The Red Scare and the Witch Hunts

How did the Red Scare relate to the Salem Witch Trails? America endured the Red Scare from 1945 to around 1952. The Red Scare, the hunt for Communists, was epitomized in the McCarthy trials when many innocent citizens were labeled as Communists. In many ways, it resembled the notorious Salem Witch-Hunt of the 1690's. Both of these involved fear, prejudice, and a lack of respect for civil rights of the citizens. The Salem witch-hunt was centered in …

…or in some cases jobs as actors or comedians. Both the Salem Witch-Hunt and the Red Scare were triggered by fear. In the witch-hunt, it was the time before reason and science, in which the Puritans were defending their way of life and establishing the New World. In the Red Scare, it was the time when the U.S. was assuming its role as a world power; Communism was different and a threat to democracy.