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.
McCarthyism ended not to pose any real threat to the United States security, and the Salem witch hunts ended up to be all made up and found untrue. Both events grew in paranoia and destructiveness because they all stemmed off of some rumors they grew into huge problems. The Salem witch hunts intertwine with ideas of McCarthyism, since they both have so much in common with each other that in handily inspired Arthur Millers The Crucible. Without McCarthyism, Millers play most likely would have never happened, considering he would not have been inspired by anything else to write the
In both The Crucible and in modern day witch hunts, witch hunts are caused out of fear or for personal gain. Jill Schonebelen wrote a research paper on Witchcraft allegations, refugee protection and human rights. Throughout this article, it mentions the persecution of witches today in communities around the globe, mentioning the flashbacks of similar strategies that were used in the past, doing different types of tortures. In Modern days, recent generations have abandoned wonderful traditions. Rather, recollecting others with distasteful memories such as witchcraft.
McCarthyism and Salem Witch Trials Many things in history can relate in different aspects. Salem Witch trials and McCarthyism are examples of things in history that are kind of similar to each other. Looking at these two events, we can see that madness existed even way back then, It is evident that this evilness and hysteria ruined people’s lives because of the accusations that were being made towards witches and communists. The most common thing that I see from these two events is that they both were irrational fears that witchcraft and communism were going to invade society if nothing was done about it.
McCarthyism and the Salem Witch trials relied on unfair evidence, public hysteria, and paranoia to influence and control people. An important similarity between McCarthyism and the Salem Witch
They also both believed that a certain thing was wrong to do or be. In The Crucible witchcraft and being a witch was wrong and in Good Night and Good Luck being a communist and believing in communism was wrong. Abigail was one of the biggest accusers in The Crucible. She was also a hypocrite because she accused
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, there exists a common theme of adultery, a sin according to the commandments of the Puritan church. The stories center around the adulterers- John Proctor in The Crucible, and Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. Both are members of early Puritan communities that are known for their very devout faith. Each character shows different reactions and feelings towards the sin, and each must face different consequences. A common theme that brings the two characters together is that they are given a chance to escape their sin and move on with their lives.
In fact, it was the 1950 Communist Spy hunt. The leader of this “Witch Hunt” was Senator Joe McCarthy. His system of belief was known as McCarthyism, which not only hated Communism and any of its supporters, but was also against homosexuality and gay marriages. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller the setting of the Salem Witch Trials was a metaphor for McCarthyism, leading to each to be synonymous to one another. Luckily for the accused in the spy hunt, they could not be executed, as a trial now needs evidence, and the trial must be fair, with an impartial jury.
Movies in today's culture, especially horror movies, has the hidden message of McCarthyism. The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller from 1953, and the movie, The Witch, which was made 2016, both have similar connections to each other. In the article, “Why I Wrote the Crucible”, Miller makes many valid points and references to Red Scare era. Miller The Crucible was inspired by Red Scare and McCarthyism, but it was included the Salem Witch Trials as a main component due to similarities. The Witch is a remake of the Salem Witch Trials in a different point of view.
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.
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.
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.
Hysteria, paranoia, and delusion was what drove the Salem Witch trials in 1692. Many people were executed by decision of the court because it believed in absurd false allegations. Justice in the court was perverted by fear and delusion (Johnson 9). In the 1940s and 1950s, many people in the United States were living in fear of communism; similar to those who feared “witches” in Salem. In the 1953, Arthur Miller came out with a play: The Crucible based on the Salem Witch Trials tackling McCarthyism; accusing others of being communists trying to overthrow democracy in the United States (9-10).
In history there have been many major events that have shaped the times we live in. Two of the major events of our time are the "witchunts" of the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. The Crucible is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a drama and fictional story of the Salem Witch Trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692-1693. Miller wrote the play as a parable for McCarthyism, when the United States government ostracized people for being communists.
To What Extent Should Internationalism be Pursued? “The most tragic paradox of our time is to be found in the failure of nation-states to recognize the imperatives of internationalism.” Earl Warren (14th Chief Justice of the USA) The author of this source is explaining the fatal flaw in how nation states are governed. This fatal flaw is the neglection and underuse of internationalism.
