Unit 1

Arthur Miller
  • Background Information
    • born in New York, on October 17, 1915
    • the prosperity of the Miller family ended abruptly due to stock market crash
    • the downgrade of this status and misery due to the Great Depression had a huge impact on the development of his social consciousness
  • Key events
    • began writing plays as a student
    • First Broadway play opened in 1944
  • His beliefs
    • every citizen deserved the right to their own political views
  • Arraignment by the House Un-American Activities
    • he was convicted of contempt of congress because he refused to identify the play writers
    • He was asked questions like why did he have a communist party write his plays
    • admitted that he had a few meetings and participated in several protests but denied affiliation with the party
    • was found guilty of this crime
    • court decision was overturned in the end
McCarthyism and the Crack-Down on Communists
  • What was McCarthyism?
    • known as the Red Scare
    • accused people of being communists so he could eliminate competition
  • How is Arthur Miller connected to McCarthyism?
    • Arthur Miller wrote ‘The Crucible’, a book depicting witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts while being a veil for the disdain he has for the communist witch hunts during the 1950’s by Joseph McCarthy
    • Miller uses the historical events as a backdrop to criticize the McCarthy era. Miller exposes the dangers of mass hysteria, false accusations, and the destruction of innocent lives.
    • He refused to discuss the experiences of his colleagues and associates when summoned by HUAC.
    • As a result, he was blacklisted for his refusal to specify the names of his associates but was later taken off the list.
  • How did McCarthyism change the American lifestyle?
    • caused great fear and paranoia of communism
    • Freedom of speech was limited due to the fear of association with communism
  • What was McCarthy’s goal?
    • to discredit his critics by accusing them of being communists or associated with it
  • What is ‘HUAC’ and “Blacklisting”? + People on the Hollywood blacklist
    • Stands for “House Unamerican Activity Committee”
    • established in 1938
    • made to look into claims of disloyalty and rebellious behavior on the part of individuals, government workers, and groups thought to have ties to the Communist Party
    • those who refused to incriminate their friends were placed on the Hollywood blacklist
    • Blacklist - a list of people or groups that other people have to avoid due to claim that they have participated in unacceptable behaviors
    • people on this list were denied employment, based on their suspected Communist sympathies
Salem Witch Trials
  • What were the Salem Witch trials?
    • 1692-1693
    • a time where more than 200 people were accused of being witches
  • Events that led to those trials
    • combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children
  • Outcome
    • the government encouraged people that they were doing a good thing by bringing out witches and encouraged them to find more.
    • 20 people who were convicted witches’ to be hanged and many other suspect to be imprisoned in Salem village
  • How do historians interpret these events?
    • The result of mass hysteria
  • How were these witches prosecuted?
    • normally by hanging
    • paraded through the city to their prosecution
    • beat to death by stones
Historical Witch Hunts
  • Introduction
    • started in early 1962 and mid 1963

    Causes of witch hunts

  • poverty, epidemics, social crises, the creation of a master race, and lack of education

    How this could have been avoided?

  • Started to educate people
    • Preventions
  • people could’ve been questioned if so many people could be witch hunt offenders
    • Consequences
  • slandered and denied of basic human rights
  • individuals who are accused and do not come forward will be beheaded