Senator Joseph R. McCarthy Drives our Country to Paranoia and Hysteria

Two powerful speeches from McCarthy

The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, is a historical portrayal of McCarthy  

The newly powerful senator McCarthy is swaying the country to be even more anti-Communist. He has convicted over 200 people of “anti-American activities and he is leading a witch hunt on Hollywood and the rest of America. The Senator ruins many people’s lives by putting their name on a list of possible sympathizers, also known as blacklisting. Even if the accusations are proven to be false, the person’s reputation remains tainted. McCarthy’s convictions are so damaging that some people are thrown in jail, others get their passports taken away, and many are unable to work. He accused 326 people, and one of them is Arthur Miller, the author of the newly released play, The Crucible. McCarthy is ruining the lives of people who are just speaking their minds. What drives McCarthy to lead this witch hunt? Is it for power, fame or does he really believe in what he is doing? Though McCarthy claims that he is trying to help the country, he is actually going against the it’s core beliefs. The First Amendment of the Constitution protects freedom of speech but if you talk about being a Communist, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) will come after you. Two of McCarthy’s recent speeches about the groups of people that he convicted and the war on Communism illustrate his thoughts about this critical issue.

The first speech from is about the convictions in United States State Department. The wisconsin senator uses his power to intimidate anyone who opposes him. He has accuses them of being a Communist sympathiser, one of the worst crimes an American can commit. McCarthy says, “‘And ladies and gentlemen, while I cannot take time to name all the men in the State Department who have been named as active members of the Communist Party and members of a spy ring, 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 Department.”  Senator McCarthy is trying to get attention in a deceitful way. He is relying on hearsay to make his accusations. McCarthy has accused people in the State Department, but that is only the first step on the road to his plan of defeating Communism.

In his second speech, McCarthy is telling everyone to support anti-Communism. He is preaching to all of America that Communists want to start a war, take over America, and make it a Communist country. “‘Ladies and gentlemen, can there be anyone here tonight who is so blind as to say that the war is not on? Can there be anyone who fails to realize that the Communist world has said, ‘The time is now’—that this is the time for the showdown between the democratic Christian world and the Communist atheistic world? Unless we face this fact, we shall pay the price that must be paid by those who wait too long.'” Senator McCarthy is putting the fear of Communism in peoples’ minds. He is making people believe that being a Communist is the worst thing in the world. He believes that if other people become Communist they will “spread” the “Communist disease” throughout the world. The war on communism has so many similarities to Arthur Miller’s version of the Salem Witch Trials.

Much like the effects of McCarthyism in the U.S., hysteria and paranoia spread throughout a town called Salem in the play, the Crucible set in 1692. The Crucible is a historical allegory for our modern issues, for instance being accused of communism. Senator Joseph McCarthy is like Deputy Governor Danforth from the Crucible. They are similar because both have convicted many of being a witch or a communist. They both had the power to blame others in order to gain even more power for themselves. Senator Joseph McCarthy and Deputy Governor Danforth marginalized other people to centralize themselves. Danforth said,”Them what will not confess will hang. Twelve are already executed; the names of these seven are given out and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast God’s law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering. If retaliation is what you fear, Know this- I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and an ocean of salt tears could not melt the resolution of the statutes” (pg 129). This quote shows that Danforth thinks that he is “speaking God’s law” and he knows that he himself is the most powerful person in New England. He is saying that God wants to rid Salem of the demons and he does not care how many people may die and get hurt to achieve that goal. Danforth is the real demon in the town. McCarthy may not be a demon but he employs some of the same techniques.

Yesterday there was a report from Edward R. Murrow saying that McCarthy was wrong and his accusations were false. Edward R. Murrow is a very well respected reporter who gave a smashing blow to the senators reputation. McCarthy is similar to  Ms. Putnam and the reporter can be compared to Rebecca Nurse. Rebecca was a well respected woman because she showed the true Puritan way. Rebecca told everyone that Abigail was making the accusations up and some believed her. Then Ms. Putnam blamed Rebecca for killing her children. The superstitious town started to doubt Rebbeca after Ms. Putnam blackened her name. Rebecca explained, “I think she’ll wake in time. Pray calm yourselves. I have eleven children, and I am twenty-six times a grandma and I have seen them all though their silly seasons and when it come on them they will run the devil bowlegged keeping up with their mischief. I think she’ll wake when she tires of it. A child’s spirit is like a child you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back” (pg 27). Rebecca is sitting next to Betty who is inert on the bed. She is saying that children will be children, they will have “their silly seasons.” She is also not accusing the girls but actually defending them. Rebbeca can be compared to the reporter in that both endorse logic and recognize silliness and falseness when they see it. Both of these are examples of the deep connection between The Crucible and modern day.

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