McCarthyism

Witch or Communist? Imagine a town that thrived on mass hysteria, functioned with chaos, and exploited death. Welcome to Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. Salam was most notoriously known for the Salem witch trials. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, he wrote about the events of the witch trials, but the play had a much more serious underlying meaning. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as a representation of the Red Scare in the 1950s, which greatly affected America and ultimately his career. As a…

into weird occurrences. “In the 20th century, artists and scientists alike continued to be fascinated by the Salem witch trials. Playwright Arthur Miller resurrected the tale with his 1953 play The Crucible, using the trials as an allegory for the McCarthyism paranoia in the 1950s.” “Additionally, numerous hypotheses have been devised to explain the strange behavior that occurred in Salem in 1692. One of the most concrete studies, published in Science in 1976 by psychologist Linda Caporal,…

• Communism causes Chaos o After the Korean War, the fear of communism was higher than ever due to the Soviet Union’s hold of Eastern Europe and takeover in China.  Even Truman was criticized for being a communist sympathizer until he created the Loyalty Review Board.  The purpose was to secretly investigate politicians to find out if any were disloyal towards capitalism, despite it going against the Constitution. o This inspired other agencies including the House Un-American Activities…

unprecedented growth, social unrest ran rampant as fear of a third nuclear World War with Russia beckoned. Furthermore, the early 1950’s were highlighted by McCarthyism a widespread social and cultural phenomenon that created a widespread hysteria among the public who developed a robust disdain for communist basis of thought. In general, “McCarthyism” were investigations, and congressional hearings conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the committee of Un-American Activities. One vital…

From the wake of the devastating World War I, the Jazz Age emerged in 1920 and led to vast changes especially those in political, social, and cultural categories. No longer was producerism the prime of economic life, but rather consumerism took over and pushed for big changes. In the following thirty years, until 1950, America went through some major events including the Great Depression, World War II, and the Marshall Plan. All of these events were what ultimately led to the changes in the…

the Salem Witch Trials of pre colonial America. He authored a piece set in 1600s Salem, but the narrative’s purpose was to open people’s eyes to the atrocities being committed in present time. However, not only is the play itself an allegory for McCarthyism, but each character is treated in a similar fashion. Miller personifies different aspects of human conflict through each character in order to create a timeless narrative alerting readers to injustice in their own time period and encouraging…

1. What kind of social resentments are evident in McCarthy 's speech? In his speech, McCarthy most obviously resents the fact that five years after World War II, the United States is not at peace and instead they face the oncoming Cold War. At the close of the Second World War, McCarthy argues that “…men’s hearts should anticipate a long peace, and men’s minds should be free from the heavy weight that comes with war” (Foner 235), but this is robbed from them due to the increased tensions with…

Joseph McCarthy ruined over 205 people’s reputations by accusing them of being a communist. Reflecting on the crisis and the hysteria of the population, Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible to create parallel ties between McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials. In this play, he demonstrates the unsubstantiated accusations during the Salem witch trials. Abigail Williams, a deceiving, selfish girl, kindles the calamity of the people of Salem by accusing many innocent people of witchcraft. Since…

National Security is a major issue in American Politics. Throughout the decades the issues that threaten national security have changed. In the 1940s, the national security policies are based more on programs rather than the military. However by 2001, the U.S. national security strategies have become more militaristic in nature. In March 1947, Harry S. Truman announced to Congress the beginning of what would be later called the Truman Doctrine. In it essence, the Truman Doctrine was an American…

T Would you believe it if you were told everything you saw in the media wasn’t the truth? Or that the big media corporations were just in it for the money? Well in Edward R. Murrow’s speech Wires and Lights in a Box he has a very strong opinion about these instruments. Throughout the speech he refers to television and the radio as instruments. Technology such as radios and televisions was just starting to boom in the 50’s. Murrow first gave this speech back on October 15, 1958. Murrow felt a…