Homework due Thursday: Research before we start The Crucible

Please answer the following questions on notebook paper.  Answers should be 2-4 sentences each, depending on the question.  The more you learn about the historical influences of the play, the more you will get out of it once we begin reading.  Please answer the questions about the witch trials by Thursday. The questions about context are due Monday, but as you will also be studying for the Scarlet Letter test and prepping for the in-class essay, you may want to get them done for Thurs as well.

Salem Witch Trial Research

1.      Look at who was accused of witch craft.  What commonalities do these people have?
2.      Look for commonalities in the accusers. What do you notice?
3.      What economic and political causes were behind the Salem witch trials?
4.      What kinds of evidence were used to convict individuals of witch craft?
5.      Who decided the verdict in these trials?
6.      Where is Danvers and why is it relevant?
7.      How did the witch trials come to an end in Salem and what were their consequences?
8.      As our founding fathers set out to create our judicial system, they were profoundly impacted by the events that took place in Salem Village.  Based on your observations and what you know about our current legal system, what elements of our current judicial system can you trace back to the mistakes made in Salem Village?

The following links might be helpful in answering your questions:

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/home.html

http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/

 

The Context in Which The Crucible Was Written

1. What was the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)?
2. Who was Joseph McCarthy? 
3.  Described what happened between Arthur Miller and HUAC. 
4. Though you have not begun reading Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, base on your research, how does the play relate to the events unfolding during the period when it was written.

The following sites may be helpful in your research:

http://partners.nytimes.com/books/00/11/12/specials/miller-drink.html

http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/huac.htm 

http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/fire.html

http://library.wustl.edu/units/westcampus/govdocs/onlinedisplay/miller.html

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000315

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/mccarthy/mccarthy.htm

Bonus question: A New Historicist would ask themselves three basic questions about a text.  By doing this research, you have addressed two of those three questions.  What is the third question?  Write a paragraph response to it.