During the Red Scare, Arthur Miller was personally targeted due to suspicions about his political beliefs. In 1956, he was subpoenaed to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), which was investigating alleged communist activities in the U.S. Miller was questioned about his political activities and his association with communist writers, including a meeting he had attended years earlier. He refused to name others present at the meeting, stating he could not bring trouble on others. Unlike many, he did not invoke the Fifth Amendment but cited the First Amendment's protection of free speech and his right to remain silent
. As a result of his refusal to cooperate fully, Miller was cited for contempt of Congress in 1956, convicted in 1957, and sentenced to a fine and a suspended prison sentence. However, his conviction was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1958, which ruled that the committee chairman had misled him
. Miller's experience with HUAC and the broader climate of McCarthyism deeply influenced his work. He wrote The Crucible (published in 1953), a play that allegorizes the Salem witch trials as a metaphor for the hysteria and persecution during the Red Scare. The play critiques the mass paranoia and injustice of the era, reflecting Miller's concerns about political repression and the consequences of fear-driven accusations
. In summary, during the Red Scare, Arthur Miller was investigated and prosecuted for alleged communist sympathies but resisted cooperating with HUAC, leading to a contempt citation and conviction that was later overturned. His ordeal inspired The Crucible , which remains a powerful commentary on the dangers of political hysteria and the suppression of dissent.
