1. Background Information
The Crucible
Background Information

2. Go Blue!!! Arthur Miller (1919-2005)
Lived the luxurious Manhattan lifestyle until his family was hit by the Great Depression and he was forced to move to Brooklyn
Dropped out of high school 
Convinced University of Michigan to accept him as a student
Wrote his first Broadway play, All My Sons, while a student
1949: Death of a Salesman
1953: The Crucible
1991: The Last Yankee

3. Lucky Man
Miller married Marilyn Monroe in 1956; their marriage only lasted five years.

4. Not So Lucky… 1953: McCarthyism hits home
In the 1950s Senator Joe McCarthy accused a number of entertainers, writers, and political leaders of being communists creating a “black list” in Hollywood
Communists were feared for three major reasons:
They criticized the American Government
They were “different”
Communism had led to the Soviet Union’s explosion of the first atomic bomb
Through his fame and his writing, Miller “advocated principles of social justice and equality among the classes”
Charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to discuss the actions and beliefs of his colleagues

5. Lucky Man
Senator McCarthy’s accusations were based on no real evidence, and his claims were eventually exposed as false.
Miller’s charge and
sentence for
contempt of Congress
were reversed

6. Lucky Man
The trials of the McCarthy Era paralleled a previous event in America’s history
Good material for a play about social justice, hysteria, and personal integrity
The Salem Witch Trials served as a historical base for his next play, The Crucible
It is not an exact history of the trials, but “the fate of each character is exactly that of his historical model”

7. Not so lucky… 1692: The Salem Witch Trials really did happen
1643: The United Colonies of England were formed in America as a place of religious freedom
The Puritans of Salem, Massachusetts were an extremely conservative group
Lived in a theocracy: Rule by God through religious officials
Moral laws and state laws are one and the same
Sin and the status of one’s soul are public knowledge

8. Not so lucky… Harsh conditions and hardships hit the colonists
1660: Charles II took reign over England and interfered with the self governance promised to the colonies
1676: King Phillip’s War was fought between the European settlers and Native Americans over land
These events led to feelings of unrest and fear among the Puritans in Salem

9. Not so lucky… The results:
Witchcraft became a scapegoat for all problems
150 citizens were tried as witches
19 were executed
Citizens were asked to “call out” their friends for involvement in witchcraft