Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism.
Patrick Ng
November 10, 2003
Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism
Many things in history can relate in different aspects. The comparison of the Salem Witch trials and McCarthyism are examples of things in history that show similarities. With an analysis of the two historical events, we can see that hysteria was ever-present at the times in which they occurred. It is evident that this hysteria ruined the lives of many people, due to the constant accusations of witches and communists. The events that led up to the Salem witch trails and McCarthyism were also similar. Both events were irrational fears that witchcraft and communism were going to permeate society if drastic measures were not taken.
Drastic measures were indeed taken. Both events exhibited mass hysteria within society. It was a time in which all people were involved in persecution. In Salem, it was the witches who were hunted. With McCarthyism, it was the communists that were hunted. With this brief history, we can see a general comparison between the two. Both events focused on hunting a particular group.
In Salem, the colonists were accusing many people of practicing witchcraft, and taking them to trial: "Witch-hunting occurred in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, but not as frequently as in New England" (Meltzer 70). It was said that, "Witches were Devil's helpers" (Zeinert 15). With this assumption, witches were considered very dangerous, and the colonists wanted them killed. As people began to believe that the witches truly had encounters with the Devil they started hiring fulltime witch hunters!
It all began in Salem when a nine year old girl a girl named Betty Parris began to demonstrate abnormal behavior: "She began to spend most for her time just staring straight ahead. She also made animal like noises" (Zeinert 31). Shortly after Betty's cousin Abigail, as well as several other people in town, began to exhibit analogous behavior. Doctors were perplexed by this and could make no diagnosis. Because of the lack of medical explanation, the people thought they were bewitched! Many things gave evidence to this presumption of witchcraft: "Whenever God's name was mentioned, the girls ...
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It all began in Salem when a nine year old girl a girl named Betty Parris began to demonstrate abnormal behavior: "She began to spend most for her time just staring straight ahead. She also made animal like noises" (Zeinert 31). Shortly after Betty's cousin Abigail, as well as several other people in town, began to exhibit analogous behavior. Doctors were perplexed by this and could make no diagnosis. Because of the lack of medical explanation, the people thought they were bewitched! Many things gave evidence to this presumption of witchcraft: "Whenever God's name was mentioned, the girls screamed, as if in great pain" (Zeinert 33). This was a key in giving credibility to the thought of witchcraft, because the Devil is the opposite of God. It was very significant that the girls screamed when God's name was mentioned. As a result, the accusations began.
The strange events of Salem led to trials, in which the accused witches were, "proved" guilty. The means of proving them guilty were very disgraceful. Some of the evidence included looking for the Devil's mark, and spectral evidence: "The third kind of proof was spectral evidence. Spectral evidence was testimony from victims that a suspect's ghost like spirit had hurt them" (Zeinert 39). These kinds of things could have led to the hanging of an accused witch, even if the person testifying was providing the courtroom with a false testimony! As a result, many innocent people were not proven innocent. All suspects were, "guilty until proven innocent," as stated in The Salem Witchcraft Trials. They could have been accused solely on their looks, even if they were innocently walking in the streets, minding their own business. According to demographics provided to us, as well as in the book The Devil in Massachusetts, most of the accused witches were poor, elderly women. These unfortunate women weren't affluent enough to "fit in" to society. In addition, women were supposedly more susceptible to Devil encounters: "Women were not as smart as men, and they were greedier. The Devil then could easily get a female to work for him by promising her wealth" (Zeinert 12). This made them the prime suspects of practicing witchcraft.
McCarthyism was not much different in accusations. In one instance a woman named Anne O'Hare, minding her own business, was accused of being a communist in a similar manner: "A columnist Anne O'hare McCormic was at New York's Easter parade...She was arrested and tried because she could not afford an Easter outfit that "all people" could afford" (Fried 84). Another instance in which people were accused of being communist was if they had facial hair. At the time, a lot of Russians, who were communists, had facial hair. As a result, some of those who didn't shave in America were accused of supporting the communists and reported to the officials.
McCarthyism was fueled by the Communist take over in different parts of the world and was epitomized in the McCarthy trials: "The US based Jiang's defeat...on the decay of the Nationalist regime itself: (Fried 89). The communist had just overrun China, and were getting stronger in Russia: "President Truman announced more trouble: Russians had just exploded a nuclear device" (Fried 89). Accordingly, people began fearing an attack on the US. With Senator McCarthy, who knew how to "work the people" leading the way, people started to readily accuse neighbors, and in some accounts family members, around them of being communist spies.
Both scares came to an end, but only after a tremendous price had been paid! They were both based on insubstantial evidence that led to the destruction of the reputations of individuals, and the societies in which they lived in. The Salem witch trials caused much anguish within the colony, and cost the lives of 19 "witches." "McCarthyism", as stated in a May 5, 2003 article, by Joanna Kennen: "ruined the lives and careers of people with unproven hints of communist taint." Both measures spread fear throughout the area. Neither of the trails was fair. The groups persecuted were singled out, and were obviously underdogs. Many innocent people were proven "guilty" of being witches or communists. Although they did "adjudicate" each accusation, the trials were very biased, and were primarily based on badgering performed by the colonists in Salem, and by Senator McCarthy.
Indeed, the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism have similar beginnings and similar results. Such hysteria came about because of the excessive suspicion that was planted in the people's minds, by Parris and McCarthy. The peculiar behavior in Salem and the Russians obtaining an atomic bomb gave some credibility to the situations. Despite this, it was Parris and McCarthy who primarily escalated the hysteria that occurred. Such hysteria may occur today, dealing with the issue on terrorism. Racial profiling and accusations may be prominent in our country once again! If the right events and the right people trigger such a scare, our country could be in a state of mass hysteria as it was two times already. Could it be possible that history repeat itself again for a third time?
Works Cited
Ewald, William Bragg. Who Killed Joe McCarthy? Simon and Schuster, New York:1984. Pgs. 48-94.
Fried, Richard M. Nightmare in Red. Oxford University Press, USA:1990. Pages vii-ix, 87-120.
Meltzer, Milton. Witches and Witch Hunts. The Blue Sky Press: September 1999. Pages 70-86.
Starkey, Marion L. The Devil in Massachusetts. Anchor Books, Garden City, New York,1949. Pages 14-88.
Zeinert, Karen. The Salem Witchcraft Trials. Franklin Watts, A Venture Book, 1690. Pages 11-52.
