Abstract
This paper discusses how both "American Beauty" and "The Crucible" are texts written to emphasize flaws within the American society at different periods in history. The paper first looks at how "American Beauty", which was created at the end of the 20th century when there was an increasing dissatisfaction with the American Dream, depicts Alan Ball and Sam Mendes', the composers, contemporary opinions of Western society and is an illustration of how the American Dream is often a facade for dysfunctional relationships. In comparison, the paper then examines how "The Crucible", which is set in 1692, during the unstable times of the Salem Witch trials, was written as an allegory by Arthur Miller, and demonstrates the similarities between the situation in Salem and McCarthyism in the 1950s.

From the Paper
"American Beauty was produced at a time when people were beginning to realize that the American Dream is full of unfulfilled desires, repressed dreams and shattered hopes. Alan Ball and Sam Mendes highlight the flaws of this vision through characters in the text. Lester Burnham, the main protagonist of the text, is not content with his suburban life. "Look at me, jerking off in the shower -- this will be the high point of my day. It's all downhill from here." He has a respectable occupation as a magazine executive and a family he once enjoyed the company of however he feels that his he lives a meaningless existence, "in a way, I am dead already." His only daughter Jane has issues with her body image and wishes her father would take interest in her life. "I need a father who's a role model, not some horny geek-boy who's gonna spray his shorts every time I bring a girlfriend home from school." And his wife is stuck in a loveless marriage and doesn't allow her husband to touch her. "Our marriage is just for show. "

Tags:McCarthyism, salem, witch, trial, dream

Abstract
This paper charts the course of women's history from the Puritan times through the American Civil War. It explains the English notion of Goodwife through its transformation into the Republican Mother in the 1780s. Information on the Cult of True Womanhood, passionless, sexual attitudes, separate spheres, the Salem Witch Trials and the Lowell Mill girls.

From the Paper
"Early American women's history underwent several evolutions from the 1600 Puritan Goodwives to early reformers in the 1860s. Women's roles in the northern and southern colonies differed prior to and following the American Revolution. However, one encompassing ideal was that of Republican motherhood. Notions of women as sexual beings also changed during this time period and partly formed the basis of 19th century sentimental culture. The story of the early American women is a fascinating account of family, community, and society."

Tags:community, female, studies, witch, salem, goodwife, puritan, lowel, mill, civil, war

Abstract
This paper discuss the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 as written by Arthur Miller in his play the Crucible and compares it to the work of the Un-American Activities Committee in America during the post war years.

Abstract
This compares the Salem witch trials with the House of Un-American Activities Committee. It explains that the Salem trials in "The Crucible" are a pervasive parallel to the witch-hunts of the Un-American Activities Committee.

Abstract
This paper compares two time periods in American history where hysteria caused a period of panic and persecution. The McCarthy Era of the 1950s and the Salem Witch Trials of the 1600s are explained and analyzed in a detailed thesis paper.

From the Paper
"The McCarthy Era of the 1950's and the Salem Witch Trials of the 1600's were major events in American history that destroyed the lives and careers of many innocent victims. These tragic events were similar in that they demonstrated how hard times lead to society's need to find a scapegoat. They also show the shame and regret that take place after the bloodbaths occur. The parallels between these two events, which took place almost 300 years apart, are remarkable."

Tags:mccarthyism, persecution

Abstract
This paper discusses puritan concepts that are still inherent in American society today. On one side, there are the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock, the blunderbuss and the turkey, and on the other there is also the commonly-held 'dark side,' the Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritans: witch-hunts, elitism, intolerance, narrow-minded zealotry. The former is seen to be more influential today.

From the Paper
""I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church." (Thomas Paine) History is primarily the history of ideas. The ideas, concepts and constructions which emerged from Europe in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries had an impact on the whole of the Western world from Europe to its colonies and beyond. The faith in reason, science, technology, progress, human rights, commerce, the nation, and humanity in general, would eventually find its way into a global context. While various Puritan concepts are under fire today, the world has yet to replace them."

Tags:history, paine, puritans, religion, thomas

Abstract
This paper discusses the onset, reasons for, and ramifications of the Salem witch trials in American history and on American society since that time. This paper notes that the nature of the community and of this specific incident were more complex than is often depicted, though the people were influenced by a number of external forces as well as psychological predilections that caused this tragedy.

From the Paper
"The witchcraft hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts in the late seventeenth century was influenced by social, political, economic, and religious forces. The nature of the community and of this specific incident was more complex than is often depicted, though the people were influenced by a number of external forces as well as psychological predilections that caused this tragedy. Over a period of some three months in 1962, nineteen men and women were hanged as witches after trials, and another man 80 years old was crushed to death under heavy stones because he would not submit to a trial. More than 150 people were arrested on suspicion of witchcraft, and many remained imprisoned until the hysteria had run its course and they were released."

Tags:salem, witch, trials

Abstract
This paper discusses Giles Corey in the the Salem witch trials, which reveals that there was no legitimate case against him; rather, it appears that Corey was presumed to be guilty by mere association. The author points out that Corey did not help his case by refusing to plead one way or another, but records indicate that he was in what we commonly refer to today as a loose-loose situation. The paper concludes that Giles Corey is a significant figure in American history because his death illustrates the magnitude of mob mentality; his death, along with the deaths of the other so-called witches, should serve as a constant reminder of how not to behave when things begin to get complicated.

From the Paper
"Corey's testimony against his wife certainly did damage in many respects. According to Marion Starkey, Corey was a "blundering husband" who tried his best to tell the court the truth about Martha. This truth, Starkey notes, was "unimpressive, unconvincing." His testimony revealed that Corey "found it hard to pray when Martha was about and was in turned bothered by her own fluency in prayer." Not only did this testimony bring more doubt against his wife, many in the courtroom thought that "his very stupidity" might be a "mask for something else." Hoffer looks into the possibility that Corey might have been legitimately confused at his wife's trial. In all fairness, Hoffer notes that Corey was as "bewildered as anyone at the antics of the girls." It is understandable that his confusion regarding his wife was not only used against her but it was also used against him as well. "

Tags:wife, association, visions, complicated, mob

Abstract
The paper offers some background to the Salem witch-hunts and Senator Joseph McCarthy's hunt for communists and then explains how Arthur Miller saw a parallel between what was happening to American society in his time and what happened in Salem many years earlier. The paper focuses on the damage McCarthy's hunt inflicted on the Hollywood film industry that encouraged Miller to leave Hollywood and write "The Crucible". The paper opines that what is most striking about these two instances is that this type of atrocity can and will happen again in the United States if we allow it.

From the Paper
"In 1953, Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible," opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York City. The play was a fictionalized portrayal of the Salem witch-hunts in Massachusetts in 1692. Although an obscure set of events in seventeenth century Puritan American may have seemed like an odd choice of subject matter for a Broadway play, the themes that Miller was dealing with were clear. He was clearly likening the events of the Salem witch-hunts to the events of his own day; that being the crusade against communist sympathizers conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. As it turned out, this was an apt comparison. Both incidents were representative of dark periods in the history of the United States."

Tags:witchcraft, McCarthy, Hollywood, communism

Abstract
This paper looks at the Salem witch trials, one of the most interesting judicial events in history, and focuses not on the controversy of the accuser?s accusations, but rather on the controversy in the judicial system, human frailties, and inhumane imprisonment of the accused. It explores how the results of the controversial trials helped American judicial systems move toward rightful justice.

From the Paper
"However, the Salem Witchcraft Trials use of human frailty in court helped courts move forward in eliminating its use. Courts now need factual or circumstantial evidence to convict a person of any crime and the accused is promised a fair trial. Nowadays, the accused is given an unbiased judge and jury making it a fair trial (Linder). A fair trial was something colonialists thought they were giving. Human frailty to a colonialist from the 1640s would have been overwhelming and unbelievable. Colonialists believed that the common procedure of witchcraft was justifiable and never abused. The evidence from the Salem trials found nowadays shows that not only were the procedures often abused and accusations baseless, but that the way in which they treated the accused was inhumane."

Tags:justice, judge, jury