The Red Scare and the Witch Hunts

A detailed Summary of The Red Scare and the Witch Hunts

How did the Red Scare relate to the Salem Witch Trails? America endured the Red Scare from 1945 to around 1952. The Red Scare, the hunt for Communists, was epitomized in the McCarthy trials when many innocent citizens were labeled as Communists. In many ways, it resembled the notorious Salem Witch-Hunt of the 1690's. Both of these involved fear, prejudice, and a lack of respect for civil rights of the citizens.

The Salem witch-hunt was centered in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1690's. In 1563, a little more than a century before the witch-hunts of the 1690's began, Queen Elizabeth legalized the killing of witches. She made a law stating that the first offense was punishable by pillory, but the second offense was punishable by death. James I was not so lenient. He decided that on the first offense, a witch must die.

At this time in America, the New England colonies were recovering from a serious Native American uprising lead by the Wampanoag tribe. Witchcraft and demon-worship were central to the religion of several Native American tribes, and had become a threat to the moral existence of the settlers. This was a time when people believed magic worked and witches could kill with spells. The settlers felt they wer

The spark was Abigail, a Protestant girl around 17 years old, who had an affair with John Proctor. She wanted his wife out of the way. She and her friends were bored with their Protestant life. So, they thought it needed a little spice. So they decided to go dancing naked in the woods at night with Tituba, a Barbados slave who knew black magic. They were caught by one of the girls' fathers, Reverend Parris. Abigail, the ringleader, said the devil was controlling Tituba, and Tituba had made them into witches like herself. These "witches" claimed to be reformed and started calling out names of other "witches." One of the names called out by Abby happened to be Mrs. Proctor. She wanted Proctor and would let nothing stand in her way from getting him.

The fire raged and soon over a hundred were in jail. The highest judges were in town, and the hangings began. None of those accused were found innocent. Either they confessed and gave more names, or they were hanged. (At least twenty were hanged.) John Proctor was publicly against the witch trials, and was accused of helping the witches. Abigail realized that she couldn't have him and that the witch scare was getting way out of hand. She and another girl left town for Europe and ended up as hookers. John Procter, a leader with many followers, and Rebecca Nurse, a generous old lady, were hanged. No one thought they followed the devil. The people were beginning to doubt the witch trials. When the wife of an important man was set to hang, the witch-hunt stopped.

The Red Scare was very similar to this. World War II had b

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Approximate Word count = 1087
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics