Examples Of Mccarthyism In The Crucible

In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller the argument that individuals must stand in opposition to collective injustice is immensely apparent. The idea of the Salem Witch Trials reflects what was going on for the so called Communists in the Red Scare. It illustrates the power of mass fear in a society. Undoubtedly, there are many similarities between the Red Scare and the Salem Witch Trials. To fully understand the comparison between the Red Scare and the Salem Witch Trials, we must analyze the ideas of McCarthyism. In 1950’s, Americans feared the invasion of Communism. Part of McCarthyism was paranoia and finding scapegoats; they also blamed innocent people for things they did not do. They usually chose the weakest people in the society

The Crucible was written as a protest to the brutality of the Red Scare. The Red Scare was fear of Communism within the United States; it was a result of the Cold War in the 1950’s. During this time, the United States was fearful of an attack of the Soviets, and the Soviets were equally as scared of an attack upon them by us. Joseph McCarthy, a United States Senator from Wisconsin, saw this fear as an opportunity to rise to power. As a Jewish man, Miller was a political advocate against the inequalities of race in America, and he was vocal in his support of labor and the unions. Since Miller was such an outspoken critic, he was a prime target for McCarthy. Miller was called before a committee concerned with “Un-American Activities” because of his connections to these issues but refused to condemn any of his friends. This experience, is what prompted him to write about the Salem Witch trials. Miller states that “Ours is a divided empire in which certain ideas and emotions and actions are of God, and their opposites are of Lucifer…. A political policy is equated with moral right, and opposition to it with diabolical malevolence.” This quote shows that Miller believes what starts out as political opposites, turns into moral opposites. The right-wingers made their capitalists appear holy, while the Communists appeared as devil