In neither McCarthyism nor the Salem witch trials were real evidence put forth to prove the guilt of the accused. Instead, people readily agreed with the accusers, having to assume that they were telling the truth. In the fifties, with the war going badly in Korea, the communists were making advances in China and Eastern Europe, which caused the American public to be scared of communists infiltrating the U.S. government. Hundreds of people- actors, government workers, and even military personnel, were accused by McCarthy (Joseph McCarthy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Some admitted to being affiliated with the communist party, and lost their jobs. In 17th century Salem, the girls would completely fabricate evidence against the witches.…
Communism; a threat to the nation of the United States of America. Many Americans believe that people who believe in Communist teachings are corrupt. In 1950, a historical event happened in the US timeline; the Red Scare. Joe McCarthy became a Senator for the state of Wisconsin in 1947. The Red Scare happened from 1947-1957, “The Cold War, which began after the end of World War II, was a period where Americans were extremely paranoid about the threat of Communism.” (“Background to the Red Scare” Par. 1) The Cold War was a period of time where citizens of the United States feared nuclear warfare with the Soviet Union. Joe McCarthy created a list of names that were people of power who were part of the Communist Party. He took a five-city tour,…
The McCarthy era was very similar to the Salem witch trials. Just like the McCarthy era, the girls in the Crucible made claims about members of the village. Also Just like the McCarthy era, these people were put on trial without being able to defend themselves. It was the word of McCarthy against their own. Their statement was something only they could believe, like the list that McCarthy refused to…
“Mr.Chezer have a warrant down for all these people”(Miller 213). In the Salem witch trail a potion was signed to try and protect a lady but they tried to arrest every one that signed it. The main cause of all this hysteria is the people don’t learn what’s actually happening so they fear it. The fear for McCarthyism is that people where communist. This is also what happened with the Witch trails the people just became obsessed with witches. After you where accused it was hard not to get some type of punishment, just for being mentioned in the…
McCarthy, he believed anybody who was part of the Communist Party associated or spoke with anybody of the Communist Party we’re spies to take down America. He inspired witch-hunts of anybody associated with the Communist Party. McCarthy’s downfall came when he did televised hearings going after the United States Army he did this for eight weeks. McCarthy interrogated army officials, including many decorated war heroes. But this was his mistake because it showed how mean-spirited his campaign was. After that, the army went on the attack and ripped his campaign to shred. In one of the televised hearings Council for the Army simply asked McCarthy, "At long last, have you no sense of decency…
McCarthy was getting out of control began to criticize Eisenhower for being to soft on communists…
Mccarthyism resulted in americans turning against each other because of fear of spies, paranoia and hysteria Clearly, american had anxiety of being watched by spies. In the article it is said that “A former assistant secretary of state, Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury after denying that he was a communist spy. This shows that american people were so scared they started to point finger at people who could possible be innocent. One reason for this is that In “1917 soon after the Bolshevik Revolution that will turn rushing to Soviet union thousands of a legend communist in the US were arrested and deported this was later known as the red scare”.…
This happened to McCarthyism also. If you didn’t like someone you could accuse them of being a communist and they were jailed. This was just one of the main reasons why people got killed in both The Crucible and The McCarthy trials. The two situations were run be vengeance and the fact that everything flew out of control and when people are in fear of something that is when they are most vulnerable. Eventually McCarthy took his power to far by accusing officials in the government of communism. He accused officials of the Army of communism. This led to him being accused of fraud as well as the people that worked with him in this lie. McCarthyism was a major factor in a change in feelings about both politics and society.…
During what was known as the Red Scare when the senator claim to possess a list of 205 State Department employees who were known Communist moles. This was after World War II when Russia was rising to power and the fear of communist was fresh in very American. Instead of giving his alleged list to the FBI for investigation, McCarthy chose to hold Congressional hearing to investigate the claims personally. A panic spread throughout America just like in the Salem Witch Trails. Everyone quickly began to suspect his or her family and friends as hidden communist, with little to no evidence. Although there were no deaths, many were blacklisted until it had been clear that the list was fraud. This is just another example how mass hysteria can steer a community out of…
Sam Robert in the article a decade of fear argues that MCcarthyism turned americans against each other. Robert supports his claim by illustrating fear, described betrayal and compared it to other united states internal conflict. The author's purpose is to point out a vulnerable period in american history in order to demonstrate that americans fell prey to mccarthys negative propaganda. The author writes in a informative persuasive tone for his educated audience. I strongly agree with Roberts claim.…
It was the same way in the Salem Witch Trials except it had a more serious effect. McCarthyism was more of a joke because it never went as far as putting someone in jail for life or giving them the death penalty but it did ruin lives. During McCarthyism nobody was convicted because they had the right to a fair trial because of the Constitution. The Constitution was not around during the Salem Witch Trials so the girl’s word was all they had. In both instances people were blaming others to make themselves look better and to gain respect of others. All of the people blamed during McCarthyism were people who diminished McCarthy in some way in the past (" The Contrast of the Salem Witch Hunts and McCarthy Hearings). The girls during the Salem Witch Trials blamed people because they needed to take the pressure off themselves. Abigail Williams blamed Goody Proctor because she had a love for her husband, John Proctor and the affair they had once had. For this reason she did not like Goody Proctor and wanted her gone. Just as in the Salem Witch Trials, none of the 205 people accused during McCarthyism were guilty. In both instances people lost their good reputation for the pride of…
The institutions that most typified the McCarthy era were congressional investigating committees. They were also the most important vehicle for extending the anti-Communist crusade throughout the rest of society. Their activities and the publicity they generated transformed what had initially been a devastating but nonetheless narrowly focused attack on a small political party and its adherents into a wide-ranging campaign that touched almost every aspect of American life.…
Americans were wrongfully charged with crimes against the United States just by showing the slightest bit of communist rhetoric. Citizens , such as the Rosenberg's, were not allowed to invoke their fifth amendment rights because it was seen as if you were admitting to being a member of the communist party. This is a clear violation of American policy. Not only did McCarthyism cause the wrongful imprisonment of many American citizens, but it also led to a change in the way of life for many American citizens regardless of if they were charged with crimes against the United States. I say this because a lot of propaganda was created to fuel the "Red Scare."…
McCarthyism not only destroyed the lives and careers of many Americans but also the innocent image of the country. Senator Joe McCarthy from Wisconsin was the same as any man. But when he cried Communism the world seemed to listen.<br><br>Following the Cold War between Russia and the United States there came many hardships, such as unemployment and high inflation. These hardships produced a restless society. The society then looked for something or someone to blame (Fried, 39). They found someone to blame. Communists. Throughout the country there was a witch hunt known as the Red Scare. A basic idea was formed: Communism was evil. Anyone who participated in such evil was considered illegitimate and were to be excluded from such things as sharing ideas, and jobs (Reeves, 136). This fear of Communism or anti-Communism as it was called could be described as a type of "virus." When all was calm in America the virus would fade, but the moment a crisis struck, the virus came back stronger than ever (Feuerlicht, 35). Communism was a threat not only for countries overseas but a threat for America and its people. It was a threat on the American way of life, a bruise on the phrase "the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." (Feuerlicht, 45) And McCarthy helped spread this fear.<br><br>McCarthy and his ways challenged the Bill of Rights. "When free speech or due process are denied to any individual everyone's rights are jeopardized. Today's oppressors may become tomorrow's accursed group." (Feuerlicht, 154) And nothing is guaranteed more than the destruction of America when the freedoms promised by the Bill of Rights are denied (Feuerlicht, 154). McCarthy installed a fear in the people. But people feared tremendously the loss of their jobs. They feared that their political afflictions would reflect on their job status (Reeves, 99). By trying to keep America from becoming a Communist nation, McCarthy and his followers turned the country into an anti - Communist…
The beginning of concerns over the spread of communism started around World War I, but it turned to panic when Alger Hiss, who was a high-ranking State Department official was convicted of espionage in 1947 under the democratic presidency of Harry Truman ("McCarthyism"). This fear was even further exacerbated with news that the Soviet Union had exploded its first A-bomb in 1949 and the world’s most populated nation, China, declared it had become communist ("McCarthyism"). It was at this time that a Wisconsin Senator by the name of Joseph McCarthy came to be known nationally for declaring that he was aware of a significant number of communist party members who worked in the United States Department of State. His claims initiated investigations into determining if any public official, high rank armed forces officers and even decorated war heroes were actually communist spies. His rampage continued on through 1954 when he made the fatal mistake of televising the hearings. The public could now see and hear how ruthless and vengeful his campaign against communism had become and turned against him. Soon thereafter other members of the Senate censured him and the investigations were abruptly halted ("McCarthyism").…