The Anti-Communist Crusade and the Rise of McCarthyism. How McCarthyism Worked" Mass hysteria has reared its ugly head for as long as humans have existed. Adolf Hitler worked enough people into a frenzy to justify the murder of millions of Jews. Jesus Christ, known by all as peaceful, if controversial, was brutally nailed to a cross because a few high-ranking officials felt threatened by him.
Although one would hope that people would learn a lesson or two from the mistakes of the past, it seems that history, as the old cliché goes, is forever doomed to repeat itself. Enter Senator Joseph McCarthy. Communism, in simple terms, is an economic system designed to equally benefit everyone in the society. By the '50s, communism wasn't exactly a new worry for the United States. By the time McCarthy won a Senate seat in 1946, World War II was over and the Cold War was beginning.
In this article, you'll learn about the basics of communism, McCarthy's interview tactics, and recent evidence about the communist presence in the United States at the time of McCarthyism. Committee On Un-American Activities. A History of Witchcraft Persecutions. Outbreaks of witchcraft hysteria, with subsequent mass executions, began to appear in the early 1500s. Authorities in Geneva, Switzerland burned 500 acccused witches at the stake in 1515. Nine years later in Como, Italy, a spreading spiral of witchcraft charges led to as many as 1000 executions.
The Reformation divided Europe between Protestant regions and those loyal to the Pope, but Protestants took the crime of witchcraft no less seriously--and arguably even more so--than Catholics. Germany, rife with sectarian strife, saw Europe's greatest execution rates of witches--higher than those in the rest of the Continent combined. Witch hysteria swept France in 1571 after Trois-Echelles, a defendant accused of witchcraft from the court of Charles IX, announced to the court that he had over 100,000 fellow witches roaming the country.
Judges responding to the ensuing panic by eliminating for those accused of witchcraft most of the protections that other defendants enjoyed. Salem Massachusetts - What about Witches The Witch Trials. Examination of a Witch, by T.H. Matteson 1853. Courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum The events which led to the Witch Trials actually occurred in what is now the town of Danvers, then a parish of Salem Town, known as Salem Village. Launching the hysteria was the bizarre, seemingly inexplicable behavior of two young girls; the daughter, Betty, and the niece, Abigail Williams, of the Salem Village minister, Reverend Samuel Parris. The Witch House The Witch House In February, 1692, three accused women were examined by Magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne.
By the time the hysteria had spent itself, 24 people had died. It is remarkable 552 original documents pertaining to the witchcraft trials have been preserved and are still stored by the Peabody Essex Museum. * These short paragraphs are intended only as an introduction to a complex subject about which much has been written. Salem Witch Trials of 1692: Facts, History & Causes. While the term 'witch-hunt' has become part of our common vocabulary, it has roots in the hysteria that befell Salem Village, Massachusetts, at the close of the seventeenth century. Develop an understanding of the Salem witch trials and test your knowledge with a short quiz.
A Puritan Background Puritans, or religious exiles from the Church of England who moved to the colonies with a hope of returning to England to 'purify' the Church, settled most of the Massachusetts colony. Puritan leaders had hoped their colony would serve as a 'city on a hill' for all those around the world to take note of. By the end of the seventeenth century, New England towns maintained much of the Puritan vision, while at the same time growing rapidly and developing a shopkeeper middle class.
The Devil in New England The strains of moving from a Puritan utopia to a royal colony further played out in the witchcraft hysteria that hit the coastal town of Salem Village (now the town of Danvers, MA) in 1692. Digital History. Decoding the Salem Witch trials, Part 1 | US History Scene. The witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1692 represent the most famous Puritan moment in American history; it is the one thing most people think of when they think of the New England Puritans. Usually, it is seen as a shocking and indisputable indictment of the Puritans’ intolerance and ignorance, and even sexism.
To get at the truth of what happened in Salem and to understand why it happened, we have to get a little background on Puritan ideas about witchcraft. Then we’ll set the scene for events in Salem, taking into account the political and religious strife occurring in that venerable town in the late 1600s. Finally, we’ll take a look at the trials and the various explanations scholars have offered to explain what really went on during the witch scare. Remember, Salem is actually an anomaly in the history of the New England Puritans. It generated remarkably little comment in New England at the time. Puritans and Witches The reality is not so clear-cut. Salem Witchcraft: the Events and Causes of the Salem Witch Trials. By Tim Sutter © 2000-2003 What caused the Salem witch trials of 1692? This question has been asked for over 300 years. Although it is a simple question, it does not have an easy answer. The answer is difficult because there are numerous factors and events that helped create and influence the trials.
The main factors that started and fueled the trials were politics, religion, family feuds, economics, and the imaginations and fears of the people. Salem Politics Salem Village had a very colorful history before the famous witch trials. Many of the Salem Village farming families believed that Salem Town’s thriving economy made it too individualistic. The Putnams were the leaders of the separatist group primarily because they owned the most farmland in Salem Village. Contracts for ministers during this period often provided them with a modest salary, use of a house, and free firewood.
In October of 1691 a new Salem Village Committee was elected that was comprised mostly of Parris’ opponents. Adolescent Girl Hysteria. Mass Hysteria Develops in New York Teenagers. Salem Witch Trials. Mass Delusions and Hysterias: Highlights from the Past Millennium. Article Robert E. Bartholomew and Erich Goode Volume 24.3, May / June 2000 Over the past millennium, mass delusions and hysterical outbreaks have taken many forms. Sociologists Robert Bartholomew and Erich Goode survey some of the more colorful cases.
The turn of the second millennium has brought about, in the Western world at least, an outpouring of concern about cosmic matters. The study of collective delusions most commonly falls within the domain of sociologists working in the sub-field of collective behavior, and psychologists specializing in social psychology. Mass hysteria is characterized by the rapid spread of conversion disorder, a condition involving the appearance of bodily complaints for which there is no organic basis.
Middle Ages, France During the Middle Ages, dozens of outbreaks of hysterical fits and imitative behaviors were reported among repressed nuns in cloistered European Christian convents. Fifteenth Century Germany Milan, Italy, 1630 Lille, France, 1639 Worldwide, 1835.