Notes on Puritanism, Salem Witch Trials, etc…

Puritanism Notes, Continued

• Puritanism- Christian faith- originated in England during the 17th Century

• Goes back to the beliefs of reformer- John Calvin

• Puritans followed a Covenant of Grace- A call for all Puritans to be actively faithful

Puritanism,cont…

• Basic Puritan Beliefs• Predestination/Unconditional Election: God has

previously chosen those who will be saved.• Total Depravity of Man: Because of original sin,

man has no right to salvation• Emphasis on preaching and the laws contained

within the Bible.• Goal: To “Purify” the church. Puritans wanted

to rid their religion of all Catholic influence.

Puritanism, cont…

• Puritan Literature/Early Colonial Writing• 17th Century was a period of religious literature

in New England.• Literature represented life as the Puritans saw it.

Writings were therefore somber and serious.• A popular topic of the Puritans was the vanity of

man’s earthly endeavors.• Literature comes in various forms: sermons,

histories, diaries, autobiographies, and poetry.

Colonial Writing, cont…

• Sermons were the most highly developed literary type in colonial literature.

• Diaries kept for practical purposes.• Poetry often written to dignify or embellish

important occasions.• Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor were early

colonial poets. Their work revealed highly personal feelings.

• History/Biographies were written to preserve a record of happenings in the New World.

Background on Witch Trials

• Hysteria begins- Early 1692- Salem, Mass.• Harsh, cold winter– People were isolated,

perhaps bored. Young girls gathered in the woods to dance and conjure spirits.

• Tituba- Barbados slave who taught the girls dances and magic charms.

• Teenage girls of Salem- Rev. Parris’ daughter Betty and Abigail Williams started having fits of convulsions, screaming, and hallucinations.

Salem Witch Trials

• Doctors who examined girls said it must be witchcraft.

• The Puritan quest for spiritual perfection and religious purity was very important.

• Anything that stood in the way of that quest must be rejected.

Trials, cont..

• Magistrates of Salem: Judge Hathorne- also known as “The Hanging Judge of Salem” and Jonathan Corwin examined the accused.

• Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba were easy targets because they were considered low in Puritan society.

• Trials begin- Tituba confessed to save her life and this made the claims valid in the eyes of the townspeople and magistrates.

Hysteria Gets Out of Hand

• Many more people are accused, including several good people of the town.

• Neighbors turned on neighbors.• Personal vengeance became the norm.• Those who would not confess were put to death.

19 people died in 1692 in Salem.• Giles Corey: Refused to confess and when

pressed with stones only replied, “More Weight.”• The trials ended when the Governor’s wife was

accused.

McCarthyism

• Also known as “The Red Scare”• A term describing intense anti-communist

suspicion in the U.S. from the late 1940’s to the late 1950’s.

• Result of The Cold War: The Cold War began shortly after WW II. This was the conflict between the U.S. and U.S.S.R.

• McCarthyism started by Senator Joseph McCarthy

McCarthyism, Cont…

• U.S.S.R. was a world superpower.• U.S. feared a take-over.• McCarthy convinced the government that there

were many spies among us.• Soon many influential people including actors,

writers, politicians, etc… were called Communists.

• Hollywood Hit List: Included screen writers, actors, directors who were asked if they were associated with the Communist Party.

McCarthyism, cont…

• House Un-American Committee (HUAC) was formed. This was the most prominent and active government committee.

• Fear, paranoia, and hysteria gripped the nation and many innocent people were questioned and then jailed for expressing any view which was seen as anti-Democratic or anti-American.

• Over 200 people lost their jobs and were unable to find work. The Communist “witch” hunt ruined the careers of hundreds and ruined the reputations of many more.

Arthur Miller

• Born in 1915 in New York City.• Graduated from the University of Michigan.• Works included: All My Sons, Death of a

Salesman, After the Fall, A View from the Bridge, and The Crucible.

• The Crucible was written in 1953 as a protest to McCarthyism.

• Story is considered an allegory, a story with a deeper meaning.

The Crucible

• Arthur Miller’s most frequently produced play.

• The word ‘crucible’ refers to a vessel in which metals are heated to very high temperatures. It is a severe trial or test.