Similarities Between The Puritans And Japanese Americans

The Puritans and Japanese-Americans:

In 1693, two hundred puritans were accused or practicing "witchcraft," and twenty people were hanged. In World War II 110,000 Japanese-Americans were taken from their homes and sent to internment camps. The Salem Witch Trials and many trials today are not that different; from being hanged, crushed, burned, and jailed the Puritans and Japanese-Americans are not so different after all. Although, both the Puritans and Japanese-Americans were targeted without reason or evidence, but Americans eventually overcame their fear of the Japanese-Americans during World War II.

The problems Puritans and Japanese faced were caused by unjust fear. In Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, members of the Puritan community targeted other Puritans based on hysteria and deceit. Because one or two people claimed to see people acting strangely, such as dancing naked in the woods, other Puritans cried "witchcraft" and killed them. This hysteria was purely a fear of the unknown. In the same way, Americans targeted Japanese-Americans after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor because all of America was scared. The government relocated them to internment camps to stay away from the public. In addition, they were accused and charged with little to no evidence.

In the play, all the characters turned against each other and accused one another of being witches even though they had no evidence except each other's word. The court treated their fellow puritans maliciously and unfairly, continuing to hang everyone accused of "witchcraft." Similarly, the Japanese were American citizens just like everyone else, but after Pearl Harbor almost every American turned their backs on them. The government even took their rights away and threw them into internment camps. Even though they were accused with no evidence, the outcome was not as severe for the