The setting in The Crucible was one that was in Salem, Massachusetts
McCarthyism
used the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials
was one of the darkest periods in time ever

used the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials

Explanation:

The Crucible is set against the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials. Although the story unfolds in Salem, Massachusetts, it occurs during the 17th century, not in the time the play was written. McCarthyism would be the backdrop amidst which The Crucible was written. Arthur Miller was one of many victims of the persecution of suspected members of the Communist Party during the 1950s, and his play being set during the witch trials of Salem was his way of denouncing the political persecution America was subjected to at that moment.

what he !

what passage are you referring to