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Similarities Between Mccarthyism And The Crucible

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The Similarities Between McCarthyism and The Crucible
Communism was a serious controversy in America in the early 1950s. Framing someone or being framed was a common way of survival for those who have been accused of a secret conspiracy. Interrogations were practiced among those who were opened minded. Intellectuals were targeted the most. Citizens who were victims of unfair accusations lost their jobs and economical earnings for not giving evidence to the House of American Activities Committee, also known as HUAC. HUAC was an organization that targeted down people that have been claimed to be communist. Although this was a major event in U.S history, it’s not the first time a situation like McCarthyism has happened in America. The Salem Witch …show more content…

Insufficient evidence was given to HUAC and thus getting people to stand before the highest authority to testify. As stated in document D “ an invisible crime” Danforth and Hale are discussing whether who is guilty and who is not. ‘’ In an ordinary crime, how does one defend the accused?’’ Hale has signed Rebecca nurse to death. Having remorse to what he did he questions Danforth ‘’ I am a minister of the Lord, and dare not take a life without there be proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it.’’ Both seem to know some are actually innocent and had nothing to do with witchcraft. This also applies the same situation in document A “I did wrong to withhold these names” Mr. Kazan was put to testify before HUAC in Jan 14 1952. Although he failed to testify he later returned in april 1952 to give the testimony. As he says the names of the people who were apparently espionage of a secretive agenda, they were later brought on for questioning. Despite Mr.Kazan not giving enough evidence to the committee, they did no further research on the people who were accused by Mr. Kazan later on. This type of justice was an unprejudiced system in which the government made no effort to further investigate each individual's innocences. Safe to say that this evidence of both parallels gives an unscrupulous status in both their society and way of

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The Crucible and McCarthyism are similar because they both name names of people,they had no clear evidence and they didn’t testify. They are both connected because in both documents A&B they named names of people and they falsely accused people of doing things they really didn’t do. For example in Document A” I did wrong to withhold these names”

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In response to the second Red Scare, prompted by the accusations of Senator Joe McCarthy, Arthur Miller felt it necessary to express his political feelings through an author’s medium. Similarities are shown between McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials in the way Senator McCarthy gained power and control by inducing fear and hatred of communists in America, comparable to the fear and hatred of witches in the late 1600s. Miller shares that themes of paranoia and vengeance continue on even as society progresses, and presents The Crucible as an example to shed light on issues inherent with using accusations to gain power. With its ability to relate to a number of political situations in many countries, even as far as 50 years past its creation,

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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.

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The communist-hunt of the McCarthy hearings drew parallels to the equally far-reaching witch-hunts of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials in that

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The second time which was three months later he gave eight names which were Lewis Leverett , J.Edward Boomerang , Phobe Brand ,Morris Carovosky , Toby Kraber , Paula Miller , CLifford Odets , and Art Smith (Doc A). In relation to the story told in Document A about McCarthyism the same thing went on in the story in Document B about The Salem Witch Trials.. Betty Harris, and Abigail Williams named names during the Salem Witch Trials. They gave eleven names they claimed they “ saw with the devil”.

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Imagine the wicked House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) arrest an innocent man. The HUAC does not arrest the man because he has committed a murder, but because he is a communist. Many communists became victims of HUAC in the Red Scare crisis of the 1950s. These communists made the right decision to speak out for their freedom and against injustice. These communists also spoke out for their freedom of different beliefs.

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In the Crucible those who were accused of being guilty, put on trial, and who are expected to confess. Unsuccessful to that led to death. In McCarthy, the media were not disposed to stand up to Senator McCarthy for the fear of being accused of being a Communist. Fear is the main factor playing in both situations, terror of being accused or what people might say, or think.

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Both trials were held with barely any proof against the person being accused and were solely based off of false accusations. The Hollywood Ten were ten directors and producers who were wrongly accused of being communists. They were forced to appear before the House of Un-American Activities Committee and they refused to answer any questions about their connections towards communism. Likewise, in The Crucible John Proctor, Elizabeth Tituba, Giles Corey, Martha Corey, Rebecca Nurse, Goody Osborne, and Goody Good were all falsely accused of being associated with witchcraft. Abigail Williams was the person behind most of these accusations and that led to even more people being accused.

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Many have said that history repeats itself. This has never been more evident then with the tragic events that happened with the Red Scare and the events in The Crucible. Both deal with mass hysteria and how accusers are given power and use that power for evil. In both the accusers look down upon the rest of the society and just accuse away with your accusing finger. What we learn from both of these horrible events is that we should never look down upon others or accuse someone of committing an "immoral crime" without seeing or never or hearing what really happened.

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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.

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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

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When people are placed under an intense feeling of fear, they begin to commit actions they never thought they were capable over. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a young group of girls commit witchcraft which eventually leads to the arrest of over 100 women. This is similar to a time in the 1950s when Joseph McCarthy accuses government officials of communism and that ultimately leads to hundreds of citizens losing their jobs. The Crucible reveals the similarities between The Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s and McCarthyism of the 1950s because it demonstrates how a society can be tremendously impacted by the feeling the fear.

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If one was accused of being a communist and didn’t admit to it or give names they could face jail or even death, though thankfully very few had to face this horrible fate. In the Crucible some people actually did escape being hanged, they could do this by confessing to being witches. Somewhat similarly, people who gave names of other Communists to the FBI would walk free. Unfortunately in the Crucible some people did give names, and during McCarthyism, this also happened and just led to more people either giving names of more people or being imprisoned.

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The rosenbergs were the first and some of the only U.S. civilians to suffer the death penalty in an espionage trial. Before the trial the rosenbergs lived like the average american family with their two sons in a uneventful suburb. Though the husband Julius has the most peculiar job, he is supposedly a Soviet spy. Thesis The Rosenberg case was a very long case blah blah General info bout the case –a murder committed by the U.S. government in the name of national security and the Cold War fight against communism.

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McCarthy was a political agitator ( a person who urges people to rebel against something) who criticized Communism trying to use that to push the United States forward into a passionate anti-communist country during the tense years with the Soviet Union and Cold war. A special congressional committee, which was led by McCarthy, conducted debatable investigations so that they can rid of Communist sympathizers. Those who were suspected of being a communist were encouraged to confess and identify other communist sympathizers so that they can escape punishment. Because of that there were a lot of accusation, as they realize that they may be declared as communists whether they are innocent or not. People gave false confessions to save themselves, they created the image of the United States occupied by communism.

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