When Arthur Miller wrote the crucible in 1953, he wrote it based off the McCarthy era in America during the Cold War which was all about a war between America and Russia, a military and political war, and America was basically a capitalist and democratic while the soviet union was basically like communist and authoritarian and like the Americans were scared that this would have a big influencers and threatened there way of life and if someone was caught with anything Russia. Like a Russian film, a Russian book, liking theatre of Russia, having the flag you would’ve been a disloyal American or unAmerican and been fired or blacklists for it, and Arthur Miller writes about the Salem Witch trials which is similar to McCarthy era in the Crucible.
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, nineteen of whom were executed by hanging (fourteen women and five men). One other man, Giles Corey, died under torture after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people died in the disease-ridden jails. Arrests were made in numerous towns beyond Salem Village (known today as Danvers) and its regional centre Salem Town, notably in Andover and Topsfield. The grand juries and trials for this capital crime were conducted by a Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692 and by a Superior Court of Judicature in 1693, both held in Salem Town, where the hangings also took place. It was the deadliest witch hunt in the history of colonial North America. Fourteen other women and two men were executed in Massachusetts and Connecticut during the 17th century.
During the Salem Witch Trials, there was a Puritan lifestyle, and there were values of Puritanism, which was strict morality, Puritans were known for their strict moral beliefs and standards. They believed in predestination, which meant that God decided a person’s faith before they were born, conformity Puritans believed in fitting in and conforming to society. They were afraid of people who were different and believed they could not control them easily, biblical literalism Puritans believed that the Bible was the literal word of God. They used Biblical texts and imagery to guide their lives, Spiritual causes Puritans believed that physical realities had spiritual causes. For example, if crops failed, they believed the Devil was to blame, and witchcraft Puritans believed that the Devil was trying to overtake them and their souls. They kept records of suspected witchcraft cases to monitor the behaviour of their neighbours.
The Puritans believed in predestination, that humans were depraved, and that God and the Devil were constantly at war with each other. They believed that Satan would target the weakest people, such as children, women, and the elderly, to do his evil work. Puritans had strict moral beliefs and a strict way of life. They believed that men and women were equal in the eyes of God, but not in the eyes of the Devil. Women were often seen as vulnerable and unprotected and were more likely to be accused of witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692 when a group of young girls in Salem Village claimed to be possessed by the devil. They accused several local women of witchcraft, and the hysteria spread throughout colonial Massachusetts. The first person to be convicted of witchcraft was Bridget Bishop, who was hanged in June.