Background of The Crucible

1
Background of The Crucible

• Puritanism
• Salem Witch Trials
• McCarthyism

2
Defining Puritans

• The term Puritan began as an insult from
  traditional Anglicans
• separating Puritans believed the Church of
  England was corrupt true Christians must
  separate themselves from it
• non-separating believed in reform, but not
  separation (most Massachusetts colonists)

3
Puritan Beliefs

• Predestination
• God chose who would receive salvation
• Nothing you could do not belief not works
• Vs. Belief
• Gift of Gods grace without works through belief
  in Christ
• Vs. Works based election
• You achieve salvation based on good works

4
So, why focus on behavior?

• If they believed God had already chosen the
  elect, why be so devout?
• They wanted to honor God through their behavior
• They believed in sanctification (holy behavior
  that supposedly resulted when an individual had
  been saved)
• It also became a pride issue like the Pharisees
  in the Bible just for others to see

5
Puritan Beliefs

• Against law to not attend church
• Men Women on opposite sides
• All sins should be punished (sleeping in church,
  stealing food, etc.)
• Misfortune meant God was punishing and would not
  help b/c it was Gods will
• Fear of witchcraft and magic was common in Europe
  for centuries

6
Puritan Children

• Same rules as adults
• Chores, repress differences, repress emotions
• Disobedience strictly punished
• Rarely played toys games scarce b/t Puritans
  saw as sinful distractions
• Boys could be apprentices work outside home
• Girls tended to home sew, wash, clean

7
Puritan Children

• Most children could read, but most homes had only
  the Bible and other religious books that
  described witchcraft in detail
• Books for children included warnings against bad
  behavior and described punishments for sinful acts

8
Economic Social Divisions
9
Economic Social Divisions

• Salem Town vs. Salem Village
• Salem Town
• Wealthy merchants
• Prosperous port town
• Salem Village
• Poor farmers
• Made living off of cultivating crops

10
Economic Social Divisions

• Salem Village tried to gain independence from
  Salem Town
• Town depended on farmers in Village for food
  taxes
• Farmers in Village believed prosperity of the
  town threatened Puritan values
• Village selected Rev. Parris denounced worldly
  ways of economic prosperity
• Parris supported witch trials

11
Causes for Hysteria Outbreak

• Belief in tie between witchcraft natural events
  that matched events of the devil
• Smallpox, strife b/t Salem Town Salem Village,
  fighting with Indians
• symptoms evident (most can be feigned)
• Titubas influence her Barbados spells songs
• Boredom of the girls
• Feuds between people
• Within congregation over beliefs
• Property disputes
• Village vs. Town

12
McCarthyism

• During the 1940s 1950s, Americans were
  concerned about communism spreading in Europe
  China.
• While Arthur Miller was writing The Crucible,
  Senator Joseph McCarthy was trying to expose
  Americans suspected of being communistsmost of
  whom had no direct connection to the communist
  Party.
• Senator Joseph McCarthy made a public accusation
  there were more than 200 card-carrying communists
  in the US government.

13
McCarthyism

• Paranoid hunt for infiltrators
• Difficult on writers entertainers many had to
  stop working
• Some passports taken away
• Some jailed for refusing to give names
• Hundreds imprisoned, 10,000-12,000 lost their jobs

14
Bibliography

• Campbell, Donna M. "Puritanism in New England."
  Literary Movements. July 14, 2008. September 26,
  2008. lthttp//www.wsu.edu/campbelld/amlit/purdef.
  htmgt.
• Linder, Douglass. Salem Witchcraft Trials 1692.
  Famous American Trials. March 2007. September 26,
  2007. lthttp//www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ft
  rials/salem/salem.htmgt.
• Salem Witch Trials The World Behind the
  Hysteria. Discovery Education. 2008. September
  26, 2008. lthttp//school.discoveryeducation.com/sc
  hooladventures/salemwitchtrials/gt.

15
You have to write something!

• Write the following sentence stems and fill in
  the answers according to you
• The most significant thing I learned by this
  power point was .
• One thing I would like to know more about is
  .
• A synonym an antonym for the word paranoia is
  .

16
NOW WHAT?

• Turn in your questions and answers to the
  basket.if you want a grade.