Similarities Between The Red Scare And The Crucible

Words: 593
Pages: 3

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, is essentially about the horrifying Witch Trials of 1690 Salem, Massachusetts. However, there is another witch hunt at the heart of this short play; Miller subtly writes about the search for communists in 1950’s America. Between the two, there are many, many similarities, and few differences.

In 1950’s America, the World War II had just ended, and the Cold War had just began. Everybody was terrified of communists infiltrating America from the inside out. This is now known as America’s second “Red Scare.” A "Red Scare" is the promotion of fear of a potential rise of communism. The United States had a hatred of communism so deep, they had a lingering fear of being invaded by communists, and felt they had to do something about it. The House Un-American Activities was a committee of the US House of Representatives created to investigate disloyalty and subverse organizations; in the 1950’s however, this committee was primarily focused on Anti-communist investigations.
…show more content…
Witchcraft became the widespread fear of colonial Massachusetts. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in 1690 Salem, MA. These trials began in February 1692, and came to an end in May 1693. These trials led to the executions of twenty people, fourteen of whom were women, and all of which were presumed guilty until proven