The Red Scare/Salem witch Trials

Scare. The Red Scare, the hunt for Communists, was epitomized in

the McCarthy trials when many innocent citizens were labeled as

Communists. In many ways, it resembled the notorious Salem

Witch Hunt of the 1690's. Both involved fear, prejudice, and a lack

The Salem witch hunt was centered in Salem,

Massachusetts during the 1690's. The thing most important about

this is the time--1690. In 1563, a little more than a century before

the witch hunts of the1690's, Queen Elizabeth legalized the killing

of witches. She made a law stating that the first offense was

punishable by pillory (public ridicule) but the second offense was

punishable by death. James I wasn't so lenient. He decided that on

the first offense, a witch must die.

At this time in America, the New England colonies were

recovering from a serious Native American uprising lead by the

Wampanoag tribe. The Wampanoags had come close to

eliminating the colonies in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode

Island until they were defeated in 1675. In the 1690s, the wartime

atrocities were vivid memories. Witchcraft and demon-worship

. . .

Both the Salem Witch Hunt and the Red Scare were

triggered by fear. If the author of something "Communist" gave names

of other "Communists," they were free. McCarthy decided to lead a group against Communism. So

President Truman passed the Truman Doctrine which offered

military aid to any country fighting Communism. She wanted his wife out of the way.

In both cases, the "inquisitions" followed a serious war. When

the wife of an important man was set to hang, the witch hunt

stopped. felt

threatened by Communism and believed it was spreading. These

"witches" claimed to be reformed and started calling out names of

other "witches". " (Grolier) With such a fear of Communism,

everything became censored, and if something, say a book for

instance, had a sentence which could be interpreted in any way as

being in favor of Communism, then the author was labeled a

Communist and his or her book or any future works couldn't be

sold.

During the trial, the accused would be asked whether or not he or she was

a witch or a warlock. So they decided to go dancing naked in the

woods at night with Tituba, a Barbados slave who knew black

magic.

Common topics in this essay:
Red Scare, Giles Corey, John Proctor, Communists Grolier, War II, Native American, Justice Department, Witch Hunt, Queen Elizabeth, Truman Doctrine, red scare, witch hunt, civil rights, trial trial, salem witch hunt, salem witch, witch trials, cold war, accused found, john proctor, native american,

Approximate Word count = 1119
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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