Mychaela Heidecker, Ariel Ostrander Jordyn Roggenkamp, Matt Paulson Kris Gorake 11/01/13

The Crucible: In Comparison to McCarthyism/The Red Scare Era

Over time there have been many important historical events that have constructed the ways of society today. Certain events have had such an impact in history that many lives were simply ruined. There are two interrelated events that all have caused a huge commotion in history focused on accusations. These include McCarthyism in The Red Scare Era, and Salem Witch Trials as written by Arthur Miller in The Crucible. Although theyre completely different occurrences, they all derive from paranoid people on a hunt to rid their surroundings from the bad and evil people. Joseph McCarthy was a young senator who capitalized on the paranoia that communism was infiltrating the United States, and became the instigator behind the allegations during The Red Scare era. The Witch Trials, as told by Arthur Miller in The Crucible, explore a similar time period; a period of great fear and unsubstantial accusations upon innocent people. The comparison between Millers play write and the occurrences during The Red Scare era both have corresponding qualities and characters that make them similar and different. A similarity between the like topics is that they all were both charged by unsubstantial evidence in which caused much fear for many. The majority of the people during each event altered their everyday lives in order to avoid the possibility of being accused. The substance behind McCarthys accusations was so minor that the supposed card carrying communists had

no way to alter the truth in order to justify their innocence. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/arthur-miller/mccarthyism/484/). These normal people were thrusted into the public eye under very unfair allegations. Comparably, in Millers play write, the innocent townsfolk of Salem who were the accused had no alibi to save themselves because all of the accusations were fabricated in order to make them appear to be a compactor of the devil. (Miller 116) In each circumstance, the people under conjecture had no chance of clearing their names, because they all weren't guilty in the first place. In both cases, the townsfolk and suspected communists are falsely charged by flimsy facts in which made the innocent appear guilty. In addition, the Red Scare era and The Crucible both deal with the effects of assumption and false accusations. The individuals in each topic that weren't afraid to prosecute innocent bystanders were the ones the bystanders were afraid of. The accusers in both of these situations were The Crucibles Abigail Williams and Senator Joseph McCarthy. The words these instigators said about the alleged people were never to be questioned out of the publics personal fear of being put under speculation. For instance in McCarthyism, he publicly outed over 200 people on a list that he blindly deemed communists. (Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare). McCarthy intentionally made accusations of treason and disloyalty without proper evidence to prove so. Likewise, Abigail accuses others of witchcraft when she says I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil! (Miller 46-47) This shows Abigail's false tattling on the other people she declares as witches in order to inflict public criticism. Both Joseph McCarthy and Abigail Williams portray the same traits that make them equal as the accusers of their people.

On the contrary, the Red Scare period and The Crucible have one very evident difference. During McCarthyism, the alleged communists were only tried in court, and each case never resulted in death. Those accused under McCarthy usually only came out with a "bad reputation" whether they denied the claims or not. (Morgan). This event displayed that those that were involved in the hearings wouldn't have the end result of death, but they would endlessly live under the title of a treasonist. However, during the Witch Trials, those accused of dealing with witchcraft were hung. They supposedly "sealed their fates" when they denied all charges of dealing with the devil. (Brooks). This concluded each trial with those accused never being able to clear their names and forever being known as a witch from the people of their time. This difference exhibited the contrasting quality within both events. The Red Scare era and the Salem Witch Trials were equally complex events that helped shape civilization as seen today. The related crisis both have various people that can be directly equalized within the context of each topic. These correlated people include the accusers, Abigail Williams in Millers play and McCarthy in the Red Scare period. The grouped victims in each depiction consist of the alleged communists and the suspected witches also making them similar. Each topic also consists of the two alike groups of being under accusation along with the two similar accusers of the alleged people. Finally, the distinction between both topics was what inevitably ended up happening to those in trial. The comparison between Millers play write and the occurrences during The Red Scare era both have corresponding qualities and characters that make them similar and different. If it weren't for these events that have shaped the lives of numerous people today, many lives would be drastically different.