Ellen Schrecker, The Age of McCarthyism

1. Why does Ellen Schrecker think that “McCarthyism” is not the best name for the anti-Communist furor in America after World War II?

2. What were the two international events that drew some Americans to the Communist Party in the 1930s?

3. When was HUAC created and what was its original function?

4. When and how did domestic communism become a problem of national security?

5. What steps did the Truman administration take to encourage the anti-Communist campaign?

6. What reasons do the former Communist Party members give for joining the Party?

7. Why does James F. O’Neil oppose all Communists in the US?

8. How does J. Edgar Hoover attempt to prove there is a communist threat despite the small size of the party in 1947?

9. How does Joseph McCarthy explain the successes of communism victory around the globe?

Ring Lardner Jr.’s and Elia Kazan’s testimonies before HUAC

1. What is the “sixty four dollar question” posed by the HUAC chairman?  Why does he feel that Lardner should answer it?

2. What happens to Lardner when he refuses to answer?

3. What reasons does Kazan give for amending his testimony of January 14, 1952?

4. Why did Kazan leave the Communist Party?

5. What was Kazan’s initial attitude toward the Hollywood Ten?  Why did he change his mind?

Arthur Miller’s Timebends

1. Why does Miller say that theater actors were not as vulnerable to HUAC investigations as artists in Hollywood?

2. Why does Miller think that Kazan decided to name names before the HUAC committee?

3. What evidence does Miller discover that convinces him that adultery was the cause of the witch hunt in Salem?

4. What other evidence does Miller discover to prove the sexual subtext of the Salem trials?

5. How does Miller equate the guilt of Salem with the guilt of the 1950s?

6. What was the reaction to The Crucible when it appeared on Broadway?

7. Why does Miller think The Crucible became so popular since the 1950s?

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible
Act One

1. What evidence does Act One offer of Salem residents calling up spirits and using harmful charms?

2. How do the accusations of witchcraft begin?

Act Two

1. How does Proctor explain the confessions of the accused?

2. How does Hale justify the arrest of Rebecca Nurse?

3. How does Proctor explain the arrest warrant made out for his wife in act two?

Act Three

1. What does Judge Danforth do when he receives the petition from ninety-one farmers testifying to the good character of Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and Elizabeth Proctor?

2. Why does Danforth arrest Giles Corey for contempt?

3. How does Danforth justify the unusual methods of the trials?

4. Why does Hale decide to quit the court?

Act Four

1. Why is Parris worried that the scheduled executions might cause rioting in Salem?

2. What is Hale’s argument when he urges Elizabeth Proctor to have her husband confess to witchcraft?

3. Why is Proctor tempted to confess in order to save his life?

4. Why does he refuse to name others as witches?