The Red Scare/Salem witch Trials
From 1945 to around 1952, America endured the Red 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,
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Acceptance Essays
