The Crucible Act One and Background Knowledge Quiz

Puritan Spiritual Beliefs

Protestant Christianity, felt close and chosen by God.

Puritan Leaders

John Winthrop- Primary leader, led 1630 migration to Massachusetts

John Cotton- Accepted for thoughts of education, banish for differing beliefs.

Puritan Rationale Behind Beliefs

Established a middle ground between Catholicism and Protestantism

Goal was to purify the Church of England

Puritan Practice

Commitment with God; shows personal devotion.

A lot of praying, fasting, and meditation on scripture.

Dressing in Salem, MA

Women would dress similar to the Amish today

Men would wear the average “pilgrim” outfit.

Gender Roles in Salem, MA

Women were housewives

Men were the “providers”

Occupations in Salem, MA

Mostly farmers, and also glass-men, carpenters, and merchants.

Architecture in Salem, MA

Buildings with heavy timber and local resources

Inspired by Great Britain

Emphasis on structure and durability.

*Plainness

Art in Salem, MA

No typical fine art

Functional Decorative arts

No music or dancing (not in line with God)

*Plainness

Culture Salem, MA

Split into Salem Town and Salem Village in 1672; farming families wanted their own church.

Surrounded by strict Salem laws.

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692

Group of young girls claimed to be possessed, blame went on local women.

Started because of the Puritan community, thought every irregularity was the Devil’s doing.

Led to trails because people thought the others were helping the devil.

Fifty-five confessions

Twenty “witches” killed in total

Governor of Massachusetts wife got accused, banned spectral evidence (claim another ghost or spirit is hurting them)

Trials ended around 1693

Arthur Miller

Wrote The Crucible

Used the Salem Witch Trials as an allegory for McCarthyism; he was accused of being a communist

Known for other books like The Death of a Salesman

McCarthyism and Modern Day Witch Hunts

McCarthy was a republican senator who claimed he knew communists in the U.S. government

Cold war increased fear of communism, so McCarthy used that to his political advantage and fear-mongered.

Gambia Witch Hunt is a modern day example.

“Witch Hunt”

A metaphor for accusations made without evidence.

Reverend Parris

Salem’s insecure, paranoid minister who cares more about his reputation and wealth than his daughter's health.

Betty Parris

Parris's 10-year-old daughter who falls into a strange trance after being caught dancing in the woods.

Abigail Williams

Parris’s 17-year-old niece, manipulative and vengeful, who led the girls in the woods and wants Elizabeth Proctor dead.

Tituba

Parris’s enslaved woman from Barbados who performs rituals in the woods and becomes the first person accused of witchcraft.

John Proctor

A local farmer who values his independence, hates hypocrisy, and secretly harbors guilt over an affair with Abigail.

Elizabeth Proctor

John Proctor’s wife, known for her strict honesty, who fired Abigail after discovering the affair.

Reverend John Hale

An expert on witchcraft called from Beverly to investigate Salem and determine if demonic forces are present.

Rebecca Nurse

A wise, respected elderly woman in Salem whose sensible presence calms Betty and who doubts witchcraft is involved.

Francis Nurse

Rebecca’s husband, a wealthy and highly respected landowning farmer in the community.

Thomas Putnam

A bitter, wealthy landowner who uses the witchcraft panic to settle personal grudges and acquire neighbor's land.

Ann Putnam

Thomas Putnam’s wife, grieved by the deaths of seven infants at birth, who suspects supernatural forces are to blame.

Ruth Putnam

The Putnams' only surviving child, who falls into a mysterious trance alongside Betty after being in the forest.

Giles Corey

An outspoken, elderly farmer known for filing lawsuits, who accidentally raises suspicion about his wife’s reading habits.

Mary Warren

The Proctors' timid new servant girl, who went to the woods with Abigail but fears getting caught.

Mercy Lewis

The Putnams' ruthless, sly servant girl, who was seen dancing naked in the woods with Abigail.

Setting of Act One

The upstairs bedroom of Reverend Parris's house in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692.

The Woods

A place viewed by Puritans as the devil's territory, where Abigail and the girls gathered at night.

Dancing in the Forest

The forbidden activity Parris catches Abigail, Betty, Tituba, and other girls doing before the play starts.

Conjuring Spirits

The ritual Tituba performed in the woods at Ann Putnam's request to communicate with dead infants.

Drinking Chicken Blood

A charm Abigail performed in the forest intended to kill Elizabeth Proctor.

The Proctor-Abigail Affair

A secret affair that took place seven months prior, ending when Elizabeth fired Abigail. Elizabeth had stopped going to church as often to not sit with someone “soiled”.

Scapegoating

The act of blaming someone else to save oneself, seen when Abigail and Tituba shift blame onto vulnerable villagers.

Mass Hysteria

The rapid spread of fear and panic through Salem, triggered by false accusations of witchcraft.

The First Accusations

Tituba naming Sarah Good and Goody Osburn to avoid hanging, triggering Abigail and Betty to join in.

Land Disputes

Deep disputes over land ownership, particularly between Thomas Putnam, John Proctor, and Francis Nurse.