The Salem Witch Trials vs. The Crucible

1
The Salem Witch Trials vs. The Crucible

• By Maigen Agana, Lindsey Aldridge, and Jerry
  Chang
• TAs Bradley, Diaz, and Assi
• TG Coleman
• Period VI

2
So, Whats the Truth?

• THIS IS FICTION
• Tituba led six girls into a nearby forest to cast
  charms and spells, followed by a wild dancing
  ritual.
• Ruth Putnam was the first girl to become
  afflicted.
• The only symptom of bewitchment was that the
  victim could not be woken from a deep slumber.
• John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey
  were all hung on the same day.

• AND THIS IS FACT
• Tituba was asked to bake a witchcake in order
  to figure out who was afflicting Betty Parris.
  She was later accused of witchcraft by Betty and
  Abigail.
• Betty Parris and Abigail Williams were the first
  to become afflicted.
• Actual symptoms consisted of violent, physical
  tantrums.
• Rebecca Nurse was hung on July 19th, John Proctor
  on August 19th, and finally, Martha Corey on
  September 22nd.
• Tituba brought stories of voodoo and other
  supernatural events from Barbados. This alone
  compelled the girls to take part in harmless
  fortune-telling.

3
The Parris Family

• THIS IS FICTION
• Mrs. Parris had been dead for years and the
  family consisted of Betty (daughter), Mr. Parris,
  Abigail (niece), and Tituba (slave).
• Betty was present for the trials.
• Mr. Parris claimed to be a graduate of Harvard.
• Tituba was single and didnt have family as a
  slave. Tituba confessed quickly.

• AND THIS IS FACT
• Mrs. Paris was alive during the incident and died
  in 1969, four years after the incident. The
  Parris family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Parris,
  Betty, Thomas, and Susannah Abigail was only
  kinfolk.
• After the trials began Betty was sent away.
• Mr. Parris actually went to Harvard, but dropped
  out.
• Tituba was actually an Indian woman who had a
  husband named John and a daughter named Violet.
  She was also tortured for a long time before she
  confessed.

4
The Proctor Family

• THIS IS FICTION
• John Proctor is young and is a farmer.
• Elizabeth is his only wife.
• John Proctor only has two young sons.
• Mary Warren was 17 in the story
• John and Abigail committed adultery. Abigail
  worked for the Proctors before Mary

• AND THIS IS FACT
• John is actually 60 and a tavern keeper.
• Elizabeth is his third wife (his former wives
  died in childbirth)
• John has a daughter that is 15, a son that is 17,
  and another son that is 33 from a previous
  marriage.
• Mary Warren is 20.
• The adultery between Abigail and John is unlikely
  to occur as they lived far from each other and
  Abigail never worked for them.
• John testified to protect his then pregnant wife
  Elizabeth

5
The Putnams, Nurses, Giles Corey

• THIS IS FICTION
• Daughter is named Ruth Putnam.
• Ruth was the only child of 8 to survive.
• Both of the Nurses were deeply respected and
  revered.
• Giles Corey was executed for refusing to reveal
  the name of a witness.

• AND THIS IS FACT
• The daughters real name is Ann, just like her
  mothers.
• The Putnams had 6 living children.
• Rebecca Nurse was considered least likely to be a
  witch she was seen as saint-like.
• The Nurses were not extremely respected because
  they owed money.
• Corey was accused of witchcraft and didnt enter
  a plea. He was pressed with stones in an attempt
  to force him to plea either way, but he refused.

6
The Trial

• This is Fact
• The portions of Act II III that occur in the
  Courtroom are based on the actual court records.
• All of the known accusers struggled following the
  trials.
• Overall, many researchers have concluded that
  greed and jealousy caused the poorer members of
  the Salem community to create outlandish charges
  against the wealthier members of the community in
  order to confiscate their real estate and
  possessions. In some cases, relatives were
  accused of witchcraft in order for their progeny
  to claim their inheritance sooner, rather than
  later.
• Reparations were made to the families of the
  victims within five years of the Salem Witch
  Trials and a public apology was issued by the
  Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

• This is Fiction
• The portions of Act II Act III, that occur in
  the antechamber of the Courtroom are extrapolated
  from the Court records, but the actual text is
  lost to history.
• In the play the cause of the Salem witch trials
  is that of adultery. There is no historical
  evidence that Abigail Williams and John Proctor
  had an affair.

7
Take Away

• JW 1 Does the reality (facts vs. fiction) alter
  the lessons that can be learned from the Salem
  Witch Trials?
• JW 2 What are the take aways from this
  historical event? How can/ should this knowledge
  impact how we behave in the present?

8
Bibliography

• Historical Characters of The Crucible.
  Historical Characters. 27 Oct. 2005
  lthttp//people.stu.ca/hunt/22230405/plays/crucibl
  e/characters.htmgt.
• Images of the Salem Witchcraft Trails. Images
  of the Salem Witchcraft Trails. 27 Oct. 2005
  lthttp//www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/
  salem/SAL_PHO.HTMgt.
• Salem Witch Trials - Biographical Information.
  Salem Witch Trials. 27 Oct. 2005
  lthttp//www.salemwitchtrials.com/biographies.htmlgt
  .
• Burns, Margo. Arthur Miller's The Crucible Fact
  Fiction. 17th Century Colonial New England. 24
  Oct. 2003. 29 Oct. 2005 lthttp//www.17thc.us/docs/
  fact-fiction.shtmlgt.
• Buhr, Chris, and Katherine Sutcliffe.
  Biographies of Key Figures in the Salem
  Witchcraft Trials. Biographies of Key Figures in
  the Salem Witchcraft Trials. 28 Oct. 2005
  lthttp//www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/
  salem/ASAL_BI.HTMgt.