Salem Witch Trials Live On Through "The Crucible"

 

Arthur Miller

In 1950, Arthur Miller began writing a play about the Salem witch trials called “The Crucible“. In 1953, the play appeared on Broadway. Through this play Miller was able to connect the past with the present. When Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible,” he had an alternative motive other than just to entertain. During the 1950’s, the U.S. was struggling to prevent communism in the Cold War. Communist spies were implanted all over the U.S. transmitting valuable information to our enemy. An American politician by the name Joseph McCarthy, claimed to have a list of 200 known communists within the government. He never really had any evidence, but managed to make numerous accusations. Some of which conveniently turned out to be true. However, his accusations of people in high positions eventually led to his down fall. Joseph McCarthy’s scheme is referred to today as McCarthyism. Does McCarthyism ring a bell? It should, because the Salem witch trials happened for the same reason McCarthyism did. In Midge Decter’s commentary over “The Crucible”, it states, “Arthur Miller found in the hysteria that overtook Salem a useful parallel to America's preoccupation with the activities and influence of the country's alleged Communists” ( Decter 1). I find humor in Miller’s discovery that both Joseph McCarthy and the people of Salem were on “witch-hunts”. This is Miller’s ultimate reason for writing a play over the Salem witch trials. He used his play as a mockery of McCarthyism. He was simply making fun of current events while connecting them to the past. So you see, the past has a way of making it into the future. It also has a way of reoccurring in different forms as we have seen. Keep your eyes out for the next extreme religion, or reoccurring event to take place in your lifetime.

 

Decter, Midge. "The Crucible." Commentary 103.3 (1997): 54+. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 5 May. 2011.

 

"Playwright Arthur Miller wrote successful plays such as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible." American Decades Primary Sources. Ed. Cynthia Rose. Vol. 6: 1950-1959. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 5 May. 2011.

 

Where Did The Puritans Originate From?

King James hearing the petitions of the Puritans.

After such an event, you wonder where did these crazy Puritans come from in the first place? Well, they were originally members of Protestant groups in England that opposed practices of the Church of England under King James the first. During this time many people disagreed with practices of the church, and decided to branch off on their own. Thus creating the Protestant group. King James saw this as a problem. In the document, PAPISTS, POWER, AND PURITANS: CATHOLIC OFFICEHOLDING AND THE RISE OF THE "PURITAN FACTION", it states, " Extreme Protestantism (in the form of Puritanism) was discouraged" ( Hankins 1). As a result of the disapproval, King James along with his successor Charles the first, forced the Puritans to leave England. The religious group traveled through many European countries before arriving in New England  in 1620. According to the document, Which Hunts in Puritan New England, Puritans calling themselves the Pilgrims founded the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts with hopes of establishing their vision of God's Kingdom on Earth ( Witch Craft in America 1). All the Puritans had intense faith in themselves as God's "chosen people." They also absorbed European superstitions of witchcraft and the inferiority of women, which became crucial factors in the "witch" persecutions. So there you have it. The crazy Puritans originated from England, and managed to create a society of extreme worship in New England.

Hankins, Jeffery R. "PAPISTS, POWER, AND PURITANS: CATHOLIC OFFICEHOLDING AND THE RISE OF THE "PURITAN FACTION" IN EARLY-SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ESSEX." Catholic Historical Review 95.4 (2009): 689-717. World History Collection. EBSCO. Web. 3 May 2011.

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"King James I hearingthe petitions of Puritans." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. History: Government and Politics. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 3 May. 2011.

"Witch-Hunts in Puritan New England." Witchcraft in America. Ed. Peggy Saari and Elizabeth Shaw. Vol. 1. Detroit: UXL, 2001. 19-32. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 3 May. 2011.