Similarities Between Salem Witch Trials And Mccarthy

Although most events during these two time periods parallel some think things do not. Mrs. Kanzan of “The Demons of Salem, With Us Still” does not think that Salem and McCarthyism parallel. She thinks the exact opposite, that witches did not exist but Communism does. She calls it “a false parallel” (Navasky) because they do not match up enough to one another. Mrs. Kanzan might think that, but many at the time did not see it that way, they thought that both were real although they ultimately were over exaggerated and unnecessary.

“Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it's someone else's witch being hunted.” this is a quote by Walter Kirn. The Crucible and the Salem Witch Trials are very similar to the time of McCarthyism and it the most likely reason the why the book was written. “It was not only the rise of "McCarthyism" that moved me, but something which seemed much more weird and mysterious.” (Budick 1985) a quote by the author himself proving it was a factor that made him write the book. They were both witch hunts one literally one not so much a witch hunt as a communist hunt. Events in the play and events in McCarthyism are both very similar. A general thing that happened during both is hysteria, a mass feeling of fear in a way. They were both about people

The purpose of my paper is to compare and contrast Arthur Miller’s The Crucible with the actual witch trials that took place in Salem in the 17th Century. Although many of the characters and events in the play were non-fictional, many details were changed by the playwright to add intrigue to the story. While there isn’t one specific cause or event that led to the Salem witch trials, it was a combination of events and factors that contributed to the birth and growth of the trials. Some of these events included: a small pox outbreak that was happening at the time, the revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter by Charles II, and the constant fear of Native attacks. These helped in creating anxiety among the early Puritans that

These days, dressing up like a witch for Halloween is very normal. The year was 1962 when Salem Massachusetts was forever cemented in history because of the Salem witch trials. People accused of witch craft were imprisoned or hung and in one occasion a person was pressed to death. I can only imagine what the people of Salem were going through those days. There was a fear in the entire town because you couldn’t trust anyone. It became neighbor against neighbor as the small town was torn apart and people didn’t know who to trust. One of the most important persons from these times was Cotton Mather. He was an accomplished author, researcher, and preacher who worker under his father at Boston’s North Church. In “From the Wonders of the Invisible World” Mather writes about the Salem Witch Trials and what happened when some people recanted their testimony of being witches.

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 was a great delirium provoked by the Puritans religious theories, the youths apathy, and the contaminated accusers. The hallucinating women were innocently accused of the practicing of witchcraft, which was only occurring due to the contaminated rye bread, and their actions harmed the innocent. This striked the people around, as they became interested to watching these women, committing the actions they faithfully should not be due to their strong belief system. The religious felonies is what struck the 1692

The year 1692 is remembered as one of the most scandalous times in American History. Throughout the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, over a hundred people were accused of practicing witchcraft (the majority of them being women). 14 women were hung, and 5 men were accused leading to a total of 19 people dying due to these trials. One man was even pressed to death by substantial weights for declining to enter a plea (Linder 1). No less than eight individuals passed on in jail, including one baby and one child; and more than one hundred and fifty people were imprisoned while anticipating trial. The primary reasons for the witch trials were clashes over managing governmental issues, religion, family, financial aspects, and apprehensions of the citizens. The Salem Witch Trials reflect the harsh and rigid judgements of the Puritans and citizens of Salem. It is one of the most intriguing story in American History.

My thesis is that the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 and the second Red Scare, also known as the McCarthyism Era in United States history, are essentially the same event repeated; with the exception of some key differences. The best way to recognize the differences and similarities is by looking at the things such as the people involved, how the movements began, the outcome of both events, and the legal standards at the time. The most infamous person in the McCarthyism Era is Joseph McCarthy, who it is named after. McCarthy was a senator at the time of the second Red Scare, which resulted in paranoia of a Communist uprising in the United States. The hysteria began to blossom when McCarthy began falsely accusing numerous people of being Communists

The Salem Witch trials were more than just accusations and women being sentenced to death. Politics, social status, and way of living back then all played essential roles in the trials which are discussed throughout the book “Salem Possessed” by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum. The authors touch upon how social status of church members, farmers and community folk impacted who was accused of witchcraft and who was sentenced to death. While times have changed and the laws regarding imprisonment are very different, it is essential to remember that while the techniques and methods used during the witch trials were common back then and just their way of life.

There is a phrase, 'those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.' The two events in history this paper will be comparing and contrasting, proves just that. Chronologically speaking, the Salem witch trials held in Salem Massachusetts, 1692, were a series of trials in which three women falsely accused over two hundred people and even one dog, of practicing witchcraft. The McCarthy era began many years later in 1950 and lasted 4 years until its unpopularity rose in 1954. The McCarthy era, much like the witch trials, were loosely a set of interrogations and trials against many people who were being convicted for something no one had proof of.

The McCarthy Trials on Communism were similar to The Salem Witch trials because in both cases people were wrongfully accused, and hurt by the accusations. The trials are different because The McCarthy Trials on Communism happened in the 1950s and hurt people’s jobs, while the Salem Witch Trials happened in the 1690s and innocent citizens of Salem were executed because people believed the devil was possessing women and men in the town. In the McCarthy Trials, McCarthy was a politician who promoted his own campaign by using biased information and accusations of the opposing candidates. Later in his career when he was running for re-election, his close friend Edmund Walsh suggested a crusade, or an organized campaign concerning a social, political,

McCarthyism was a time of political hysteria and a figurative witch-hunt that swept through the American society during the 1950s when Anti- Communist figures like Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Committee on Un- American Activities stalked the land- McCarthyism. McCarthyism is when accusations of treason are made without any prior or proper evidence. Joseph McCarthy was a Republican from Wisconsin, and he was elected to Senate in 1946. He officially rose in power when he made a speech accusing 205 people of being communist and infiltrating the US government. Conservatives in the United States began to fear that anyone with any affiliation with the Communist Party or Russia was a threat to the nation. McCarthy was able to use the fear of others as his advantage. McCarthyism finally reached its peak when 36 televised interviews took place to investigate espionage. Many in turn suffered unemployment or imprisonment. Later, many of these verdicts were overturned and labeled as unconstitutional and illegal. In both the witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts, the trial of Bertram Cates in Hillsboro, Tennessee, and the McCarthy Era, corrupt people used the fear of others for of reasons of hatred, similar to Senator McCarthy. These power hungry people pick a convenient scapegoats as a way of improving what they believe to be right and abandoning all reason in the face of fear. However, The Crucible, serves as a more lasting response to the McCarthyism trials and its modern day

The Creation Of "The Crucible" And Similarities Between The Salem Witch Trials And Communism Era

During the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and the Communist Scare of the 1950s many people were accused of notions that they were innocent of. In the witch trials, people in the community were accused of witchcraft by figures who had no social standing in society. However, during the Communist Scare, otherwise known as the Red Scare, people were accused of communism by figures high up in social society. Joseph R. McCarthy was one of the men high in society that accused people of communism. There are many similarities between the Witch Trials and the Communist Scare.

There have been many major events in history that have shaped the way we live today. Two of these events were the “witch hunts” of the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. Many similarities exist between the events such as the fear and anger that made its impression upon the communities, but however, contrast prevails between the two, such as the fuel that started the events and the consequences that were faced. The rich controversy imbedded in these topics serves for a greatly impacted history.

Life in the New England colonies during the 1600’s proved to be harsh with the constant fear of Native American attacks, scarce food, freezing winters, and conflicting opinions about religion. From this perpetual state of distress, the Salem Witch Trials were birthed, causing a wave of hysteria in Salem Village and Salem Town. Though the exact day and month is uncertain, historians can claim that the trials emerged in early 1692 and came to a close in 1693. The Salem Witch Trials started in 1692 with more than one hundred fifty people being accused of practicing witchcraft, and the trials finally ended with the courts declaring there was no evidence in the cases being tried, and the Governor stopped the trials because his wife was accused.