Arthur Miller, The Crucible and the McCarthy Trials

            Arthur Miller draws some close attention to comparing the actions of the United States government during the McCarthy Trials and the actions of man during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 in "Why I Wrote the Crucible." By observing the practices of witchcraft in "The Crucible," by Arthur Miller, one can examine that his prime intention was to write a novel of historical fiction, which is substantial because many people dispute on the reason he wrote the novel to gather awareness to the Government's buried intentions during the Red Scare, Communism, and treason. .
             During the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and the Red Scare of the 1950's, communities held hearings where members of the communities accused other people of violating social morals and ethics. Both movements directed individuals on the base of testimony provided by their associates. The Salem Witch Trials inspected rights made by citizens in the Massachusetts communities, in which some were young girls. These girls triggered madness in their communities by claiming that certain individuals were engaged in the practice of witchcraft. Testimony that fired the Red Scare was provided mainly by adults. In a lot of cases, Red Scare testimony was based on pieces of facts. The punishment of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials was either a beating, imprisonment, or a possibility of death by hanging. If convicted of communism during the Red Scare, the consequences were being blacklisted from any work, jail, and neglect or even abuse from society. Both accusations were applied to anyone that was an enemy or seen as a threat, but most of these accusations were false. Also, during the Salem Witch Trials, the Puritans accused people who have never committed a crime in their life. During the Red Scare, McCarthy accused allies, which is when people stopped believing his accusations. When they realized these accusations were false, the Salem Witch Trial and The Red Scare lost their supporters, so without the support of the people, the accusers were powerless and lost control, and the loss of power led to the down fall of the Salem Witch Trials and The Red Scare.