Tens of thousands of supposed witches mostly womenwere executed. In 1692 hundreds of people were sitting in jail for being witches, but none of them were really witches. The Devil, whose central role in witchcraft beliefs made the Western tradition unique, was an absolute reality in both elite and popular culture, and failure to understand the prevailing terror of Satan has misled some modern researchers to regard witchcraft as a cover for political or gender conspiracies. She confessed to witchcraft and accused others. In 1691, a group of girls from Salem, Massachusetts accused an Indian slave named Tituba of witchcraft, igniting a hunt for witches that left 19 men and women hanged, one man pressed to death, and over 150 more people in prison awaiting a trial. One was Elizabeth (Betty) Parris, the 9-year-old daughter of Rev. In Spain, Portugal, and southern Italy, witch prosecutions seldom occurred, and executions were very rare. Tituba, also known as Tituba Indian, was an enslaved person and servant whose birth and death dates are unknown. The salem witch trials hysteria of 1692 was caused by the Puritans strict religious standards and intolerance of anything not accepted with their scripture. . Widely influential, it was reprinted numerous times. Malleus Maleficarum, first published in 1487 by Heinrich Kramer, was a major influence on this attitude shift. The myths surrounding what happened in Salem make the true story that much more difficult to uncover. As exemplified in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, witch trials took place. This unrest also contributed to the witch-hunting hysteria in another way. Yet one general explanation is valid: the unique character of the witch hunts was consistent with the prevailing worldview of intelligent, educated, experienced people for more than three centuries. In this lesson, students will explore the characteristics of the Puritan community in Salem, learn about the Salem Witchcraft Trials, and try to . We have been advised by some Credible Christians yet alive, that a Malefactor, accused of Witchcraft as well as Murder, and Executed in this place more than Forty Years ago, did then give Notice of, An Horrible PLOT & against the Country by WITCHCRAFT, and a Foundation of WITCHCRAFT then laid, which if it were not seasonably discovered, would probably Blow up, and pull down all the Churches in the Country. John Proctor, as Miller portrays him, is a good man whos made a bad, but human, mistake. Maleficium was a threat not only to individuals but also to public order, for a community wracked by suspicions about witches could split asunder. It used to be that women were only madthemselvesbecause of their lusts. It would, however, be incorrect to suggest that witch-hunting was something wielded against ones opponents during the many cases of civil unrest ignited by the Reformation. But the events surrounding the witch trials of Salem in 1692 were not in any way unique or isolated. The witch-hunt also provided those who were greedy for land, such as the Putnams, to seek satisfaction. Also during the McCarthyism era and the witch trials innocent lives were ruined when people were forced to accuse others or be accused themselves. In early 1692, three girls with connections to the Parris household began to exhibit strange behavior. All this I understood. And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! Another was Abigail Williams, age 12, called "kinfolk" or a "niece" of Rev. These stage directions allowed the reader to gain insight as to why Salem was able to serve as home to the witch hunts. In the 11th century attitudes toward witchcraft and sorcery began to change, a process that would radically transform the Western perception of witchcraft and associate it with heresy and the Devil. They believe that witches work with the devil and that they can see the devil and his followers. Furthermore, people could now freely express their hatreds for neighbors and take vengeance under the the guise of an attempt to identify those who communed with the devil. In other words, there was how things actually happened during the Salem Witch Trials, and there was how Miller wrote about them, taking lots of liberties to tell this story through a prism that made sense to him. The legal use of torture declined in the 17th and 18th centuries, and there was a general retreat from religious intensity following the wars of religion (from the 1560s to 1640s). In this way, the socio-political changes caused by climate change, such as failed crops, disease, and rural economic poverty, produced the conditions that enabled witch-hunting to flare up. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Essential Quotes by Character: John Proctor, Critical Context (Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Literature Series), Critical Context (Comprehensive Guide to Drama). The girls accused a lot of people and got a lot of people of hang for being witches. The Salem witch trials proved to be one of the most cruel and fear driven events to ever occur in history. Which is how we get to guys like Liam Neeson, Woody Allen, and today, Alec Baldwin, as well as women like Mika Brzezinski and Wendy Williams bending over backwards to find reasons not to believe the women coming forward about the harassment and assault theyve experienced. The Puritans were marked by inflexibility and extremism. The decline of witch hunts, like their origins, was gradual. In Arthur Millers play, The Crucible, witch hunts empowered towns and consumed peoples lives with fear. The Reformation, Counter-Reformation, war, conflict, climate change, and economic recession are all some of the factors that influenced the witch hunts across the two continents in various ways. When they did accuse witches, Calvinists generally hunted fellow Calvinists, whereas Roman Catholics largely hunted other Roman Catholics. One interesting connection would be to teach the play along with a film that is very much about McCarthyismJohn Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate (1962). The witch roused Samuel, who then prophesied. They [residents of Salem] carried about an innate resistance, even of persecution. Aligns with CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.7- Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. Salem, of course, serves as the perfect example of this fanaticism and scapegoating taken to the extreme. The early modern period was a time of calamity, plagues, and wars, while fear and uncertainty were rife. This fabric of ideas was a fantasy. https://www.thoughtco.com/tituba-salem-witch-trials-3530572 (accessed March 4, 2023). Aligns with CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.5- Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging. They believed that witches were quite real and a gateway into the dark side, the Devil and all that. (2021, January 5). Parris. Why might their age make them particularly susceptible to accusations of strange behavior? Secondly, Miller states that 'The witch-hunt was a perverse manifestation of the panic which set in among all classes when the balance began to turn toward greater individual freedom.' Tituba's confession, by the rules of the court, kept her from being tried later with others, including those who were eventually found guilty and executed. What is a quote said by John Proctor in Act 3 in which he reveals his sin of adultery? Drawing on research on the witch trials he had conducted while an undergraduate, Miller composed The Crucible in the early 1950s. The next day, Betty and Abigail named Tituba as a cause of their behavior. Local feuds, for example, could prove detrimental to communities, as neighbors and families turned against each other and condemned their rivals to the pyre and the gallows. The overwhelming majority of processes, however, went no farther than the rumour stage, for actually accusing someone of witchcraft was a dangerous and expensive business. Both he and you are wrong. In the play, the people of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 sought to destroy the devils influence by seeking and destroying witches. In Mexico the Franciscan friars linked indigenous religion and magic with the Devil; prosecutions for witchcraft in Mexico began in the 1530s, and by the 1600s indigenous peasants were reporting stereotypical pacts with the Devil. It might have been as simple as one person blaming his misfortune on another. Senator McCarthy rose to power during this time by creating an atmosphere of fear and suspicion based on false claims of communist activity. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692 and recounts one such witch hunt. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. He has wanted his Incarnate Legions to Persecute us, as the People of God have in the other Hemisphere been Persecuted: he has therefore drawn forth his more spiritual ones to make an attacque upon us. To prove that the promise of salvation served as a reason for the sudden flare-up of witch hunts during this period of religious turmoil, we only need to look to the notable absence of witch trials in Catholic strongholds. First performed in January of 1953 at the height of America's red scare, The Crucible is first and foremost a political argument, relating the Salem witchcraft trials to their contemporary equivalent in Miller's time, the McCarthy hearings. They may evaluate how each version interprets the source text and debate which aspects of the enacted interpretations of the play best capture a particular character, scene, or theme. The witch-hunt provided the perfect opportunity for the settlement of old scores. From 1993 Halloween classic Hocus Pocus to American Horror Story: Coven, the witch hunts that ensued from such simple origins have captured the imagination of many artistic minds over the past 300 years, making it perhaps one of the most famous events in American history. Witches were considered Satan's followers, members of an antichurch and an antistate, the sworn enemies of Christian society in the Middle Ages, and a "counter-state" in the early modern period. Those who were unhappy with their lot and envious towards of who were not now had the chance to voice their suspicions and take revenge against them. By the late 16th century, many prosperous and professional people in western Europe were accused, so that the leaders of society began to have a personal interest in checking the hunts. In that examination, Tituba confessed, naming both Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good as witches and describing their spectral movements, including meeting with the devil. Although many witchcraft theorists were not deeply misogynist, many others were, notably the authors of the infamous Malleus maleficarum. My own marriage of twelve years was teetering and I knew more than I wished to know about where the blame lay. Judicial torture, happily in abeyance since the end of the Roman period, was revived in the 12th and 13th centuries; other brutal and sadistic tortures occurred but were usually against the law. (Include at least one play by an American dramatist.). Parris promised to pay the fee to allow Tituba to be released from prison. It would, over time, grow to be synonymous with mass hysteria, panic, and paranoia, referenced by those who believe themselves to be victims of unjust persecution; Salem. Some of the trial takes place in the actual courtroom, but the metaphor extends beyond the courtroom scenes. In the late 1940s early 1950s, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy made the grandiose pledge to uncover a communist plot to overthrow democracy in United States. The witch hunts provided this outlet. ThoughtCo, Jan. 5, 2021, thoughtco.com/tituba-salem-witch-trials-3530572. Presumably, whoever paid the fine had become Tituba's enslaver. In his commentary, Miller names a variety of reasons for the injustice and atrocity which were the essential elements of the witch-hunts. As Miller puts it: 'Land-lust which had been expressed before by constant bickering over boundaries and deeds, could now be elevated to the arena of morality; one could cry witch against one's neighbor and feel perfectly justified in the bargain.'. As competition flared up following the Reformation, churches turned towards offering salvation from sin and evil to their congregations. In The Crucible, with Hales transformation Miller is emphasizing that humanity will always seek redemption, the truth will triumph the lies, and people will constantly try. List their beliefs. But Tituba recanted her confession, and Parris never paid the fine, presumably in retaliation for her recantation. How does Abigail turn the court against Mary Warren in The Crucible? Arthur Miller's . The witch trials offer a window into the anxieties and social tensions that accompanied New Englands increasing integration into the Atlantic economy. Therefore, to create unity, one also had to exclude and prohibit those who could threaten it. He mentions that, firstly, the witch-hunts developed from what he names a 'paradox.' Societies under a lot of stress will always give into taunters. Poor agricultural success, conflict with Native Americans, tension between different communities, and poverty were not what the Puritan communities envisioned when they set out. And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! [emailprotected], For more info, go here: https://teresajusino.com The Salem witch trials and McCarthyism have an uncanny relation to one another. With our Essay Lab, you can create a customized outline within seconds to get started on your essay right away. Two of the accused women confessed to being witches and were reprievedparadoxically, if you admitted to being a witch, you were freed. Why were the leaders of Salem's clerical and civil community ready to condemn to death 19 people who refused to acknowledge being witches based on spectral evidence and the hysterical words of young girls? For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as Latest answer posted November 22, 2020 at 12:05:25 PM, In The Crucible, explain what Elizabeth means when she says, "He have his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him. In Boston, he married and later became a minister. No wonder the term witch hunt has entered common political parlance to describe such campaigns as that of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy in his attempt to root out communists in the United States in the 1950s. Why did Arthur Miller write The Crucible? Whereas womens sexuality has long since been tied to the idea of personal hysteria, Miller updated that by singling out womens desire for love and sex as a direct cause of mass hysteria. The Crucible by Arthur Miller tells the story of the vindictive town of Salem and its unproportional amount of accusations of witchcraft. The inevitable need for a scapegoat, for someone to hold accountable for misfortune, seems to be ingrained in the human psyche. Miller completely discounts the idea that these events are caused by supernatural forces, and instead seeks to show how everyday difference between the members of the Salem community and the all-common emotions of anger, envy and greed are responsible. from University of the Western Cape, South Africa. According to a theory posited by economists Leeson and Russ, churches across Europe sought to prove their strength and orthodoxy by relentlessly pursuing witches, demonstrating their prowess against the Devil and his followers. This pattern took shape in 10501300, which was also an era of enormous reform, reorganization, and centralization in both the ecclesiastical and secular aspects of society, an important aspect of which was suppressing dissent. Miller echoes many of McCarthys ideas such as a war between two ideologies, a letter of names, and a society destroyed by enemies from within.