History Revisited Essay

There are three strong similarities between the Salem witch-hunts that appear in The Crucible and the exposing of communists by the McCarthy terror. These three similarities are the accusation of innocent people, the power of Danforth and McCarthy, and the fear of individuals in Salem and in the United States.
During the Salem witch trials, one could accuse an innocent person of being a witch without any evidence.As a result, if people denied they were witches, then they were executed.If individuals agreed and confessed they were witches, then they would not be hung.Many people compare these witch trials of Salem to the United States in the 1950's.During this time, Joseph McCarthy was a United States Senator.McCarthy was possibly the strongest anti-Communist in the United States congress.Many people during this time were accused of being communists or even sympathizing for them.As a result, if individuals refused to answer certain questions, then they were treated as if they were guilty and were excluded from certain jobs.
Danforth and McCarthy were both powerful people of their time.Danforth was the Deputy Governor of Massachusetts.He presided over the witch trials and was just as concerned about maintaining his image as he was about exposing sin. McCarthy was an American politician. He was an incredible person whose mere presence could be overpowering. He held public hearings in which he accused army officials, members of the media, and public figures of being Communists.His charges were never proved and in 1954 the Senate censured him.Due to lack of hard evidence, the hunt for Communists ended abruptly just as the Salem witch
trials.McCarthy and Danforth were both overpowering and zealous in their pursuit.
The people in Salem, Massachusetts did not feel safe or secure.Fourteen women and five men were hanged.Many people confessed to being witches so they would n
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