In life, there are many historical events that people learn about, but few people can relate to them. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is based on The Salem Witch Trials, a lot of people can relate to it, it has drama. Theater is a key part of helping people understand things because we all face drama in our lives. The Salem Witch Trials and The Red Scare both contained a lot of drama. Miller's story of the Salem witch trials closely resembles the Red Scare and the communist "witch hunt" of the 1950s. The Red Scare was a time when people were so afraid of communists. Some even suspected their friends and neighbors of being communists. This fear is essentially the fault of Senator John McCarthy. McCarthy triggered this fear by stating, "I have in hand the names of 205 cases of individuals who appear to be either card-carrying members or certainly loyal to the Communist Party" (Shmoop). McCarthy falsely accused many innocent people of being communists, which is why a word is named after him: McCarthyism. “The term McCarthyism refers to a campaign of accusation based on unfair allegations, fear tactics, innuendo, and sensational threats of guilt by association” (McCarthyism). Arthur Miller's The Crucible took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 (Summary). It was a time when people were paranoid because they thought there was evil in the village. People accused others of witchcraft because of old grudges, they wanted their land or were jealous. The accusations began when a group of girls got in trouble for dancing in the woods (Miller). Some of the main characters are Abigail, John Proctor, and Mary Warren (Summary). Abigail is accused of witchcraft, she begins the accusations by accusing Tituba (Miller). Abigail...... middle of paper ......ble. " Blogspot. Blogspot, March 2010. Web. March 14, 2014. Lorcher, Trent. " Similarities Between McCarthyism and the Crucible and More Symbolism in the Crucible " Bright Hub Education. Bright Hub, 2012. Web. March 13, 2014." McCarthyism. " International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 43-44. Gale Power Search. Web March 13, 2014. Miller, Arthur « The Crucible "Literature Ed. Janet Allen Evanston: McDondgal Littell, 2008.132-208.Print.Shmoop Editorial Team. "McCarthyism & Red Scare: People" ShmoopUniversity, Inc., November 11, 2008. 2014. "Summary of the play The Crucible. 'Arthur Miller.' Summary of reading Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,2013.Web.March 15..2014.