<span>In Act I of this play, Mrs. Putman and her husband are talking about witchcraft because their daughter, Ruth, is ill and they believe witchcraft to be the cause. Mrs. Putman had previously sent Ruth to see Tituba, who they believe has the ability to speak to the dead and is involved in witchcraft. They also mention that Betty's illness is a "stroke of hell."</span>
The United States became an imperialist nation at the end of the 19th century because Americans wanted to expand overseas with their belief in manifest destiny.
