Katherine Anderson 12/12/14
American History: A Repetitious Pattern Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” Although this quote could be applied to many different events in history, it can indisputably be compared to two of the most infamous in America’s past: The Salem Witch Trials and the “Red Scare,” or Joseph McCarthy and the House of Un-American Activities Committee. These two periods of American history are remarkably similar in numerous ways. The Salem Witch Trials in 1692 and the Hunt for Communists during the 1950’s-60’s shows something man, for some reason, continues to not realize about history: it repeats itself. The Salem Witch Trials began in the spring of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. There were many factors that made Salem Colony fertile-soil in which terror and hysteria could arise and thrive. King William’s war recently took place in New France (Canada) and the people feared they would strike Salem Colony next. The people were also horrified that the Native Americans would attack at any time. There had been a recent smallpox epidemic. There was a sense of rivalry towards nearby Salem Town, a community in which there was more money. These prominent factors made life stressful for the puritans and certainly tension was high among the people. It is no surprise that when the word spread of the “diagnosis” of the first witch, Betty Parris (which was the daughter of Samuel Parris), dread and suspicion enveloped the town and spread like an illness from person to person. Once the accusations began, a distinct court, the “Court of Oyer and Terminer,” was erected in Salem for the sole purpose of listening to and deciding whether or not to convict those accused of witchcraft. When the trials ended a total of 14 women and 5 men were hanged, seven died in the prisons and one man was stoned to death.