Salem Witch Trials V. The McCarthy Hearings :: essays research papers

The McCarthy Hearings are referred to as "witch-hunts" because of their similarity to the Salem witch trials. The McCarthy hearings are trials in which Senator Joe McCarthy accuses government employees of being Communists. He exaggerates and exploits the evidence and ruins many reputations just as the girls do in the Salem witch trials. The accused, in both cases, are used as scapegoats for society’s problems and the only way to escape direct punishment is to admit to guilt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Joseph McCarthy and the girls from Salem begin to accuse people of being either Communists or witches to obtain, something they crave, power. No one actually has hard evidence to support these accusations, including the accusers. The more people they accuse the bigger the lies get. The girls in Salem begin to cry out that these witches are sending their spirits on them. The even go to the extent to start shivering, passing out, and mocking the accused as they walk into the room. Abigail Williams also sabotages, Elizabeth Proctor, one of the women she accuses of being a witch. When Abigail witnesses Marry Warren, the Proctors servent and one of the accusers, making a puppet and sticking a needle in it’s stomach for safe keeping Abigail knew it would be taken to her home at the Proctors. So she decides to claim she was stuck with a pin by Elizabeth Proctor through the technique of voodoo and Elizabeth is arrested that night for witchery. As for McCarthy he accuses anyone he sees. He even began to question the integrity of George C. Marshall and even President Eisenhower. He also, started an investigation on the Army. He never gave any kind of reliable evidence, he just started pointing fingers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Instead of trying to fix the problems in their society they blame the problems on something else so they won‘t have to deal with them. In 1692 a few girls got sick, they blame it on witch craft instead of thinking that maybe they were faking it or they got some kind of unknown sickness. In 1950 people begin to think differently than one another and have new ideas, people blame it on Communists instead of embracing the new ideas and learning and politely debating them.