Witch Hunts Then and Now Essay Example

arrested because of their beliefs and religious tolerance of others. They were put on trial and sentenced to death. They were all said to be witches and hung.

Nelson 80) During that time in Salem they only followed the Puritan Rule and the only religion that they wanted was Protestant. They didn't believe nor tolerate anything else.

The only songs that they were allowed to sing were hymns and the only school that was allowed was bible learning. (Salem witch trials Para. 15) They were very strict. "Men and women in Salem believed that all the misfortunes were attributed to the work of the devil, when things like infant death, crop failures, or friction among the congregation occurred, the supernatural was blamed. " Salem witch trials Para. ) In the McCarthy Era, the people who were accused of being communists, communist sympathizers and/or spies for the Soviet Union, ended up losing their jobs, their careers were destroyed and/or imprisoned.

Some of those people where, government employees, people in the entertainment industry, educators, and union activists. (McCarthy Para 2) They were accused because people where afraid of them. People where afraid of what they would do in our country. In both situations the ones accused were encouraged to confess and name others who where either witches or communists.

This similarity can be found in the aftermath Of nine - eleven. Because we were attacked by al Qaeda, many people wanted to blame all Muslims, however many of them where innocent.

The third similarity is that there were a few who profited from these two events. In the Salem witch-hunts the main one to profit was Cotton

Matter. He supported the witch-hunts because he didn't want to tolerate any new religions and for personal advancement. (Nelson 80 - 81) With his involvement in the trials he became well known.

He was able to keep a arsenal hold on Salem and let only the religion that he wanted to be there, which was the Protestant religion and Puritan Rule.

In the McCarthy era, Joseph McCarthy profited the most. He went from not being well known to being one of the most recognized Politician's in The Lignite States. He became so popular that this second red scare was named after him. He pushed the most for the communist to be found and sent to trial.

In one Of his most popular speeches he stated that he had a list with over a hundred names on it of people who were believed to either be a communist or a sympathizer.