American Literature

Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)

Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)

This collection uses primary sources to explore Arthur Miller&#39;s The Crucible.

Map of Salem Village in 1692, including places of interest and landowners, adapted from a map created by W. P. Upham in 1866.

An excerpt from *Strange Phenomena of New England in the Seventeenth Century*, from the writings of Reverend Cotton Mather. 

An excerpt from a narrative of several accounts from Salem Village concerning witchcraft, 1692.

A photograph of Gallows Hill, Salem, where witches were hanged.

An excerpt from records of the Salem witch trials, copied in 1864 from original documents, on the examination of Susanna Martin.

An excerpt from records of the Salem witch trials, copied in 1864 from original documents, on the examination of Mary Warren. 

A postcard depicting the trial of George Jacobs, ca. 1898-1931.

A photograph of Roy Huggins, a film writer, naming twenty-one communists in Hollywood, 1952.

A photograph of the “Hollywood Ten” staging a demonstration at the Los Angeles Airport. 

The “Hollywood Ten” were writers convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions by the House Committee on Un-American Activities in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 1947. 

An excerpt from a film of the visit of Senator Joseph McCarthy and his committee at Fort Monmouth, 29 April 1954.

A photograph of crowds waiting to get into the hearing room of the Un-American Activities Committee , ca. 1952. 

Photo shows part of the crowd that waited to get into today's session of the Congressional Committee on Un-American Activities. Note that many turned their backs and others hid their faces from the camera. Later, several spectators were ejected from the hearing room for cheering defiant witnesses.

A photograph of spectators at an Un-American Activities Committee session being evicted, 1952.

The outbursts at this session of the Congressional Committee on Un-American Activities came not only from the witness stand but also from the spectators. Many were ejected from the room when they applauded and whistled support to the defiant, "hostile witnesses." Photo shows a woman being ejected.

A photograph of the House Committee on Un-American Activities on March 23, 1953. 

The House Committee on Un-American Activities opened its full-dress televised investigation of Communist infiltration into the professional, educational, and entertainment fields in Southern California. Hundreds of spectators jammed the hearing room on the fifth floor of the federal building as the probe opened. The committee chairman is Representative Harold Velde. In the photo, from left to right: Gordon Sherer, wearing a bow tie, Kit Clardy, Velde, Morgan Moulder, Clyde Doyle, and James Frazier.

A photograph of the faces of the public listening to testimony during a House Committee on Un-American Activities hearing, 30 March 1953. 

The deep interest of the public in the current “Red” probe is seen in this picture showing some of the spectators as they listened intensely to the testimony of witnesses. The boy in the center even writes notes as he listens. The room on the fifth floor of the federal building, where the House Committee on Un-American Activities is conducting the hearing, was jammed with spectators almost every day.

An excerpt from the testimony of Jackie Robinson before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, July 18, 1949. 

Jackie Robinson made history as the first African American to play baseball in the Major Leagues when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946. Mr. Robinson was never the subject of an FBI investigation; however, his name came to the attention of the FBI as a result of his National Association for the Advancement of Colored People membership. In 1949, he testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the hearings regarding communist infiltration of minority groups. 

Questions

1. Look at the examinations of [Susanna Martin](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-crucible-by-arthur-miller/sources/634) and [Mary Warren](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-crucible-by-arthur-miller/sources/635). Knowing that Arthur Miller blended historical figures to create his characters for *The Crucible*, explain the similarities between the play and the transcripts of these two historical figures. Find textual evidence from the play to support your answer.
2. How is public interest in the HUAC hearings, as shown in photographs of people attending the hearings, similar to public interest in the Salem trials as depicted in *The Crucible*? Find textual evidence from the play to support your answer.
3. Read [Jackie Robinson’s testimony](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-crucible-by-arthur-miller/sources/644). Explain how the motives behind naming minority groups as communists are similar to the motives behind naming outcasts of Salem Village as witches in *The Crucible*.
4. After watching the [film footage of Senator McCarthy at Fort Monmouth](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-crucible-by-arthur-miller/sources/639), make a list of all similarities between the communist search of the 1950s and the Salem witch hunt. In three to four sentences, discuss Miller’s purpose in using the Salem Witch Trials to express his views on McCarthyism.


Activity

Ask students to label the [map of Salem Village](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-crucible-by-arthur-miller/sources/630) with specific scenes from *The Crucible* where the action takes place. Students should determine if the scene is part of the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, or resolution.

Teaching Guide: Exploring *The Crucible*

Resources

1. [Why Arthur Miller Wrote “The Crucible,”](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/arthur-miller-elia-kazan-and-the-blacklist-none-without-sin-why-arthur-miller-wrote-the-crucible/5911/) PBS American Masters. 
2. Arthur Miller, "[Are You Now Or Were You Ever](http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/miller-mccarthyism.html)?", University of Pennsylvania. 
3. [Senator McCarthy, McCarthyism, and the Witch Hunt](https://gamblizard.com/senatorjosephmccarthy/), Cold War Museum. 

Overview

Inspired by the House Un-American Activities Committee and the McCarthy trials of the 1950s, Arthur Miller wrote *The Crucible*, a play set in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts during the height of the mass hysteria known as the Salem witch trials. What did these two events nearly 250 years apart have in common? Both the hunt for communists in the 1950s and the hunt for witches in 1692 seemed to be provoked by hidden agendas, iniquitous motives, and little factual evidence. While Miller based his play on the historical accounts of the Salem witch trials, using the names of the people involved, it is a work of fiction. In order to appeal to theatergoers, Miller makes a love triangle the driving force behind the hysteria. However, the play retains Miller’s message about what happens when checks and balances are overlooked, fear becomes the driving force behind accusations, and people are guilty until proven innocent. This primary source set includes photographs, transcripts, text documents, and footage that provides context for thematic elements within *The Crucible*.

English

*The Crucible* by Arthur Miller

crucible-arthur-miller_13_06d242936227b7ba9491d0356d71565d.jpg

Courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library via California Digital Library.

“Men who are firing the questions, Red hearing,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/25977746f3b1a91b3dfd438346772fc3.

A photograph of the House Committee on Un-American Activities on March 23, 1953.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 13 of 15 in the Primary Source Set The Crucible by Arthur Miller