The Salem Witch Trials were a result of mass hysteria fueled by the accusations of Abigail Williams and her friends. During the Salem Witch Trials those suspected of witchcraft were jailed and given a trial. During the trial the accused was dogged for a confession and even names of other wishes. The incentive was if they confessed, God would forgive them and they could live, but of course no one was really a witch so most plead innocent and were hung anyways, simply because of a suspicion. The whole event of the Salem Witch Trials is viewed as unjust because after the accusations spread, many townspeople simply accused their neighbors of being a witch to gain revenge, money, land, or something similar.
The unwarranted accusations that Joseph McCarthy and the citizens of Salem made are what fueled the widespread hysteria in both situations. According to Miller “It seemed that the hysteria in Salem had a certain inner procedure, or several, which were duplicating once again and that perhaps by revealing the nature of that procedure some light could be thrown on what we were doing ourselves. "(Miller) He made this statement in comparison to the present day witch hunts; which were at the time of the McCarthy trials. The people of Salem accused others of witchcraft to protect their own lives. In both eras, they struck fear in citizens due to the "guilty until you confess" attitude which were in favor of the court.
SALEM WITCH HUNTS VS MCCARTHYISM The Salem Witch Hunts that occurred in 1692 had many similarities to the Red Scare known as McCarthyism that occurred in 1950’s. The Salem Witch trials began after one girl Abigail Williams along with her friends spread rumors of witchcraft. This caused panic and major disorder in the town of Salem. The Red Scare began after Senator Joseph McCarthy began accusing Americans of being communist, this caused chaos and hysteria across the United States. While these two events were decades apart they had many similarities.
Terror and panic rose in the Salem community as the paranoia and terror about the communists did in the era of McCarthyism during the late 1940s to the late 1950s. Because of terror, people behaved irrationally and foolishly, which led to imprisonment of many innocent people. Both, the Witch Trials and the Red Terror spread thanks to the snowball effect. McCarthyism and the general terror of the soviets came from the affairs of Igor Gouzenko and Elizabeth Bentley, which raised the public’s conscience about the threat and the general terror spread across the US. In the Crucible, the paranoia and fear about the witches spread after the unexplainable illnesses of number of local
The play by Arthur Miller, The Crucible, is full of irony, false accusations and ignorance. The townspeople of Salem are so blind to the truth that they let a group of teenage girls destroy half their town simply by making up stories and accusing others of being witches. These puritan people were so obsessed with cleansing their town of evil that they let that fear of witchcraft run their lives, this also makes it very easy for people to get what they want very easily, whether it be land or revenge, these people were corrupted. There are many conflicts throughout this story Thomas Putnam is a wealthy farmer in Salem he is also greedy, and holds a grudge against Francis Nurse for preventing Putnam’s brother-in-law from being elected to the office of minister. He wants the riches without the work.
Dayana Barrientos November 6, 2011 7 The unsupported lies manage to create hysteria among themselves, with many people attempting to search them out to expose or join them. Majority of the Puritans worshiped their religion. The Puritans accepted the interpretations of John Calvin on the nature of man, free will and predestination, and other basic concepts. Witches and the Devil were feared by the townspeople. Supposedly, the Devil walked on earth and tempted the townspeople to write their name with blood in a black book.
The Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism The Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s had many potent similarities to the McCarthyism of the 1950s. The Salem Witch Trials, which began after young girls spread accusations of witchcraft, caused panic, confusion, and disorder within the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The period of McCarthyism, known as the “Red Scare,” began after Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many Americans of communist involvement, causing disarray, chaos, and mass hysteria across the United States. Despite the significant time gap, the two events share stark similarities in their origins, propagation, and conclusions. Both events emanated from false accusations, gained momentum from the influence of public leaders, and ceased after the accusations proved to be inaccurate.
After this event panic spreads through the village as people believe that witchcraft is afoot. During this period in Puritan Salem the church and the government acted as one unified force meaning when the accused are put to trial they also stood before their church (whose beliefs were very exclusive and orthodox). Witchcraft was believed to be the work of the devil and the condemned were put to death for acting upon their personal beliefs. This is a perfect example of persecution. The girls who were seen dancing are condemned of witchcraft and then reprimanded for going against the communities’
Dear diary, I have travelled the world and witnessed many conflicts, but the days of 1692 was by the far the highest, it was a time of fear and hysteria of people being convicted of witch craft. I am beginning to feel that conflict doesn’t just resolve matters it can bring the best, worst or unexpected reactions of people. Conflict in my opinion is to fight or battle over the one idea; it can also take over people’s survival instincts. Conflict can bring people together or tear two people apart and this can affect someone badly. The fears I had in Salem in 1692 was that the most honest and caring people were being prosecuted and murder by their innocence.
She is cast roughly aside, hits her head and passes out. In the meantime, Anys Gowdie, having heard news of what is happening, rushed to Mern’s aid. The crowd turns on Anys accusing her, in her turn, of being a witch and having consorted with George Vicars, now regarded as a male witch and an instrument of the devil. It is because Anna has betrayed Anys’ secret that they are privy to her connection with Viccars. Although Anna plans to run to Mompellion for help, she is struck to the ground and is powerless to stop the mob hanging Anys.