Throughout history millions of people have been scorned, accused, arrested, tortured, put to trial, and persecuted as witches. One would think that by the time the United States was colonized, these injustices on humanity would have come to an end, but that was not so. In 1692 a major tragedy occurred in America, the Salem witch trials. It all began, when a group of girls accused others, generally older women, of consorting with the devil (Nelson 42). The witchcraft hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts resulted from the strict Puritan code which aroused the girls' interest in superstition and magic and caused strange beh

Even their relaxation was associated with the meeting house. On the Sabbath, there was a long service in the morning and another in the afternoon. Village residents who came from outlying farms were not able to get home before the services, and it gradually became a regular practice for the time before the services to be spent in visiting and conversation (28). This was the time when gossip and news were spread from one to another. The Puritans lived with the fear of their neighbors and their gossip. The Crucible describes the witch hunts through the story of John Proctor, a man who became victim to the cruel justice system of Salem.

McCarthy would not be the first to consider this issue, Pat McCarran and Richard Nixon had already made names for themselves by accusing Communists. On February 9, at an address, McCarthy claimed he had a list of 205 members of the Communist party who were also members of a spy ring and shaping the policy of the State Department. Many people were stunned by this speech and became interested in this topic. After the speech, McCarthy ruled as "Washington's number-one Communist hunter" (196), though in his entire career he was never to catch a single one. McCarthy was named the committee chairman of the House Committee of Un-American Activities (HUAC). Because the Senator had no positive agenda, he performed as an "attack dog", which Republicans used as a useful tool to bring down opponents. After a failed trial against the Army, the Senate voted 67 to 22 to "condemn" McCarthy. His career was mostly over after the Army trial and he lost the committee chairmanship in 1954. He suffered from alcohol liver damage, and died three years later, just 48 years old (196). The McCarthy era came to be known as a troubled time in our history.

Joe McCarthy was born in Wisconsin and attended law school there. After a brief period of an unsuccessful law career, McCarthy entered the world of politics. As he moved up the ranks, a local observer called him "tricky, very tricky" (Parrish 194). In 1942, a few months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, McCarthy joined the Marine Corps, where he injured his leg. After the war, McCarthy went back to politics and won a Senate seat in 1946. By the beginning of the fourth year, McCarthy had nothing to show for his three years in Washington. "In one poll, in fact, Washington reporters had voted him the remarkable distinction of being the worst Senator" (195). When searching for an issue which could make a name, a friend of his suggested the issue of Communism.

The Crucible may be applied to many other time periods. The Spanish Inquisition, the France of Robespierre and Danton, Nazi Germany, and Russia under the rule of Stalin, can all apply to this play (Nelson 41). According to Benjamin Nelson, The Crucible, "if not a political allegory, is not very historically accurate". He claims that, "It is a dramatic exploration of the conditions of corporate hysteria" (42). Many critics agree this play has universal significance (Warshaw 26). Although many believe this play is truly about McCarthy

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2069
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)