Summary:
The parallels linking the Communist scare of the 1950s, the Salem witch trials (as described in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"), and racial profiling after the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
There are three parallels among the Salem witch trials, the Red Scare of the 1950's, and Racial Profiling after 9/11: false accusations motivated by unrelated personal interest, public fear of something that is thought to be destructive to society's values, and trust placed in leading accusers and or authority figures who abuse their power. In all examples there has been a "witch-hunt" based on these three parallels. In only one case people were being charged with actual witchcraft but possible terrorists and communists were being treated the same way. The obvious difference between these three is the time period, however this only shows that history has a tendency to repeat itself.
The story of the Salem witch trials is told in the novel "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. At one point Miller writes: "I'll tell you what's.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. There are 1,455 words (approx.
5 pages at 300 words per page) in the full essay.
Read the rest of this Essay with our Three Parallels in Otherwise Unrelated Events in U.S. History Access Pass.
