The Similarities Between The Crucible And Today

We often, as people, look back on the past and think that stuff like that doesn’t happen now. That is not the case though, there are many similarities between the past and the world we live in now. While the environment and technology may change and be different the people don’t. One of these past situations is the Salem Witch Trials. We often look back on the decisions made by people in this time and say nothing like that would ever happen. The situation depicted in The Crucible and today have many similarities such as fear gives power to leaders, corrupted people are given power, and people are judged based on things they shouldn’t be judged on.

Fear is a powerful emotion that can cause us to give power to leaders. In the play The Crucible

There are many examples of this past and present. In The Crucible it states, “Excellency, we have proof for your eyes; God forbid you shut them to it. The girls, sir, the girls are frauds. (Miller 51)” This is Francis Nurse telling Judge Danforth that the girls that have been given the power to accuse and testify against witches and corrupt and are not telling the truth. This affirms that corrupt people were given power. This happens in our time a lot with Presidents and other politicians because they make themselves appear better than they really are. One of these corrupt leaders is President Coolidge in the White House article Calvin Coolidge it states, “As President, Coolidge demonstrated his determination to preserve the old moral and economic precepts amid the material prosperity which many Americans were enjoying. He refused to use Federal economic power to check the growing boom or to ameliorate the depressed condition of agriculture and certain industries. His first message to Congress in December 1923 called for isolation in foreign policy, and for tax cuts, economy, and limited aid to farmers.” President Coolidge stayed out of the economy and let people continue to have fun making him popular and giving him lots of power. All he cared about was being liked by the majority of the population, but by doing this he caused a great depression and didn’t do anything to help the struggling farmers, all of which helped the country. While for different reasons, corrupt people were and are given power and end up causing damage and problems for others and sometimes even themselves.

Some people may say that since we choose who we give power corrupt people don’t get power. While it would be nice if this was true it is not. As the evidence above shows Coolidge was elected but he was corrupt. This proves that even people we elect to power can be