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Comparing The Salem Witch Trials And The Red Scare

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Salem Witch Trials were a series of prosecutions and hearings of people being accused of witchcraft, at which it took place in 1692 and in 1693. Similar to that, was the Red Scare. The Red Scare, commonly known as McCarthyism, took place from 1959-1954 and was a campaign that endorsed the use of unfair allegations and or investigations. The horrible rumors and acts in both events really made people fear what was going on around them and pushed them to act on it, which lead to if you were with us or against us, which came with punishments and or hangings. Both the themes fear and with us or against us, play huge roles and are major factors in the upsurge of the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare. During the time of the Witch Trials, lots …show more content…

A majority of the time, if you were being accused you either had the chance to save yourself, or save others. They would either make you give yourself up and risk being hung, or giving them names so that you can live. So many people were put on the spot and were afraid of what was going to happen, so they gave others up for themselves. Too many people did this exact thing which lead to lots of people being accused that may not have even been involved. The quote “Reproach me not with fear in the country; there is fear in the country because there is a moving plot to topple Christ in the country!” said by Governor Danforth helps show how fear is represented throughout the book. When he says “there is fear in the country because there is a moving plot to topple Christ in the country!” he’s meaning that people are starting to be afraid because their country is starting to fall apart slowly and that Christ is starting to fall as well. Fear is a strong theme and can be represented in many ways. For example, “There is a misty plot afoot so subtle we should be criminal to cling to old respects and ancient friendship. I have seen too many frightful proofs in court- the Devil is alive in Salem, …show more content…

The following quote is an excellent example of the theme, are you with us or against us “There is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is Burning!”. When Parris says this, he is meaning either do what the church is instructing you, or everyone will end up in trouble. In other words, be with us and follow what the church says, or be against us and get in trouble with the church. This brought a lot of tension between the church and the people because it was thought that if you went against the church or didn't follow what the church said, they you were to of been a witch. This threw the people who just didn't agree with what the church was doing, off the edge. Arthur Miller writes in the book “Perhaps because there are those who believe that authority is all of a piece and that to challenge it anywhere is to threaten it everywhere.”. This quote sort of ties into with us or against us because it's saying those who are against us want to challenge the authority, but at times, challenging the authority will come out threatening you and other who’ve challenged it. Thus meaning you weren't with us, rather you were against us. The most important quote that came from the Red Scare that really digs deep within are you with us or against us is “The minute we try to make the script pro-American you pull out”. The reason this gives such insight on

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The Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Red Scare are historical events that occurred in different time periods of history. These events share many similarities such as mass panics, hysteria, paranoia, false accusations, and incarcerations. During the mid 20th century, the United States experienced the McCarthy era. This era was a period full of paranoia, fearing communists had infiltrated the US government and American society. According to “McCarthyism”(2022) “He declared that 205 Communists had infiltrated the U.S. Department of State.

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The Salem Witch Trials and the 1950’s Red Scare are easily relatable considering that the two events killed several innocent lives, when that individual did nothing wrong. The community around has always been a place where secrets and grudges are held against someone. During the Salem Witch Trials, according to Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” and the Red Scare, it focused on how much power a character could have, and that one character also can lead to convincing the community to be with them or against their personal thoughts. Furthermore, the power that is lead to one's head could destroy the thoughts of other about yourself as an individual.

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The main people in both The Crucible and The Red Scare also known as McCarthyism is used the witch hunts to gain power and look good in their community. For example, people stood up for themselves in both of these witch hunts. Arthur Miller who wrote the Crucible to stand up to Mccarthy about how ridiculous the communist witch hunt and was willing to stand up to the truth even though he knew he was going to get in trouble for telling the truth. Arthur Miller went to the House Committee on American Activities, “refuses to name suspected communists.” These people that stood up for themselves had punishments, “had their passports taken away, while others were jailed

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Though centuries apart, the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism are very similar. The Salem witch trials in the 1690s are described in great detail within The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. Many innocent people are charged with witchcraft and killed if they did not confess. McCarthyism started in the 1950s when Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy started accusing people of being Communists. If people did not cooperate, they could go to jail or be put on a blacklist.

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Exhibit a: “Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba were accused of performing witchcraft by those afflicted. Good was a homeless beggar likely accused because of her reputation… All three of the accused had significant differences from the rest of the village of the villagers, making them easy targets for accusations.” (TotallyHistory.com). Townsmen were picking on the lower class just because they were poor, or slaves not only because they were different from them, also because they were vulnerable. Exhibit B: “ The combination of doctrine and subjective evidence all combined to produce an environment where accusations were easy to make and prove.”

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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

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People were terrified of communism spreading to the United States, so when accusations started floating around everyone would believe them. McCarthy accused people of communist behavior, although many were falsely accused, no one knew better than to think they were guilty because of how scared they were of communism spreading. This resembles how certain characters were accused of witchcraft in The Crucible. The Red Scare caused nationwide hysteria just how the Salem Witch Trials caused hysteria to the people of Salem.

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In this classroom you can see a teacher getting her roomed searched by state and local “anti-subversive” and they are seen searching the room, looking in trash cans, looking at the classrooms maps of russia and even looking at the picture of the us presents. During the red scare people were so afraid of communism, they would give away their rights as humans to let the government to find the communists and in “you read books, eh” is a prime example of the propaganda and hysteria that went on during the red scare just in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller when all the girls start to act bewitched and start to lie about how whos doing it to try to gain power in the eye of society in Salem and in many ways they did. During the red Scare people were being

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Salem Witch Trials Argumentative Essay “I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (Kinsella 1286).

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adds depth to the story. How they crucified everyone believed to be evil. This quote has to with the dangers of ideology. the most common ideology in the Puritan belief system was that they were the chosen people that the devil would do anything to destroy.

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Witch Hunts: Comparison of Salem in the 1690’s vs. America in 2018 Witch hunts in Salem during the 1690’s was a traumatic and horrifying experience that consisted of many trials to accomplish one goal - to get rid of witchcraft in Salem. Imagine being in Salem during the 1690’s, in a time where friends, family and people around in the community were being accused of witchcraft. Also they were possibly hung to death for something they didn’t do. It created a violent uproar in the town because it split people into two sides with a middle selection not being the option. Arthur Miller writes the dramatic story of The Crucible that is a fictional story based on the true events of the Salem Witch Trials.

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First, the men and women who were believed to be bewitched were asked to undertake a series of tests and inspections, such as reciting the Lord’s Prayer, having physical blemishes, and confessions. However, the men and women who attempted the test acted out and “were known to scream and writhe on the floor in the middle of the test.” Secondly, any physical evidence like birthmarks or warts were to be considered as portals to hell, or from which Satan could enter one’s body to become bewitched or possessed. As a last resort, many of the accused men and women of Salem were given the chance of a confession, therefore many pleaded to the village for repentance and forgiveness.

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People were so full of fear that they would do anything to eliminate their anxiety. The McCarthy hearings of the 1950s reenacted the hysteria of the Salem witch trials of 1692 by spreading mass fear of prosecution, creating false accusations, and blacklisting people. The Salem witch trials were considered to be America 's most notorious episode of witchcraft hysteria. Many innocent people were killed as a result of false accusations, and many other women were put through trials to determine if they were witches.

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Can the similar type of instinctive prejudice and panic that seized a small Massachusetts settlement more than 300 years ago take over the thoughts in the prevailing society triggering “witch hunts”? The goal of these actions was to alienate particular members of our civilization, and arouse condemnation of those who may have diverse beliefs, attitudes and practices. Citizens of this community began to establish separate policies and condemnations of hostility for any person who does not go along with the existing social behaviors and trends. To get a better view on the matter, I would like to go review four separate eras in our history. The Salem Witch trials, the Holocaust, The Red Scare, and current Middle Eastern terrorist groups.

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Throughout the trials, the courts realized women that confessed to signing a pact with the devil were more helpful alive than they were dead. As much

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