People say history is learned to make sure the same mistakes are not repeated. However, this is not the case for American history; in America, citizens have experienced similar negative events. For instance, the Salem Witch Trials occurred in the 1690s, and McCarthyism arose in the 1950s. These time periods both involve people inaccurately accusing others, being put on trial, and often having innocent citizens punished or put to death. Arthur Miller saw how unfair and unreasonable the government was being, when he was one of the many individuals to be called to Congress to give a list of suspicious people. Due to his experiences in the 1950s, Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible to portray the similarities between the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism.
…show more content…
“Miller drove…to research letters, diaries and court records relating to the Salem witch trials of 1692, a murky period in New England history that resulted in the detention of more than 200 people…” (Brater 1). He found that both time periods were filled with bias judges and interrogators who were of high ranking and the people believed much of what they said. In The Crucible, Judge Danforth asks a series of questions to Proctor in the court: “Have you seen the devil?...Are you in all respects a Gospel Christian?...Do you read the Gospel?” (Miller 1192). From these questions, it is clear that Danforth believes in the devil and witches. His religious beliefs as a Puritan heavily influence his everyday life and opinions. Unfortunately for Proctor and other accused people, Danforth’s decisions are based on his own beliefs and personal views. Miller saw more than bias judges, he also noticed that the trials were unfair. It was known that McCarthy “aggressively interrogated witnesses in what many came to perceive as a blatant violation of their civil rights,” (“Joseph R. McCarthy” 2). In The Crucible and McCarthyism, accused people were questioned in ways that made it impossible to prove their innocence. For example, many times judges asked an individual a question like “are you still a witch?” or “are you still a communist?” This method of questioning was unfair because a person could give any answer and still be considered guilty. In addition, there was often a lack of proof when decisions were made. Many times it was just one single person that accused someone without substantial evidence, just like Putnam did to Proctor because of a dispute over land (Miller
“Miller drove…to research letters, diaries and court records relating to the Salem witch trials of 1692, a murky period in New England history that resulted in the detention of more than 200 people…” (Brater 1). He found that both time periods were filled with bias judges and interrogators who were of high ranking and the people believed much of what they said. In The Crucible, Judge Danforth asks a series of questions to Proctor in the court: “Have you seen the devil?...Are you in all respects a Gospel Christian?...Do you read the Gospel?” (Miller 1192). From these questions, it is clear that Danforth believes in the devil and witches. His religious beliefs as a Puritan heavily influence his everyday life and opinions. Unfortunately for Proctor and other accused people, Danforth’s decisions are based on his own beliefs and personal views. Miller saw more than bias judges, he also noticed that the trials were unfair. It was known that McCarthy “aggressively interrogated witnesses in what many came to perceive as a blatant violation of their civil rights,” (“Joseph R. McCarthy” 2). In The Crucible and McCarthyism, accused people were questioned in ways that made it impossible to prove their innocence. For example, many times judges asked an individual a question like “are you still a witch?” or “are you still a communist?” This method of questioning was unfair because a person could give any answer and still be considered guilty. In addition, there was often a lack of proof when decisions were made. Many times it was just one single person that accused someone without substantial evidence, just like Putnam did to Proctor because of a dispute over land (Miller