The Salem Witch Trials vs. The Crucible
By: Maigen Agana, Lindsey Aldridge, and Jerry Chang
TAs: Bradley, Diaz, and Assi
TG: Coleman
Period: VI
So, What’s the Truth?
THIS IS FICTION:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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:
1.
2.
3.
4.
***
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.
The Parris Family
THIS IS FICTION:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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 didn’t have family
as a slave. Tituba confessed quickly.
AND THIS IS FACT:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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.
The Proctor Family
THIS IS FICTION:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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
The Putnams, Nurses, & Giles Corey
THIS IS FICTION:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The daughter’s real name is Ann, just like
her mother’s.
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
didn’t enter a plea. He was pressed with
stones in an attempt to force him to plea
either way, but he refused.
The Trial

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.

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.
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?
Bibliography
“Historical Characters of The Crucible.” Historical Characters. 27 Oct. 2005
<http://people.stu.ca/~hunt/22230405/plays/crucible/characters.htm>.
“Images of the Salem Witchcraft Trails.” Images of the Salem Witchcraft Trails. 27 Oct.
2005
<http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_PHO.HTM>
.
“Salem Witch Trials - Biographical Information.” Salem Witch Trials. 27 Oct. 2005
<http://www.salemwitchtrials.com/biographies.html>.
Burns, Margo. “Arthur Miller's The Crucible: Fact & Fiction.” 17th Century Colonial
New England. 24 Oct. 2003. 29 Oct. 2005 <http://www.17thc.us/docs/factfiction.shtml>.
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
<http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASAL_BI.HTM>.