Compare And Contrast The Salem Witch Trials And Mccarthyism

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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, …show more content…

You didn't tell him that!ABIGAIL: Betty, you never say that again! You will never— BETTY: You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!"(Miller 19). The women accused of being seen with the devil were supposedly witches, they were given unfair trials and if they confessed they would not be killed but if they would not confess they would be hung. John McCarthy accused people for being communism in the 1950's, the accusations came out to be false. After all of the accusations that McCarthy made communism became a national obsession. Many were blacklisted and lost their jobs, others who were accused of being communist were deported or sent to jail. The subject was so serious and damaging some committed suicide as a result. "I have here in my hand a list of 205-a list of names that were known to the secretary of state as being members of the Communist Party"(Price 1). McCarthy was accusing innocent people for being communist and it has left a lasting impact about how easy America could fall into a state of hysteria. …show more content…

The West Memphis Three were convicted after Jessie Misskelley would confess after a couple hours of investigation. Even though he confessed he had the best alibi for the night of the killings, he was at a wrestling match, and there was no evidence to place Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin at the crime scene. The women who were accused during the Salem Witch Trials truly did not have any evidence against them other than the young girls saying they saw the women with the devil. "A doctor diagnosed them as bewitched and under the influence of an "Evil Hand". Suspicion immediately fell on Tituba, the Parris family's West Indian slave, who had been teaching the girls fortune-telling games"(Davis 2). McCarthyism had people thinking that pretty much anyone could be a communist. After all of the people who McCarthy accused of being Communist there was no evidence against any of them and he found no Communist in the US government. Many people thought that during the red scare there were Communist in America. Americans wanted the so called communist out of the country because they thought they could be spies and tell other countries what technological advances America was making with nuclear warcraft. Talking about socialism and the direction the country is headed,“Many a person is deeply disturbed that his country appears to be sinking ever further into the mire of socialism, but he rationalizes that his own

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