Comparing The Red Scare And West Memphis Three

The majority of people would never imagine they could be convicted of a crime which they did not commit, but all too often, this is the startling reality. Through the history of the United States and the world, excessively many decisions have been made rashly as a result of fear and bias. Two specific cases in the United States are those of the Red Scare and the West Memphis Three. While both situations did not lead to prosecution and conviction of individuals, both did involve harsh accusations which seemed reasonably based but may not have been. By comparing and contrasting these two events, one can see specific recurring patterns not only in the history of the United States, but in the history of the whole world; by seeing this, hopefully

When the quiet Arkansas town was perturbed by the murder of three young boys, a scapegoat was necessary. The town had never had to deal with any terrible situation of such degree before. In order to ensure someone was punished for the murders, the prosecution pursued a group of three boys who “fit the part” so to speak. Simply because they were unintelligent or wore black, they were prosecuted and, perhaps, wrongfully convicted for twenty years. It is impossible to say whether the conviction of the boys was wrongful, and therein lies the problem. In order to be convicted of a crime in the United States, one must be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. In the case of the West Memphis Three, there was excessive doubt as to the guilt of the boys, but they were still incarcerated. This is another example in the history of this country of how people will make rash decisions contrary to morality and legality in response to

The West Memphis Three began as the simple matter of a court case in a small town which eventually made its way to national fame. The Red Scare, contrarily, was a national crisis from its beginning. The differences in circumstances had a great effect on the people of each situation. The boys from West Memphis fell victim to small town mentality, whereas the government employees interviewed by McCarthy were subject to corrupt government power. Although there were differences in the circumstances under which each event took place, the results were not particularly different; in fact, they were quite similar in several