the mccarthy and the salem witch hunts Essay example

quot;The McCarthy Era of the 1950s and the Salem Witch Trials of the 1600s were major events in American history that destroyed the lives and careers of many innocent victims. These tragic events were similar in that they demonstrated how hard times lead to societys need to find a scapegoat. They also show the shame and regret that take place after the bloodbaths occur. The parallels between these two events, which took place almost 300 years apart, are remarkable.quot; quot;However, the Salem Witchcraft Trials use of human frailty in court helped courts move forward in eliminating its use. Courts now need factual or circumstantial evidence to convict a person of any crime and the accused is promised a fair trial. Nowadays, the†¦show more content†¦As a form of counter-magic, Tituba was ordered to bake a rye cake with the urine of the afflicted victim and to feed the cake to a dog. This added to suspicions of witchcraft by Tituba, and led to the slave becoming one of the first women accused, along with Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn. Although most of the women first accused of witchcraft were considered disreputable, several reputable members of the community were soon executed, including Rebecca Nurse (featured in the play), the most controversial execution, George Burroughs, the former minister in Salem. One of the most flamboyant of the women executed was Bridget Bishop, a woman who had been married several times and was known as the mistre ss of two Salem taverns and had a reputation for dressing more artistically than the women of the village.Sir William Phips, the Governor of Massachusetts, created a new court to oversee the witchcraft cases. The Chief Justice of this court was William Stoughton, an avid witch-hunter who allowed many deviations from normal courtroom procedure including the admission of spectral evidence (testimony by afflicted persons that they had been visited by a suspects specter) and private conversations between accusers and judges. By the early autumn of 1692, the cries of witchcraft began to ebb and doubts began to develop concerning the validity of the charges. The educated elite of the colonyShow MoreRelatedThe Mccarthy and the Salem Witch Hunts1100 Words   |  5 PagesThe McCarthy Era of the 1950s and the Salem Witch Trials of the 1600s were major events in American history that destroyed the lives and careers of many innocent victims. These tragic events were similar in that they demonstrated how hard times lead to societys need to find a scapegoat. They also show the shame and regret that take place after the bloodbaths occur. The parallels between these two events, which took place almost 300 years apart, are remarkable. However, the Salem WitchcraftRead MoreThe Mccarthy Hearings Vs The Salem Witch Trials Essay1011 Words   |  5 PagesThe McCarthy Hearings vs The Salem Witch Trials The McCarthy Hearings and the Salem Witch Trials both transformed the thought process of Americans today. Despite being described as completely unique and distinguished events, they both are eerily similar in appearance. The Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism are both described as witch hunts with several similarities in the way the inspired fear but they have several differences in the motivation and the end of each event. The Salem Witch TrialsRead MoreThe Crucible And Salem Witch Trials Similarities790 Words   |  4 Pages2017 Salem Witch Trials and The McCarthy Era The United States of America is filled with many historic events, enriching its history. Many events that occur are compared to past events in our history. In particular, the McCarthy Era in the 1950’s was compared to the Salem Witch Trials which occurred in 1692. This correlation was first made by Arthur Miller who wrote the play â€Å"The Crucible†. He connected the time period of McCarthy to where there was a hunt for communists, to the Salem Witch TrialsRead MoreMccarthyism In The Crucible1743 Words   |  7 PagesIn Arthur Miller s powerful play The Crucible, written in 1953 as a allegory and metaphor for the McCarthy hearings on communism in America, the idea of conscience is greatly emphasized in many of the main characters. Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible in response to the red scare of the 1950’s, in which he was was condemned for disrespect disapproval of the United States Congress for being unsuccessful in naming numerous individuals who had attended meetings with him. In a bid to notRead MoreArthur Millers The Crucible In connection to McCarthyism1620 Words   |  7 Pagesthemselves. The McCarthy Hearings that took place in the 1950s are a good example of this. The accusations of communism led to a nation-wide hysteria and fear of who was going to be named next. When this was over, the hope would be that nothing like it would ever happen again and nothing like it had ever happened before. However, we have not only repeated it on various occasions, but through Arthur Millers The Crucible, we also see the parallel of the event with the Salem Witch hunts that took placeRead MoreCommunism And Communism In Arthur Millers The Crucible711 Words   |  3 Pages(â€Å"Red†). Simil ar to, in 1953, Arthur Miller an American playwright, scripted the play titled â€Å"The Crucible†. The McCarthy hearings of the 1950s inspired the notable play. Consequently, after the hearing, McCarthyism became a vociferous campaign carried out by Senator Joseph McCarthy, which accused people of communism. To declare, Miller uses an analogy using the events of the Salem Witch Trials of 1693 to expose the ugly truth behind communism and McCarthyism. To begin, the word crucible derivedRead MoreSimilarities Between The Crucible And Salem Witch Trials1079 Words   |  5 Pagesthe story the Salem Witch trials. Arthur Miller, is the author of this play. McCarthyism played a big role in the creation of The Crucible. Many differences and similarities were drawn between the play and the Red Scare. The horrors of history are passed on from generation to generation in hopes that they will never happen again. People look back on these times and are surprised at how terrible the times were. Yet, in the 1950s, history repeated itself. During this time Joseph McCarthy, a United StatesRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials And Mccarthyism1275 Words   |  6 Pagesthat history no longer matters because it is in the past, the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism are prime examples of how history constantly repeats itself and influence how we live today for the reason that both historic eras consist of the following: they have similar histories, connect in significant ways, and include comparable situations and themes that are evident today affecting us on a daily basis whether or not we realize. Salem, Massachusetts was the home of a theocratic government systemRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials And Mccarthyism1327 Words   |  6 Pagesthat history no longer matters because it is in the past, the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism are prime examples of how history constantly repeats itself and influence how we live today for the reason that both historic eras consist of the following: they have similar history, connect in significant ways, and include comparable situations and themes that are evident today effecting us on a daily bases whether or not we realize. Salem, Massachusetts was the home of a theocracy government systemRead More The Parallels Between Arthur Millers Life and His Play, The Crucible1486 Words   |  6 Pagesworks dating from to 1936 through 2004. The Crucible, one of his most famous plays, premiered in New York on January 22, 1953 (InfoTrac). It is a historical-fiction story set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The witch hunt described in this play is similar to the Red Scare, an anti-communist movement led by Senator Joseph McCarthy that lasted from the late 1940s to the late 1950s (Broudin). During both time periods, most people respected high authority while a few dissenters challenged conformist views