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Similarities Between Salem Witch Trials And Mccarthyism

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In 1692, the hysteria of what is now known as the Salem witch trials begun. It all started within the minister’s household when his daughter and niece started to act outlandishly. Witchcraft was blamed for their behavior and actions, which resulted in the madness of accusing almost every woman in the village of Salem. About 20 were eventually executed (Blumberg 1). This delirium ended when minister Cotton Mather and his son pleaded to cease the use of spectral evidence, the “testimony about dreams and visions” (Blumberg 2). This plea was eventually taken into consideration and the witch-hunt ended. All in all, the event of the trials and executions still transpired, and the tragedy of the Salem witch trials is still known to us today. Unlike the Salem witch trials, the second Red Scare, also known as McCarthyism, was the witch-hunt for communist infiltrators that occurred after WWII in the early 1940s. The Un-American Activities Committee and Joseph McCarthy are the ones who initiated this modern hysteria. McCarthy and his followers accused hundreds of …show more content…

Both events involve a mass hysteria that leads many innocent people being accused of something they did not take part in. For example, the witch trials accused blameless women of practicing dark magic while McCarthyism accused hundreds of following communism. Both also have a person or group that leads the act. This shows how mindless humans can actually be. The Crucible expresses this trait by telling a story of the Salem witch trials. It is also meant to be an allegory of the second Red Scare. Even though the literal plot of the play is the trials, the hidden message is that the story symbolizes how Joseph McCarthy acted during the 1940s. It was truly a witch-hunt. These are the descriptions and similarities between the Salem witch trials and the modern act of

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