Look at the Picture Below and Do a Five Minute Free-write Based on it .

1. Look at the Picture Below and Do a Five Minute Free-write Based on it.

2. Take a few minutes and read what’s written below • The class will be broken up into three groups the Pinks, Blues and Greens. These groups will comment on their colored section. (what’s interesting, odd, noteworthy etc) The outbreak at Salem began in the winter of 1691 when the girls of the village, aided by Tituba and John Indian, a West Indian slave couple, attempted to tell their futures by using a makeshift crystal ball. On February 29, 1692, warrants were issued for three women: Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, the former two proclaiming their innocence while the latter confessed.As events unfolded, 185 people were accused at Salem, 141 women and 44 men. Of that number, 52 women and 7 men were tried; 26 women and 5 men were convicted; and 14 women and 5 men were executed, the last group on September 22, 1692.--From http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/campbell/enl310/witch.htm

3. Questions for Discussion • Why do you think there was a disproportionate representation of women who were brought to trail compared to men? • Who were the accused? • Of the few people who were accused of witchcraft and who ‘confessed’ none were killed. If you were falsely accused and knew this fact, what would you do?

4. Web Resources The Salem Witch Trials Salem Tombstones The Key Players

5. Death by Fear in The Crucible • Reputation • Status • Retribution • Loss of property

6. Fear by Coercion in The Crucible • Emotional – relies heavily on feelings to persuade. • Logical/Legal- intended to appeal to rational thinking. Data,laws and concrete evidence used to persuade. • Ethical –appeals to value system.sense of right or wrong • Religious- appeals to right or wrong also God.

7. McCarthyism Sen. Joseph McCarthy • Led a crusade against supposed Communists from 1950-54. • Instilled fear in the American people by asserting that Communists were living amongst us and, in fact, running the American government. • For a short period, was the most imposing figure in American politics.

8. How did a minor senator from Wisconsin come to wield such power? • Here we see McCarthy in “full fighting gear, with an avaiator’s cap, and belt upon belt of machine gun ammunition wrapped around his bulky torso.” • McCarthy claimed he had completed thirty-two missions when in fact he had a desk job and only flew in training exercises.

9. McCarthy’s Ascent to Power • Born on a farm in Wisconsin in 1908. • Dropped out of school at 14 and worked as a chicken farmer. • Returned to high school in 1928 and went on to earn his law degree at Marquette University. • Originally a Democrat, but switched parties after he failed to earn the Democratic nomination for district attorney. • Ran a smear campaign to become circuit court judge. Falsely accused his opponent of being 73 (he was actually 66) and senile.

10. McCarthy’s Ascent to Power • Ran for U.S. Senate against incumbent Robert La Follette Jr. in 1946. • Attacked La Follette for not enlisting during WWII even though La Follette had been 46 when Pearl Harbor was bombed. • Also accused La Follette of war profitteering. • McCarthy won the election by just over 5000 votes. • Deeply hurt by the accusations, La Follette committed suicide seven years later. Robert La Follette Jr.

11. Senator Joseph McCarthy • On his first day in the Senate, McCarthy proposed a solution to a coal-strike led by labor reformer John L. Lewis that was taking place at the time. • McCarthy’s solution: Draft the striking miners into the army. If they refuse to serve, court martial them and shoot them. John L. Lewis - president of the United Mine Workers from 1919 to 1960

12. Senator Joseph McCarthy • Afraid of not being re-elected, McCarthy entered the national spotlight by claiming that he had a list of 57 people in the State Dept. that were known to be members of the American Communist party. • Later that year, he would make a six hour speech on the Senate floor about how the Democratic party had been infiltrated by Communists.

13. The Witch-Hunt In the wake of his bold accusations, there was a welling of public support for Senator McCarthy. Why?

14. The Witch-Hunt • Americans were scared by McCarthy’s accusations • Communism was spreading across Eastern Europe and in China, and Americans were being told that this was a threat to their way of life.

15. The Witch-Hunt • For the next two years, McCarthy investigated various government departments and questioned many American citizens about their political past. • Some people even lost their jobs after they admitted that had been members of the Communist Party.

16. The Witch-Hunt • At this point, McCarthy’s influence was so strong that Democrats and other voices in the media were reluctant to criticize McCarthy’s tactics for fear of being blacklisted.

17. McCarthy’s Downfall • By 1953, opponents of McCarthy began to fight back. • The United States Army accused McCarthy of abusing his congressional privilege. • Broadcaster Edward Murrow used his television program to criticize McCarthy’s methods. • Newspaper columnists also became more open in their attacks on McCarthy. Broadcaster Edward Murrow

18. McCarthy’s Downfall • The Senate investigation in the United States Army was televised and helped expose McCarthy’s tactics. • One newspaper reported: “McCarthy has shown himself to be evil and unmatched in malice.”

19. McCarthy’s Downfall • On Dec. 2, 1954, a censure motion on the Senate floor condemned McCarthy’s conduct by 67 votes to 22. • The Counsel of the Army’s famous admonition, “At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”

20. McCarthy’s Downfall • In 1957, Joseph McCarthy was discovered to have cirrhosis of the liver. He had been an alcoholic for years and was unable to stop drinking. He died shortly thereafter.

21. Follow-up Questions • Why do you think Arthur Miller chose to use the Salem Witch Trials as a backdrop for his critique of McCarthyism? • Is it an effective critique even though McCarthy’s name is never mentioned in the play? Why/why not? • What parallels can you find between the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy era?

22. Follow-up Questions • Can you think of any other “witch-hunts” that have happened in recent history? • What role does fear play in “The Crucible?” What role did it play during the McCarthy era? How is it used by those in power? How is it used by the masses? • What can we do to assure that another witch-hunt does not take place in the future?