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Events compared to the Salem witch trials
An essay on witch hunting
An essay on witch hunting
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The Crucible and The McCarthys Hearings It is common knowledge that Author Miller wrote The Crucible as a reaction to a tragic time in our countries history. The McCarthy hearings, as they came to be known, which dominated our country from 1950 to 1954, where hearings in which many, suspected of being related to communism, where interviewed and forced to give up names of others, or they where imprisoned, and their names were black listed. There are several parallels between the McCarthy Era, and the time of the Salem which trials. One similarity one will see is what I call the scare factor. Another parallel between the two groups is the "everybody is doing it" mentality. One also sees a parallel in the lives that were ruined in both eras because of the accusations and punishments. Both those accused in The Crucible and those accused during the McCarthy hearings were found guilty with such little evidence. One would think that such wild accusations, with so little proof, would easily be dismissed. I believe the primary source for McCarthy and the accusers in Salem's support comes from what I call the scare factor. Our country was going through a scary time, with the fear of the spread of communism on everybody's mind. These rumors of communist in the state department sparked a hunt that many backed because they were scared. In Salem the children where acting unusually and everyone was scared. When a source for this problem was suggested, because of their fear, everyone was willing to support it. Another source of support was the get on board, or everybody is doing it mentality. Because it is human nature for one to go with the flow the people of Salem, who had religion rammed down their throats, followed their leaders, and the rest of their neighbors in the witch hunt. Those who disagreed where considered witches. They were watching out for themselves, and because of their fear, the situation escalated and more were accused. Just as those in the story, many in our nation, and government, jumped on board and backed McCarthy. Because of the Red Scare, everyone feared the thought of communism in our government. Just as the people of Salem folded and got on board, our country supported the McCarthy hearings. The situation escalated and became something our country would soon regret. The crucible is a port or vessel commonly made from some sort of a highly heat-resistant material. For centuries, people have used crucibles for melting metals, such as gold or silver, to test them for purity. The word crucible probably derives from the Latin word crux, meaning "cross" or "trial." It is also become a word describing a severe test. The time of the Salem witch trials is deservingly referred to as a crucible. Those accused where put in a melting pot to test their purity, and they were severely tested. The innocent were punished in Salem. The same is seen in the McCarthy hearings. The innocent were considered impure, and tested. Unfairly accused their lives were ruined by the rampage that swept the nation. One can obviously see the similarities between the McCarthy period of history and the period of time in which the Salem witch trials took place. The people were scared of something, because they were told to be scared of it. Everyone backed the hunts and those who did not where accused. Due to this scare everyone desired to rid themselves of the impurities. The innocent where accused and put in a melting pot. Their careers, and lives where ruined. Another similarity the two periods of history have is the regret that America has when looking back on these tragic misfortunes.
The McCarthy era is very similar to the Salem Witch trials. They are both similar, because they both dealt with hysteria. Hysteria is an uncontrollable fear or outburst of emotion. Both things had to do with people accusing each other of people being communist, and people being witches.
The Salem witch trials and the story of Joseph McCarthy are very similar; they both accused innocent people of doing things that were “bad” at the time. The Salem Witch trials were persecutions of men and woman on account of performing witchcraft. Two girls accused a woman of doing witchcraft and then the accusations continued, people accused other people to relieve their own punishment in a last ditch effort to save their lives, but it was in vein. After the witch trials were over “19 had been killed and an elderly man pressed to death under heavy stones”(Linder). “Some accused of witch craft were burned at the stake all in the name of justice”(Brown). Others were finally let out of jail after being in imprisonment for months at a time. Joseph McCarthy was the U.S senator for the state of Wyoming from 1947-1957, the year that he died. McCarthy became the most visible face in public during the time of the cold war in America. “McCarthy pursued unnecessary investigations, imprisonments and unprovoked acts to those who were being accused of being a communist”(Glitterrich). The term McC...
Many people look back on the events of the Salem witch trials and laugh at the absurdity of the allegations. It seems crazy that society could be fooled into believing in things like witches and deal with the events in such an extreme manner. It is a common belief that witch hunts are things of the past. Many people would agree that they no longer exist today; however Arthur Miller, author of the play, "The Crucible", points out that society has not come very far from the days of the Salem witch trials. In his play, he used the Salem witch trials to represent the McCarthy Era because he saw that the nation was facing the same events that Salem went through back in the late 1600's. Arthur Miller wrote "The Crucible" in an attempt to create moral awareness for society. He did so by making a few small changes to the history and creating parallels in the play with racism, human tendencies, and H.U.A.C.
In The Crucible, the mass hysteria surrounding the witch trials caused paranoia amongst the people of Salem. Miller uses the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 as a symbol and allegory of the fear surrounding the spread of communism during the 1950s in America. The community’s sense of justice was blinded by the mass hysteria and for some, a desire for vengeance and personal gain. The Putnams
Allied war planners with the vital information about the enemy preparedness for the Russians to
Both forces were moving towards Pennsylvania, when they converged upon Gettysburg. General Lee decided to take the fighting to Northern soil, and moved his troops to Maryland. While heading north, the two forces converged at Gettysburg, and the fighting began soon thereafter. After news of the fighting, General Meade arrived on the battlefield on the second day of battle..
During Author Miller’s era of the 1950’s, the ‘cold war’ was happening. Senetor Joeseph McCarthy was completely against communism and began to arrest the communists and people assosiating with them. Those arrested were forced to either name names to identify those who were communists or thought to be, or else they would remain in jail. This was callef McCarthyism For many, being prisioned was a terrible frightening thought so they would name names including any that they could think of that could be innocent. Author Miller was arrested for associating with communists and refused to identify others, and wrote The Crucible, using it as an allegory to identify the problems of society and it’s flaws of the corrupt government.
The lack of evidence was why so many innocent people were convicted when it was obvious no harm was done. Everyone who were “accused in The Crucible and those accused during the McCarthy hearings were found guilty with such little evidence” (Comparing the Crucible and the McCarthy Hearings). In “The Crucible” many false accusations can be seen throughout the play, but the major ones are at the beginning of play with numerous characters being accused including Sarah Good and Goody Osburn. The accusers are no other than the little girls who are accusing others for their own personal gain. The girls’ “unsubstantiated claims about the existence of witches in Salem” not only led to their own downfall but it also “[ruined] lives and lead to increased hostility in Salem” (Similarities between McCarthyism and The Crucible). The same lack of evidence plays out in McCarthyism. Joseph McCarthy came in during the 1950s when “it [was] obvious that America’s position in world affairs [was] seriously weakened” because it allowed him to gain people through peoples’ fears (Pg. 7 McCarthyism - The Fight for America). Since there were rumors of communists of America it “sparked a hunt that many backed because they were scared” and so even with the lack of evidence “everyone was willing to support it” just out of fear (Comparing the Crucible). McCarthy’s use of fear on the people also led to unsubstantiated
On the second day, July 2nd, the Confederate Army awoke to find that the rest of the Union Army had arrived at Gettysburg. General Lee gave orders for his men to attack in the morning, but General Longstreet was quite slow in getting his troops into position, so the attack didn't take place until the afternoon.
Authors often have underlying reasons for giving their stories certain themes or settings. Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, The Crucible, is a work of art inspired by actual events as a response to political and moral issues. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible proves to have its roots in events of the 1950’s and 1960’s, such as the activities of the House Un-American Committee and the “Red Scare.” Though the play provides an accurate account of the Salem witch trials, its real achievement lies in the many important issues of Miller’s time that it dealswith.
The play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller was written in response to McCarthyism in the 1950’s. In 1692 and 1693 the Salem witch trials took place in Salem Massachusetts. Girls believed to be involved in witchcraft were responsible for these trials. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s senator McCarthy came to office. Senator McCarthy and some of his allies were responsible for hysteria in the United States of America in the 1950’s. The scare was also in result of a communist scare after World War II and leading to the cold war. The behavior of the people of the Salem witch trials and Americans in the 19050’s resulted in a big scare in reaction to hysteria.
Salem Witch Trials, McCarthyism, and The West Memphis Three, are all about people believing what others say out of fear of the unknown we know this because of historical examples, modern examples, and factors that contributed. McCarthyism, the Salem Witch trials and the west memphis three all had a fear of the unknown, and accused the people who were not like others because they were out of the ordinary. The West Memphis Three and the Salem Witch trials had more of a satanic panic, and were based in a very religious towns. McCarthyism was all over the US and was about fear of communism and spies. The salem witch trials occurred in the 1600's in the very religious town of salem. After a night of dancing in the woods a group of girls were bewitched,
The Bay of Pigs project came to life when President Eisenhower approved an initial budget of $4,400,000; political action, $950,000; propaganda, $1,700,000; paramilitary, $1,500,000; intelligence collection, $250,000. (“BAY OF PIGS: THE PLAN”) The invasion, a year later, would cost over $46 million. (“BAY OF PIGS: THE PLAN”) The Bay of Pigs affair was an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba on April 17, 1961, at Playa Girón (the Bay of Pigs) by about two thousand Cubans who had gone into exile after the 1959 revolution. (“BAY OF PIGS: THE PLAN”) Encouraged by members of the CIA who trained them, the invaders believed they would have air and naval support from the United States and that the invasion would cause the people of Cuba to rise up and overthrow. (“BAY OF PIGS: THE PLAN”) The landing began shortly before midnight on Sunday, April 16, after a team of frogmen went ashore and set up landing lights to guide the operation. (“THE CUBAN MISSLE CRISIS”) The failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion was due to a lack of planned strategy, miscommunication, and mismanagement of planning.
In taking his army north from the Rappahannock, General Lee's objective was to persuade the Union Army to spread across a broad front along the Mason-Dixon line, and then, by maneuver, draw it to a point far from its base of supply where it could be attacked and beaten in detail.
Within the first few weeks of 1944 Nazi Germany took over an allied city in France. General Eisenhower started to make a plan to stop Germany from taking more of France. He is known for his excellence in planning operations from his training. With his excellence in planning, he got the plan done in the short time period he had.