Compare And Contrast Salem Witch Trials And Mccarthyism

The Hunt

Historic recurrence is the repetition of analogous events or circumstances in history. Many argue that historic recurrence is one of the most unacceptable and shameful concepts in our civilization because it is entirely preventable. We as a society are fully responsible and liable for it’s detrimental effects because we have the wherewithal to know better. In our very country, there are many accounts of history repeating itself. Two prominent and heavily associated models of such recurrence are the communist-hunt of the 1954 McCarthy hearings and the witch-hunt of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.

The communist-hunt of the McCarthy hearings drew parallels to the equally far-reaching witch-hunts of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials in that

McCarthy accused citizens of communism, using the alleged communists as scapegoats for society's problems and to promote an anti-Communist campaign. Similarly, Abigail, one of the initial young accusers in the Salem witch trials, indicted people of being witches. The purported witches of Salem were scapegoats for nearly all their domestic problems. The ritualistic and ignorant Puritans sought out scapegoats to punish those with a growing desire for liberalism and commercialism within the town, which was against their strict religion. Some accused innocent individuals as a wicked solution to settle land disputes, while others used the hysteria to get revenge on townsfolk who threatened their modest lifestyles.

The McCarthy hearings of the Second Red Scare and the 1692 Salem Witch Trials are two of the most notorious cases of mass hysteria in our country’s history. They have been used in political rhetoric and popular literature as vivid cautionary tales and models for the dangers of isolationism, religious or political extremism, and false accusations. Those who are incapable of learning from the past are destined to repeat it. The parallels between the respected trials validate this