McCarthyism and the Crucible

McCarthyism and "The Crucible"

Frequently, false charges can disrupt and trouble an entire community. In many cases, people tend to believe others simply by what the others choose to declare. If the assertion is outrageous and scandalous, the public becomes robotically keen to believe and continue on the statement. In writing the story, "The Crucible," Arthur Miller claims that the irrational chaos of false accusations in McCarthyism compares to the persuasion of the evil mob in the Salem Witch trials.

In "The Crucible," the population of a town is portrayed as evil. This insane notion began when a group of Puritan girls became intrigued by stories of witchcraft and magic. These girls decided to go into the woods and "conjure" spells and hexes because they were bored with the strict Puritan life. Children, such as Betty Parris, were soon falling ill, and people were beginning to suspect that witchcraft was the cause of it. In order to avoid any punishment, the girls (mainly one named Abigail Williams) created stories of the supposed witches who had made them dance and summon spells. Upon hearing this, the older generation demanded for the girls to tell them who they had seen with the devil. The people who the girls chose to blame were questioned and, many times, hanged. The false accusations soon became a way to get revenge on certain people. As those specific humans were suspected and charged, they often took the blame off of themselves and put it on someone else. If the accused persons confessed to taking part in witchcraft, they were spared from hanging. They were free to go about their lives as if nothing ever happened. On the other hand, if they chose not to confess this terrible theoretical sin, they were to be hanged. (Miller)

The rise of McCarthyism began before Joseph McCarthy's involvement in it. During both WWI and WWII, Americans were fearful of the Communist Party. Anti-Communist committees began appearing in federal, state, and local governments. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), which was established in 1938, investigated those who were suspected of overthrowing or threatening the democracy of the United States. As the Alien Registration Act permitted the government to gather information, the HUAC searched for those who were believed to be a threat to American beliefs. In June of 1940, Congress passed the Alien Registration Act, which required people who were illegal residents of the United States to file statements of their occupational and personal statuses. (Simkin)

Fact and fiction come together in analyzing this cultural spectacle that affected all levels of society. United States Senator, Joseph McCarthy was much like the fictional character, Abigail Williams. On Lincoln Day, February 9, 1950, McCarthy was giving a speech to the Republican Women's Club of Wheeling, West Virginia. He held out a piece of paper and claimed, "I have here in my hand, a list of 205-a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State