Salem Witch Trials And 1950's Mccarthyism: Times Don T Change

Anastasia Willis

Ms. Guerrero

English 3 AP

3 September 2014

1692 Salem Witch Trials and 1950”s McCarthyism: Times Don’t Change When the “witch-hunts “began in 1692 the people of Salem went in a severe panic mode, people began to accuse others of witchcraft without evidence. Similarly, the 1950’s McCarthyism “ witch-hunts” had everyone looking over his or her shoulder in fear of being named a communist. In both 1692 and the 1950”s being claimed as witch or communist wasn’t something that would disappear in a few days. Arthur miller wrote “The Crucible” to reveal how the Salem witch trials of 1692, replicates the fear of uncertainty presented in the rise of McCarthyism in 1950’s. Miller’s “The Crucible” and “Why I Wrote the Crucible”,

In Miller’s article he states that, “so many practices of the Salem witch trails were similar to those employed by the congressional committees that I could easily be accused of skewing history for a mere partisan purpose…. my new play was about Salem that I had to confront the charge that such an analogy was specious that there were never any witches but there were certainly are communist” (Why I Wrote The Crucible). Basically Arthur Miller realized how the 1692 Salem witch trials were similar to the modern day 1950’s. Miller knew he had to protect himself from the House of Committee. In order to do that his play was crafted intentionally for a 1950’s audience, saying that McCarthyism and Salem witch trails are a violation of civil rights. Even though the political message in the play was a key factor, each characters role was selected

Danforth as well as Abigail show personality and behavioral traits of McCarthy in the sense that all three characters are manipulative and/or desire power. In the article, McCarthy says communists are in state department, the writer quotes Joe McCarthy by, “ I have here in my hand a list of 205 [state department employees] that were known to the secretary of state as being members of the communist party a who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy if the state department”( History.com). Abigail is purposely similar to McCarthy, both threw accusations left and right and in their own mind they felt as if they were doing good deeds when in reality they weren’t. Arthur Miller was able to create these replicas of people during a traumatic time period, while also trying to convey a deeper meaning of people as a