The Salem witch hunts and the McCarthy hunt for communists are similar in a variety of ways. The House of Un-American Activities served as the prosecutor for questioning and sentencing the accused. Similar to the court in the Crucible. The House of Un-American Activities began in 1938. Its purpose was to trace and annihilate un american behavior. (Simkin) In 1947, it began attacking the movie industry. The committee interviewed movie directors and actors alike. (Simkin) The questions that the committee asked them dealt with communism. If the person in question were to confess then that person would not be arrested provided that they give the committee the names of other people in the communist party. (Simkin) This is similar to how people were tried in the Crucible. However, people that refused to answer the Court’s questions were either blacklisted or sent to prison. (History.com Staff) One of these people was Arthur Miller. In 1956, he was summoned to the committee and refused to answer any of their questions. (Simkin) As a result, he was blacklisted, had his passport withdrawn, and sentenced to a 500 dollar fine. If Miller could not pay it, he would be sent to prison. (Simkin) Joseph McCarthy rose to fame a couple years after the Un-American Activities began attacking the movie industry. His rose to fame was accredited to a list he had of 205 people in the State Department that were communists. (Simkin) He is similar to Abigail and the other girls in the play in the sense that he accused others. His claims were usually either unsupported or went on little evidence that does not necessarily encompass communism. (Simkin) A man named Drew Pearson challenged McCarthy, and wrote multiple columns in newspapers tarnishing his charges. In 1950, McCarthy gave a speech, calling Pearson: "the voice of international Communism" and "a Moscow-directed character assassin." (Simkin) He had the Communist craze in the palm of his hand, much how like Abigail had the fate of the village inhabitants in the palm of her hand. He went so far as to accuse Robert Stevens, the Secretary of the Army. The only way he was convinced that a person has left their left wing views was that the person had to give up the names of other people involved in the Communist party. (Simkin) It was essentially a blame fest, like the Salem Witch trials.
Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/huac
Staff, History.com. "HUAC." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/miller-mccarthyism.html
Miller, Arthur. "Arthur Miller, "Are You Now Or Were You Ever?" The Guardian/The Observer. N.p., 17 June 2000. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAmccarthyism.htm
Simkin, John. "McCarthyism." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAmccarthy.htm
Simkin, John. "Joseph McCarthy." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAmillerA.htm
Simkin, John. "Arthur Miller." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAhuac.htm
Simkin, John. "Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/huac
Staff, History.com. "HUAC." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/miller-mccarthyism.html
Miller, Arthur. "Arthur Miller, "Are You Now Or Were You Ever?" The Guardian/The Observer. N.p., 17 June 2000. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAmccarthyism.htm
Simkin, John. "McCarthyism." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAmccarthy.htm
Simkin, John. "Joseph McCarthy." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAmillerA.htm
Simkin, John. "Arthur Miller." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAhuac.htm
Simkin, John. "Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.