The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials, and McCarthyism Witch-hunt Project

Witch-hunt 1. campaign against dissenters an intensive systematic campaign directed against those who have done something wrong or who hold different views. 2. persecution of witches a singling out and harassment of people believed to be witches

From June through September of 1692, nineteen men and women, all having been convicted of witchcraft, were carted to Gallows Hill, a barren slope near Salem Village, Massachusetts, and hung. In 1953 Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible, a play about the events and trial leading up to these hangings. However, The Crucible is not just about an event that happened over 250 years before the play was written. It is also an allegory (a story that is a metaphor) about a modern-day witch-hunt that happened during the 1950s, adversely affecting many Americans, including Arthur Miller himself.

The Project

This project has two parts.

Part A: You will work in a group of 4 students to research and complete a Power Point on the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Era. This will be presented to the class. This group project is The Power Point Presentation.

NOTE!! If you are absent during part of this process, it is up to you to be in touch with your group members so that you can fulfill your part. If you fail to be an active member of your group, you will have to complete the alternate essay assignment instead.

Part B: Individually, you will write a short paper about your research and present a brief talk about your findings to the class. This individual part is The Oral Presentation and Personal Reaction.

EACH counts as a Major Project Grade. The Power Point Presentation:

For this part of the project, you will work in groups of 4 to complete the following:

1. Research 2. Group Discussion about research 3. Power Point 4. Group Evaluation (individually completed)

1. Researching the Historical Contexts of the play.

Each of you will become an expert on The Salem Witch Trials or McCarthyism. In your group, discuss which you would each like to research. Two of you will research the trials and two of you will research the McCarthy Era. Log onto www.dowenglish.com web site and begin your quest to understand the Salem Witch events of each particular time period. Look at The McCarthy Trials the chart in #2 to see what you should be Era looking for. Be sure to take notes! ALWAYS cite exactly where you got the information.

2. Discussion with your group members. During your research, be ready to discuss your findings in detail with your group members. You should be able to explain the following:

Salem Witch Trials McCarthy Era  the time period  the time period of McCarthy’s House of Un-American  Who was John Hawthorne? Activities crusade  an account of the events, from the  Who was Joseph McCarthy? inception to the end  an account of the events of Joseph McCarthy’s crusade  the reasons for the accusations of (House of Un-American Activities) witchcraft  How the Alien Registration Act, Communism, and the  how Puritanism played a role American Communist Party played roles  how witch hunts in Europe prior to  the outcome of McCarthy’s Congressional investigation these trials played a role  Who were named as Communists (and what kind of  the outcome of the trials people, in general, were they)?  Who were named as witches (and  Why do you think these people were named as what kind of people, in general, Communists? were they)?  How did McCarthy’s crusade affect America and the  Why do you think these people American people? were named as witches?  What role did the media (newspapers, radio, and  What finally stopped the witch television) play in both supporting and hurting McCarthy? hunts?  What finally stopped the hunt for Communists in America?  Discuss with your group members what you’ve learned.  Note Similarities and Differences between the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism.  Record these in your Compare/Contrast Chart.  Discuss how the similarities might be significant in terms of history.

3. Preparing and presenting your Power Point Divide responsibilities evenly among your group members. Note the division of responsibilities on your credit slide. You determine who will present the Power Point. One or more may present the Power Point; however, keep in mind that the entire group will be graded based on the quality and thoroughness of the presentation. The presenter(s) may refer to notes during the presentation, but may NOT just read the notes aloud. The Power Point will:  have a minimum of 15 slides, including a title slide, a credit slide, and a citation slide  present a minimum of 8 visuals that relate to the topic and represent major ideas of the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Era  touch upon the major points as outlined in the group discussion chart (2)  highlight your discussion points. (There should NOT be a lot of text in your Power Point.) MAJOR POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM THE GROUP GRADE IF EITHER THERE IS AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF TEXT ON THE SLIDES OR ANY MEMBER JUST READS THE SLIDES.  have a citation list for all of your sources (last slide)  have a credit page that lists who in your group did what (next to last slide)  hand in a printout of your Power Point

If one group member does substantially more than the other group members, that member will receive a higher grade. In some cases, group members may receive a lower grade than the group grade if their contribution was negligible. Grades will be based on teacher observation, the quality of the Power Point, and group member evaluations (which will be kept confidential).

4. Group Evaluation Each member will fill out an evaluation sheet where he/she will explain his/het contribution to the group and each of the group members’ contribution. This is kept confidential, but will be used to assess if all group members shared equally in their responsibilities. The Oral Presentation and Personal Reaction:

The Oral Presentation will be presented after all the Power Points have been presented. You will briefly (1-2 minutes) sum up the conclusions you have come to in your Personal Reaction paper. This will be graded based on the school-wide Oral Presentation Rubric. You may use note cards; however, if you do so, do not just read the cards.

Personal Reaction Paper From the quotes below, choose the one that you believe best sums up your reaction to the comparisons you’ve made during your research and seen in the Power Points between the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. Explain your response, citing specific examples from your research and notes you’ve taken during class presentations.

Your response must be 450-550 words, typed. This will be graded on the school-wide Writing Rubric. The use of concise words and proper grammar will be as important as the depth of your observations.

 Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. – George Santayana (philosopher, poet)  History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce*. – Karl Marx (from whose works Communism was a result)  History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again. – Maya Angelou (author, poet)  We learn from history that we learn nothing from history. – George Bernard Shaw (playwright)  History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are. – David C. McCullough (historian, author)

*farce -- comic drama in which authority, order, and morality are at risk and ordinary people are caught up in extraordinary goings on The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials, and McCarthyism Witch-hunt Project

Checklist for what you need to do:

 research  discuss findings of research with your group  determine similarities/differences with your group  discuss significance of similarities with your group  oral presentation/power point (organized with your group)  personal response (on your own)

Checklist for what must be handed in:

 printout of Power Point  Group Member Evaluation  Personal Response The Witch Hunt

Alternate Essay Assignment

 You will be writing a 500-700 word essay on the following topic. You must refer to evidence from your research in your paper and cite this evidence in MLA format on a citation page (not part of the word count).

Discuss the similarities and differences between the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism of the 1950s.

1. Introduction with thesis (what you will be proving in your paper)

2. One major, important point of comparison in between the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism (as you learned through your research project) a. (evidence to support) b. (evidence to support) c. (evidence to support)

3. A second major, important point of comparison a. (evidence to support) b. (evidence to support) c. (evidence to support)

4. A third major, important point of comparision. a. (evidence to support) b. (evidence to support) c. (evidence to support)

5. Conclusion