Witch-Hunts

	According to American Heritage Dictionary, a witch hunt is a political campaign launched on the pretext of investigating activities subversive to the state.
"How long have you been in the snare of the devil?"	You must confess!	"Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist party?"

Introduction

Introduction

Have you ever thought, “How did I get myself into this mess?” More importantly did you say to yourself, “What can I do to make sure this never happens again?” Philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Arthur Miller was a writer during the time in history when Communism was a big threat to the United States and Senator Joseph McCarthy led a movement to find and prosecute suspected communists (1946 to 1955). As Miller watched the McCarthy trials he was reminded of another time in history. Miller decide to speak to the events of his time by writing the play, The Crucible, based on the Salem Witch Trials. You will exam the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism and decide how we got into those messes and more importantly how could we make them never happen again.

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Task

You are part of a team to research both the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Era. You will collect, chart, and analyze the data to decide for yourself if Arthur Miller was correct in comparing McCarthyism to the Salem Witch Trials. You will look at causes of each event to try to learn from the past. Your final task will be to write a letter to the editor of the local paper on the possibility of future witch-hunts.

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Process

Step One: Divide your team into two groups to collect data on these two events in history.

Group One: Salem Witch Trials

Group Two: McCarthyism

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Group One: Salem Witch Trials

"January 20, 1692, in the village of Salem, Massachusetts: Two girls fall ill. Their unusual symptoms—screaming, convulsive seizures, and trances—baffle the doctor. When other girls begin exhibiting the same odd behavior, the townspeople become suspicious. What is wrong with these girls? According to the doctor, they are under the influence of witches. Source

Your role is to use these web sites to collect data to answer these questions.

Background Info on Salem Witch Trials

Salem Witch Museum

List of the Accused

Life in Salem 1692

Timeline of Salem Witch Trials

The Story of The Salem Witch Trials

1. Brief description of Salem Witch Trials

2. What were the causes of the Witch-Hunt?

3. Were the accused given a fair trial? Explain.

4. What were the consequences for both the individuals accused and society?

5. What are some possible ways that society could have avoided the witch-hunt? (remember to keep the time period in mind)

Go to step two

Group Two: McCarthyism

In the late 1940's and the 1950's, a number of events alarmed and frustrated many Americans. Communists were becoming more and more powerful. Communism was spreading at a rapid rate.

Your role is to use these web sites to collect data to answer these questions.

McCarthyism (scroll down until you get to McCarthyism)

Reason for the Paranoia

Senator Joe McCarthy

Happy Days- The 1950's

History Channel- The 50's

American Masters McCarthyism

Blacklist and Other Economic Sanctions

1. Brief description of McCarthy Era.

2. What were the causes of the McCarthyism, Red Scare or Red Hunt?

3. Were the accused given a fair trial? Explain.

4. What were the consequences for both the individuals accused and society?

5. What are some possible ways that society could have avoided the Red Scare or red hunt? (remember to keep the time period in mind)

Step Two: Compile the information you have gathered in chart form on an 8 1/2 x11 sheet of paper. Make an additional column on your chart called comparison. You will use it in Step Four when you compare the two events. Let your teacher check your chart while you are doing step three.

Step Three: Experience both The Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Era Trials by visiting these two websites.

Salem Witch Trials

McCarthy Era Trials

Step Four: As a group discuss the similarities and differences between the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. Add your comparison data to your chart. Do you think Miller was correct to feel the two events were similar?

Step Four: There is growing concern in the United States that hard-won civil liberties are being fast eroded in the wake of September 11, 2001. They feel Americans are giving up their rights in order to feel safe and to fight terrorism . Could this be a time in history that is right for another witch-hunt?

Based on the information you have gathered of two past witch-hunts in American History , write a letter to the editor of our local paper in response to this concern. Include specific examples to back your opinion and any solutions you can offer. You may do additional research to complete your letter.

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Conclusion

You have just researched two incidents in American History that do not show the best side of our American heritage. Playwright Arthur Miller was concerned about the events during his time period and had experienced the effects of McCarthyism. If he had written a play about persecuting Communists, it would surely had been censored. Instead he chose to write about a similar event in past history. Surprisingly many people dismissed the similarity because there were no such thing as witches and there certainly were communists.

“Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana

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This page was last updated on Wednesday, June 26, 2002