The Crucible is based upon the real witch hunts of Salem Massachusetts in 1692. Court records and papers are available which reveal the trials of villagers who were supposedly witches. It was a period of mass hysteria which led to the deaths of innocent people and the false condemnation of many others.

When Miller wrote The Crucible he was living through a period of time in American history which is referred to as McCarthyism. In basic terms McCarthyism is the term given to the political investigations of the 1950s which were led by Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

In a period of heightened political tension, innocent people were brought before the congressional committee and instructed to answer if they were, or knew, communists. At that time there was a strong held, although flawed, belief amongst many that to be a communist or communist sympathiser was to be anti-American. The investigations were aimed at government employees, trade-unionists, teachers, Hollywood writers, actors and producers and finally the US army. In essence, anyone who was considered to have left-wing sympathies could be called before the committee.

At the trials those 'accused' were asked to prove their innocence and to name others. Those who refused to testify or answer the charges levied were held in contempt. The results were that innocent people were blacklisted, losing their credibility, their jobs and the freedom to think and speak. Instead they were being dictated to by a higher order, in this case Senator McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

An interpretation of The Crucible is that it is an allegory for the McCarthy era - using the real stories of Salem in 1692 to represent 1950’s McCarthyism.

To further understand the background to The Crucible it helps to consider the historical period in which it was written as well as the period in which it is set. Our Related Links will help you gain further information in these areas.