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The hysteria of the mccarthy trials
How are salem witch trials and mccarthyism similar
How are salem witch trials and mccarthyism similar
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Occasion’s Effect The Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism are very similar even though they took place such a long time from each other. If someone was accused of witchcraft in 1692 they had to confess and lose all social standing or be executed, in the 1950’s if a person was accused of being a communist they would be fired and put on trial, if they would not confess they were blacklisted until they admitted to their “crime”. Arthur Miller used the Salem Witch trials to protest McCarthyism in a somewhat discreet way that proved to be a timeless comfort to the citizens experiencing oppression from their government (“Why I Wrote The Crucible”, 911).
In the 1940 's and 1950 's, an anti-Communist movement swept the United States of America. Fueled by the anti-Communist actions of Congress, particularly a Senator from Wisconsin by the name of Joseph McCarthy, the movement escalated and many people lost their jobs as a result of various blacklists. Congressional hearings, both in front of HUAC and McCarthy Senate committee were a study in organized persecution. The actions taken during the "Red Scare" were eventually given the general name McCarthyism. McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence.
The Salem Witch Trials is still alive today ,but just in a different way in Trump’s mind. Should we be worried? Even though the country is founded on freedom of religion ,how is this ban legal to our government. From the witch trials to Trump this method has stayed the same, but is now affecting countries and not just a town. Is Trump finding bad guys in the same way that the witch trials did in 1692?
The Salem witch in 1692 and McCarthyism was during the 1950's. it was primarily due to Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Miller wrote the play as a response to what he thought was a modern day witch hunt. Joseph McCarthy, the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities, wanted to weed out and expose communist sympathizers in the U.S. Even though Miller researched several historical records of the 1692 trials.
What a Horrible World In today 's day and age we have more technological, medicinal, societal, and worldly advancements than we did in either 1692 or 1947, but we are still just as easily corrupted by jealousy, power, and paranoia. The years 1692 and 1947 are perfect examples of prospering societies that became undermined through very similar processes. In 1629 the Salem Witch Trials and in 1947 the McCarthy Communist Trials- were both held unjustly, involving condemnation based on unfair trial practices. People desperately admitted to being a witch (1692) or to being a communist (1947) only because they didn’t want to die. Even if you were found innocent your life was virtually over because your career and livelihood had been destroyed
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. This term was coined to criticize anti-communist pursuits of senator Mccarthy. During the Salem Witch trials, victims were often accused of being a witch based on someone's word no one had actual proof that these victims had actual powers from the spiritual world or so called satanist they were demeaned too. Coming back to the reality of accusing with no tangible evidence.many tactics were also brought upon this idea of fear many civilian and townspeople were burdened with the idea of guilt and fear of what would happen to them if they didn't partake in these so-called “witch hunts” of Mccarthy and the governing court of Salem.
Mass hysteria was present in both The Crucible and McCarthyism. Mass hysteria is when people went crazy because people were accused of being communists and or witches. Mass hysteria was however started by specific people in both scenarios. In Mccarthyism Joseph Mccarthy a United States Senator and in The Crucible Abigail Williams who was accused of having an affair with John Proctor her employer were the specific ones who accused people of being communists and witches. Even though the Salem witch trials happened in the late 1690s and McCarthyism in the 1950s they paralleled each other.
In times of fear and hysteria in the U.S. it is mass chaos and it only gets worse and worse. During the time of both the witch-hunt eras, whether for communist or actual witches, they prove to have many similarities between them. Both of these times were full of confusion and lying which lead to the temporary downfall of the authority at that time. Joseph McCarthy proved to be a factor in this time and add on to the chaos that was America. Arthur Miller wrote about these times in a book called The Crucible, based on the witch trial era.
The McCarthy hearings and the Salem witch trials accurately represent the saying, "Desperate times call for desperate measures. " In the 1950s, the McCarthy hearings tainted lives by falsely accusing those in the film industry of being associated with Communism. In the 17th century, the Salem witch trials charged innocent villagers of practicing witchcraft. Victims from the McCarthy hearings were isolated and ruined, while victims from the Salem trials were hanged and shunned.
The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions due to the accusations of witchcraft. Many innocent people were either executed or sent to jail for a crime they may or may not have committed. The Salem Witch Trials impacted the history of America tremendously. Without the trials, our country might not be the same as it is today.
The 1600’s and 1950’s are two completely discrete generations, but they are more alike than people would think. The church is meant to heal, not to kill. The government is meant to provide for their people, not to turn them against one another. Both the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism were bizarre events that frightened people to the point of extreme panic. Arthur Miller believes that the witchcraft trials in 1692 and the effects of Communism in the 1950’s are greatly similar because they both contain the themes of hysteria, accusations, and penalties.
In the play, The Crucible, Salem, Massachusetts, along with the United States during McCarthyism, is engulfed with paranoia. Although both situations include different causes, their effects are strikingly similar. For instance, throughout The Crucible, Abigail Williams is being shown repeatedly accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Her actions begin sending the small town into a panic as they throw people into jail and hang them in an effort to try and cleanse the town from any aspect of evil. Similarly, throughout 1950-1954, Joseph McCarthy falsely accused people within the United States Government of being a member of the Communist party.
McCarthyism was a vociferous campaign against alleged communists in the US government. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, although most did not in fact belong to the Communist Party. In these two events, many similarities
There are more similarities than differences between the Salem Witch Trials and the Holocaust. The differences are little and not as important as the similarities are. Both of these events were horrific and hopefully history will not repeat itself and we can learn from them. Millions of innocent people were killed unnecessarily because of instinctual prejudice and mass hysteria. Maybe these events can help show you that following the leader might not always be the best idea and to have your own thoughts and
Both of these events helped shaped the local society for years to come. The tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials is just like that of the tragedy of the permanent mandate of the Un-American Activities Committee. In both situations the accused to either confess and accuse other or face punishment, death for being a witch or blacklisted for being a Communist. Each event had an important aspect that was but at risked, for Salem it was the sacred practice of their religion and for the US it was their freedom. When these things were put at risk both societies acted out irrationality in mass hysteria, the effects of this would linger.