I. Arthur Miller-

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I. Arthur Miller- Background Information
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-born in 1915 -raised in New York -grew up
during the Depression
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-wrote screenplays for Hollywood -won a Pulitzer
in 1949 for Death of a Salesman -1953-wrote The
Crucible
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• play based on the 1692 Salem witch trials. He
  wrote this play during the McCarthy hearings when
  his friends were being attacked for being
  pro-communist.

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II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON
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-the Red Scare- paranoia of the infiltration of
communist operatives in the United States.
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• fed by the quick invention of the Soviet Atomic
  Bomb, (three years before predicted) It was
  assumed spies must have helped them.

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• Also feeding this fear was the fall of China to
  communism- the
• Korean war made this worse.

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III. Senator McCarthy
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• The Senator created the House Un-American
  Activities Committee (HUAC)- became a permanent
  committee of the United States House in 1945.

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• most widely known for its investigations of
  suspected Communist influence in the late 1940s
  and early 1950s.

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• IV. HUAC and Hollywood
• September 1947, HUAC subpoenaed 41 witnesses for
  its hearings on Communist influence in Hollywood.

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• Ten of them, mostly writers and directors,
  refused to answer questions at first, denounced
  the committee, and were held in contempt of
  Congress.

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• These witnesses became known as the "Hollywood
  Ten," and were blacklisted from the industry for
  many years afterward.

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• When The Crucible opened in January of 1953,
  audiences noted the similarities between the
  Salem witch trials and the HUAC investigations.

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• In 1956 Miller was called to testify before the
  committee. He was later convicted of contempt of
  Congress for refusing to name persons seen at
  meetings organized by so-called Communist
  sympathizers. Millers conviction was overturned
  in 1958.

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V. 1692 SALEM WITCHCRAFT TRIALS
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THE CRUCIBLE is based on actual facts facts
which took place over 300 years ago.The story is
a terrifying depiction of how the accusations of
a group of children stirred up such fear in their
small community that it led to persecution and
hangings.
t
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About the Title

• A crucible is a pot or vessel commonly made from
  porcelain or other highly heat-resistant
  material. For centuries people used crucibles
  for melting metals, such as gold or silver, to
  test
• them for purity.

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• Scientists use crucibles for heating materials in
  the process of chemical analysis today the term
  crucible has come to mean a severe test or a
  forced change

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Welcome
to the story of
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The main character and Tragic Hero of the Play
John Proctor
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Elizabeth Proctor John Proctors wife
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The antagonist of the play Abigail Williams
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Reverend Parris- Abigails Uncle
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Giles Corey
Husband of Martha and friend of the Proctors
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Tituba Slave of Reverend Parris
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Reverend Hale- expert on witchcraft
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Judge Danforth- judge for the trial
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In our day...
The End