The Salem WitchCraft Trials in Comparison to McCarthyism

The hysteria surrounding the witchcraft accusations of 1642, and the furor surrounding McCarthyist blacklisting on suspicion of Communist activities of the 1950's may not seem particularly similar, but in study of them they are quite alike. The accusations, "witch"-hunting, and persecution on nothing but rumour are common to both episodes in history.

The McCarthyist Reign of Terror is sometimes referred to as the Red Scare, because it created a hysteria about suspected Communist spies. Senator Joseph McCarthy led the accusations in who was or was not believed to be a Communist, and you could be accused on the merest whisper of doubt as to your political ideology.

People who were accused had an inquiry about their Communist leanings, and often times just the fact that they'd been accused ruined their reputation, and they were punished anyways. To be accused of being a Communist meant you'd probably be blacklisted. To be blacklisted meant you lost your job and couldn't get one with anyone at all. Oftentimes, people blacklisted never worked in America again. This parallels the occurances in the Salem Witchcraft Trials, where just being accused was a permanent stain on your reputation at best, and a death sentence at worst.

An interesting bit of note, the author of the Crucible, Arthur Miller, was among the blacklisted during the McCarthyist fifties.