Salem to McCarthy
The Salem Witch Trials
When: 1692-1693
Where: Salem, Massachusetts
What: A series of trials, convictions, and hangings of suspected witches
-
19 were hanged
-
1 was pressed to death (crushed by rocks)
-
At least 4 died in prison
Joe McCarthy
Who: U.S. Senator from Wisconsin
What: Beginning with a speech in Wheeling West Virginia in 1950, McCarthy waged a political crusade to expose Communists in the U.S. government
McCarthyism: Demagoguery, baseless defamation, and mudslinging in politics
ARTHUR MILLER
Mutually inspired by the historical accounts of the Salem Witch Trials and the actions of Senator McCarthy, American playwright Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible
-
The Crucible was first performed in 1953
-
It was an immediate critical and popular success
-
Arthur Miller was called in front of the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities
AntiCommunist Propaganda
Salem to McCarthy