In 1953, Arthur Miller wrote his famous play The Crucible, in response to a fear of Communism that had developed in the United States during that decade. The "Red Scare", as it was later called by historians was led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose paranoia of a communist takeover spread through the nation like a wildfire. Men and women alike fell victim to McCarthy's pointed finger and as a result of this hysteria, were mostly deported …showed first 75 words of 1917 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1917 total…exactly what The Crucible is - a play. It is not intended to be a historical document other than a fiction based on history. The problem with people's understanding of the Salem witch trials is that they rely on a play as fact, and a playwright to teach them history. The Crucible should be viewed not as fact, but used as a means to spark an interest to pursue what really happened in Salem Village, 1692.