recognize a Communist (government
  propoganda)
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vAWeZ5SKXvj8listFL
  DXu1ZSjl0QdqMZW1TDOLpAindex3

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Red Scare Hearings

• Loyalty Boards
• Meant to rid the government of
• communists
• Run by administrators, not judges
• No testifying under oath
• Although they only fired people,
• names were leaked to media
• House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
• Questioned people about their communist
  activities
• People either gave up names of others or were
  blacklisted
• Launched a significant campaign against Hollywood
• Lucille Ball, Langston Hughes, Arthur Miller,
  Charlie Chaplin, Burl Ives, Orson Welles

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• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vv4N46jLdhCU

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Joe McCarthy

• Elected to Senate in 1946
• Ran for re-election
• Decided to attack communism
• Held up a blank paper and announced he had 205
  names of known communists within the Truman
  administration (specifically political opponents)
• Re-elected easily and at height of popularity,
  69 of the American public believed McCarthy was
  doing a good job ridding the country of
  communists

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• Edward R. Murrows opinion
• The line between investigating and persecuting
  is a very fine one.
• Accusation is not proof.
• We will not be driven by fear into an age of
  unreason.
• We are not descended from fearful men.
• There is no way for a citizen of the republic to
  abdicate his responsibilities.
• We cannot defend freedom abroad while deserting
  it at home.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vanNEJJYLU8M

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Joe McCarthy Cont.

• Eventually lost all credibility with
• public
• Accused high ranking army officials
• Accused Edward R. Murrow
• Died three years after losing favor from
  complications associated with his alcoholism
• McCarthyism
• to throw unsubstantiated charges against a
  particular individual