McCarthyism and The Crucible

1. McCarthyism and The Crucible

2. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s America was overwhelmed with concerns about the threat of communism growing in Eastern Europe and China. The Red Scare

3. Was this fear justified? Well…yes and no… Because the Communist Party in the United States helped to organize labor unions and was opposed to fascism, it gained a membership of about 75,000 members in 1940-1941.

4. The Cold War During WWII, the United States was allied with the Soviet Union. When we were fighting together, no one cared about communism. After WWII, as the Soviet Union expanded its territory, the Cold War and fears of communism began again. Hatred of Nazis turned to fear of Communists.

5. The Soviet Union tested an atomic bomb in 1949, earlier than many analysts had expected. In Oct./Nov. 1962, The SU had placed atomic bombs in Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis lasted until the mid 1980’s. One thing that scared us…

6. Another scary thing… In 1949, Mao Zedong's Communist army gained control of mainland China despite heavy American financial support of the opposing Kuomintang.

7. And also… In 1950, the Korean War began, pitting U.S., U.N., and South Korean forces against Communists from North Korea and China.

8. A Marine Corps veteran of World War II, McCarthy was elected to the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin in 1946. Who is Joseph McCarthy?

9. 1950 Joseph McCarthy speech He leapt to national fame on 9 February 1950 with a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, where he waved a piece of paper and claimed "I have in my hand" a list of known communist loyalists working in the State Department.”

10. Communist PSA • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkYl_AH-qyk

11. While the House Un-American Activities Committee had been formed in 1938 as an anti-Communist organ, McCarthy’s accusations heightened the political tensions of the times. House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

12. “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party of the United States?" The Committee Wants to Know

13. Hollywood Ten Among the first film industry witnesses subpoenaed by the Committee were ten who decided not to cooperate. The Committee began to subpoena screenwriters, directors, and other movie industry professionals to testify about their known or suspected membership in the Communist Party.

14. Real Life Repercussions The ten were sentenced to 6 months to 1 year in prison for contempt of Congress. They were also blacklisted from working in the film industry in Hollywood, until the 1960's when the ban was lifted.

15. McCarthyism • Persons accused of being communists were often denied employment in both the public and private sector. • In the film industry alone, over 300 actors, writers, and directors were denied work in the U.S. • American writer, Arthur Miller, was one of those alleged to have been “blacklisted.”

16. Arthur Miller had already been named as a suspected communist by another suspect at the hearings. Miller (now married to Marilyn Monroe 1956-61) applied for a new passport. The HUAC used this opportunity to subpoena him to appear before the committee. Daniel Day-Lewis is his son-in-law. (He plays John Proctor in the film.) Arthur Miller and HUAC

17. Before appearing, Miller asked the committee not to ask him to name names, to which the chairman agreed but later ignored the agreement. When Miller attended the hearing, he gave the committee a detailed account of his political activities (leaving out the fact that he was a communist party member).

18. Miller in trouble • Miller refused to name others, saying "I could not use the name of another person and bring trouble on him.“As a result a judge found Miller guilty of contempt of Congress in May 1957. Miller was fined $500, sentenced to thirty days in prison, blacklisted, and disallowed a U.S. passport. (sentence later overturned)

19. McCarthy examined authors for allegations of Communist influence. Yielding to the pressure, the State Department ordered its overseas librarians to remove these books from their shelves. Some libraries actually burned the newly forbidden books. Memorial to burned books Banned Books

20. McCarthy Flops When the Hollywood trials did not go as planned, McCarthy started to name Army & Political member. The Army and McCarthy traded charges and counter-charges for 36 days before a nationwide television audience. While the official outcome of the hearings was inconclusive, this exposure of McCarthy to the American public resulted in a sharp decline in his popularity

21. McCarthy fall from popularity In less than a year, McCarthy’s position as a prominent force in anti-communism was essentially ended. On December 2, 1954, the Senate voted to censure Senator McCarthy by a vote of 67 to 22, making him one of the few senators ever to be disciplined in this fashion.

22. McCarthy died on May 2, 1957, at the age of 48. The official cause of death was acute hepatitis; it is widely accepted that this was exacerbated by alcoholism. About three years later…

23. Victims of McCarthyism The number imprisoned is in the hundreds, and some ten or twelve thousand lost their jobs. Some of those who were imprisoned or lost their jobs did in fact have some connection with the Communist Party. But for most, both the potential harm to the nation and the nature of their communist affiliation were tenuous.

24. The Crucible and McCarthyism The play focused heavily on the fact that once accused, a person would have little chance of exoneration, given the irrational and circular reasoning of both the courts and the public. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HQQ_tqhxe8

25. What comparisons can be made between McCarthyism and The Crucible?

26. A Crucible is….. • 1. a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures. • 2 a hollow area at the bottom of a furnace in which the metal collects. • 3. a severe, searching test or trial.

27. It’s All About Religion, or is it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tnuW2G2FFo • Felt Catholic King James I was oppressing them. • Decided to separate from the Church of England and leave for the New world. • Devoted to their God. Everything glorified Him. • It was a crime if you did not attend church! • They worked VERY HARD!! • Strongly believed that they had a promise or covenant with God, if they followed it then they were saved if not then they would face God’s punishment or wrath. A wealthy citizen’s home

28. Theocracy • Puritans strongly supported the idea that church and government should work together. • Puritans had the opportunity to create their own society, so why not let God lead the government? • The combination of religion and government is called a theocracy.

29. The Puritan Moral Code • Plain clothes must be worn. • Wigs, decoration and make up are not allowed. • Swearing, gambling and drinking are forbidden, and will be punished. • Sundays are a day of rest, with no sport or work allowed. • Theatres and other types of entertainment are banned.

30. Puritanism • Wives and children were expected to obey their husband/father, men had all power in their society. Some female names were Be Fruitful, Silence, and Fear. • Children were expected to act like little adults. They had many chores and very little or no play time. They were always expected to obey their parents. • They believed in Predestination • Only an elect few were allowed into Heaven • You had to be good & work hard • You never knew if you were good enough

31. Witchcraft in Salem • Like all Puritans, the residents of Salem Village believed in witches and in witchcraft. • They believed that witchcraft was “entering into a compact with the devil in exchange for certain powers to do evil.” • They considered witchcraft both a sin and a crime; it was a very serious accusation, which was carefully and thoroughly investigated.

32. Witchcraft in Salem • The witchcraft hysteria began in Salem, Massachusetts, in early 1692. • Reverend Samuel Parris’s daughter and Abigail Williams started having fits of convulsion, screaming, and hallucination. • A doctor examined the girls and concluded that the only explanation for these bizarre behaviors was witchcraft.

33. Witchcraft in Salem • A recently published book of the time detailed the symptoms of witchcraft; the girls’ fits were much like those described in the book. • Therefore, the Puritans of Salem were quick to believe the doctor’s diagnosis.

35. Witchcraft in Salem • The girls pointed fingers at Tituba (the Parris’ slave), Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborn, which sparked a witch hunt.

36. What caused the hysteria? • The girls may have been acting and didn’t want to get caught in their lies. • The girls suffered from “hysteria” – severe anxiety • The girls were experimenting with the dark arts • Their parents may have told them who to blame in order to get rid of the town’s undesirables • Possible food poisoning that created hallucinogenic effects • Paranoia of what could not be explained • The judges’ decision to allow spiritual/spectral evidence/accounts in courts • The girls were treated like “Rock Stars”, praised, and listened to in a society where women had little to no voice

37. During the next eight months of terror, more than 150 people were imprisoned for witchcraft. By the time court was dismissed, 27 people had been convicted, 19 hanged, and 1 pressed to death. The hysteria that snowballed in Salem reveals how deep the belief in the supernatural ran in colonial America. Witchcraft in Salem

40. Analogies Between McCarthyism & other eras Are you starting to see similarities between each era? Though you may not think so or notice it at first, each of these eras bear striking similarity. In each case, there was a certain set of people being hunted out, an enlightened few who presided, people who opposed the whole thing, common interrogation tactics, and the reasoning that only the people who are in charge know the whole truth.

45. Let’s Wrap up the Play…