In 1692 The Salem Witch Trials started, it was a time when the Puritans, people who were strict to the bible, believed that there were witches living among them trying to taint their society. This ended quickly because the court concluded that the Witch Trials were a mistake after 200 people had been accused of witchcraft while 20 were executed. A long period of time after this, shortly after the end of WW2, in 1947, The Second Red Scare occured in America during the Cold War. This was a fear the Americans had for communists from Russia. The Americans feared communism because it did not allow private owned businesses or practicing religious acts. The Americans believed that communists had made their way into the U.S government to make it a …show more content…
In both events, The Salem Witch Trials and The Second Red Scare, people were accused of crimes without evidence. During the Salem Witch Trials people were allowed to accuse others of witchcraft based on “Spectral Evidence”. Spectral evidence is a dream that the accuser may have had or how the accused may have attacked the accuser in spiritual form. This type of evidence was valid in the court and was the cause of executions that took place. Abigail Williams, was a 17-year-old girl got away with accusations that started an investigation in Salem because of the lies she told about having ties with the devil. Her lies led to the accusations of 200 people and the executions of 20. During the Second Red Scare there was something similar, it was called …show more content…
One of the major things that ties into one of the main topics of my essay is evidence when accusing someone of a crime. In Modern Day America, a person is no longer allowed to accuse someone of a crime without having evidence to prove them guilty. After the events like The Red Scare and The Salem Witch Trials, Modern Day America has learned a lesson on a new way to accept valid accusations, rather than spiritual or dream evidence and McCarthyism. With the new way of accusing people of committing crimes, this will make sure that only the criminal will receive punishment for