The Road More Taken

Looking back upon history, the Salem Witch Trials appear to be a time of mass hysteria and paranoia which caused the mass persecution upon countless innocent lives. The trials seemed foolish and unprecedented, and that history would never repeat itself in the aspect of senseless accusation and punishment. The sad and harsh reality is that by the law of social axioms and how the human subconscious works, the Salem Witch Trials are an embodiment of how society never takes responsibility for their own problem and thus finds an unconventional excuse to place the blame on their own sufferings, while also exhibiting how individuals of society follow in the footsteps of the mainstream for their own safety.

The root of the Salem Witch Trials resulted from a multitude of factors: recent suffering from Indian attacks, increasing difficulty in acquiring land for farming, harsh winters, and the spread of smallpox. In order words, turbulent and intense societal and economic changes which caused a sudden and drastic change in life for the population. The people of Salem were ready to blame anything or anyone for the cause of their current failures and lifestyle; fortunately for them, they were able to find the perfect blame: witchcraft. As a result, the Salem Witch Trials occurred. Society was unable to cope with the harsh changes which society had faced, and thus blamed their sufferings on the superstition of witchcraft. The reason the trials were able to burn on through such a period was the fact that the individuals of society were willing to accept such supernatural causes of their own hardships. On the other side of the spectrum, individuals were also unwilling to present views opposite to society in fears of being persecuted, being perfectly content with following society's footsteps.  As a result of society's and the individual's innate behaviors, the prosecution of witches for the ills of society was able to continue for such a prolonged period of time. 

History repeated itself two and a half centuries later, this time in the form of Army-McCarthy Hearings. Senator McCarthy caught the attention of the nation with his persecution of those in the government in the Communist party and espionage. Many lives were ruined due to the exposition of their involvement with the Communist party. The causes for the hearings were the same as they were for the Witch Trials; society was fearful of the Soviet Union, and a deep sense of hysteria and paranoia was present in America due to tensions of the Cold War, and thus society found solace in blaming those in the government of being Communist spies. 

Both the Salem Witch Trials and the Army McCarthy Hearings illustrate that such hysteria does not occur because of a single event, but due to the inherent behaviors of society and individuals. Society is always more willing to search for an excuse for their hardships rather than take responsibility for their own hardships. Individuals often follow the popular views of society in order to feel safe. As a result, society as a whole will never be able to truly move forward from these witch trials. As long as individuals continue to follow the beliefs of society as a whole, individuals will remain slaves to popular opinion, and hysteria such as witch trials will only repeat itself in the future.