OTD in 1972, Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the ‘Red Scare’ in the early 1950s. McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, academics, & labor-union activists.

Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, & the level of threat posed by a person’s real … More

Born OTD in 1915, Arthur Miller. American playwright, essayist, & a major figure in the 20th-century American theater. The Crucible is Miller’s classic dramatisation of the witch-hunt & trials that besieged the Puritan community of Salem in 1692. Seen as a chilling parallel to the McCarthyism & repressive culture of fear that gripped America in the 1950s, the play’s timeless relevance and appeal remains as strong as when the play opened on Broadway in 1953.

This Student Edition of The Crucible is perfect for students of literature and drama and offers an unrivalled guide to … More