Salem Witch Trials / The Crucible: Resources

The place is Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, an enclave of rigid piety huddled on the edge of a wilderness. Its inhabitants believe unquestioningly in their own sanctity. But in Arthur Miller's edgy masterpiece, that very belief will have poisonous consequences when a vengeful teenager accuses a rival of witchcraft—and then when those accusations multiply to consume the entire village. First produced in 1953, at a time when America was convulsed by a new epidemic of witchhunting, The Crucible brilliantly explores the threshold between individual guilt and mass hysteria, personal spite and collective evil. It is a play that is not only relentlessly suspenseful and vastly moving but that compels readers to fathom their hearts and consciences in ways that only the greatest theater ever can. "A drama of emotional power and impact" —New York Post

Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. In a plain meetinghouse, a woman stands before her judges. The accusers, girls and young women, are fervent, overexcited, just on the edge of breaking out into convulsions. The accused is a poor, unpopular woman who had her first child before she was married. As the trial proceeds, the girls begin to wail, tear their clothing, and scream that the woman is hurting them. Some of them expose wounds to the horrified onlookers, holding out the pins that have stabbed them -- pins that have appeared as if by magic. Are the girls acting, or are they really tormented by an unseen evil? Whatever the cause, the nightmare in Salem has begun: The witch trials will eventually claim twenty-five lives, shatter the community, and forever shape the American social conscience. Acclaimed historian Marc Aronson sifts through the facts, myths, half-truths, misinterpretations, and theories around the Salem witch trials to present us with a vivid narrative of one of the most compelling mysteries in American history. Witch-Hunt is a brilliant book that will stimulate and challenge readers to come to their own conclusions about what really happened during those terrifying months of accusations, trials, and executions.

Salem Story engages the story of the Salem witch trials by contrasting an analysis of the surviving primary documentation with the way events of 1692 have been mythologised by our culture. Resisting the temptation to explain the Salem witch trials in the context of an inclusive theoretical framework, the book examines a variety of individual motives that converged to precipitate the witch-hunt. Of the many assumptions about the Salem witch trials, the most persistent is that they were instigated by a circle of hysterical girls. Through an analysis of what actually happened - by perusal of the primary materials with the ‘close reading' approach of a literary critic - a different picture emerges, one where ‘hysteria' inappropriately describes the logical, rational strategies of accusation and confession followed by the accusers, males and females alike.

Much has been written about the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692, and much misunderstood. In witchcraft at Salem Hansen provides a necessary and thoughtful reappraisal of this turbulent episode in American history.

This fascinating and informative source covers the history of witchcraft in the United States from the hysteria that facilitated the witch hunts during the Colonial Period to modern day followers of Wicca. Chapters present stories of accused witches in American colonies before 1692 and the events leading up to the Salem witch trials, including the tragic aftermath. Chapters include excerpts from trial transcripts, diary entries, public notices and many other primary sources. Biographical essays highlight prominent figures related to the Salem witch trials and include: Robert Calef -- critic of the Salem trials Rachel Clinton -- accused of witchcraft Nathaniel Hawthorne -- novelist Rebecca Towne Nurse -- executed as a witch Tituba -- slave and accused leader of the Salem witch ring And many others

Drawing comparisons between modern sorcery & that of the ancient world the book shows how the European witch-craze developed out of a combination of ancient sorcery with medieval heresy, paganism, folklore, scholastic theology & inquisitorial trials.

34 cases that have attracted public interest throughout history. Spanning more than 2000 years, includes exciting and influential trials as Socrates, Nelson Mandela, Salem witch trials, Alfred Dreyfus, Scopes Monkey Trial, Brown v. Board of Education, and more.

Ideal for student research and class discussion, this interdisciplinary casebook provides a rich variety of primary historical documents and commentary on The Crucible within the context of two relevant historical periods: the Salem witch-trials of 1692 and the Red Scare of the 1950s, when the play was written.