McCarthyism and Salem Witch Hunt
McCarthyism and Salem Witch Hunt
The world tends to allow hysteria and chaos when a nation or community is unstable or venerable to beneath-the-surface problems. History vouches for this statement, for instance intense suspicion and uncertainties eroded during the Salem Witch-hunt Trials, and not long after came the years of McCarthyism. Although these two instances had dissimilar situations, they both allowed frenzy and disorder take over by fear.
First and foremost, Salem Town in Massachusetts had a period of infighting Puritan witch beliefs that many people made a pact with the devil. This all took place in 1692, and developed from internal disputes between neighbors. Some experts believe the accusers were motivated by jealousy or spite and their behavior was an act. Their community was based on farming so there was a large amount of tension due to land capacity of a neighbor and definitely envy. Betsy Paris and Abigail Williams were the instigators that deceived the community into thinking they were being harassed by spirits. This led to many convictions without reasonable evidence to prove her torment. In the end, many died and the accusers were not convicted despite their “pious” beliefs.
McCarthyism is during a time period of extreme anti-communism suspicions that lasted from 1940 to nearly the 1950s, also known as the “Second Red Scare”. The term McCarthyism is derived from a man named Joseph McCarthy, who was radically loyal to the Republican name of the United States.