Essay Comparing The Crucible And Mccarthyism

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The horrors of history are passed on from generation to generation in hopes that they will never happen again. Yet, in the 1950s, history repeated itself. During this time, Joseph McCarthy, a United States senator from Wisconsin, began accusing people of being communists, which is similar to the Salem witch trials in the late 1690s when innocent people were accused of witchcraft. Arthur Miller used a real story to show the similarities between Salem witch hunt and McCarthyism. He wrote The Crucible as a reflection of the Communist witch hunts of its time. McCarthyism started in the 1950’s and it was governmental accusations with no evidence. Joseph McCarthy started doing trials on those he thought were communist, but he had no evidence for it. McCarthy started this to …show more content…
Both parties, McCarthy and the girls in Salem, accused people to make themselves look better to others and gain respect. As John Proctor said “I am only wondering how I may prove what she told me, Elizabeth. If the girls a saint now, I think it not easy to prove she’s a fraud, and the town gone so silly” (The Crucible, p. 53). In 1692 and 1950, people blamed of being witches and communists were used as incrimination for society's problems. Certain groups of people were singled out for persecution in both witch hunt: Democrats and Hollywood actors in the Communist witch hunt, and poor, old, and single women were accused in the Salem witch hunt. But, few people of Salem wanted the truth to be told, as MARY WARREN requested Abby in the act 1, “Abby, we’ve got to tell. Witchery's a hangin' error, a hangin' like they done in Boston two year ago! We must tell the truth, Abby! You'll only be whipped for dancin', and the other things!” (The Crucible, p. 18). In the long run, both cases were worthless except for the lessons that it may teach those who look back at the awful

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