The, The Salem Witch Trials And The Civil Rights Movement...

It is often affirmed that as the most dominant species on planet earth, human beings essentially rule the way in which our world has evolved; we have cognitive abilities that allow us to explore a multitude of complex variables, utilize logic, formulate a wide range of choices, and act out our decisions. However, even as highly logical creatures, humans have the propensity to be influenced by the choices of others or information presented to them, form groups of like-minded individuals, and participate in behaviors they would likely not have undertaken on their own. This particular behavior has been coined the â€Å"mob mentality and under it, people appear to become mindless automatons that lack any ability to act on their own thoughts. While there are perfect examples of mob mentalities doing good, such as the pivotal march on Washington during the Civil rights movement of the 1960’s, to something as simple as the yearly gathering of like-minded individuals at the Burnin g Man Festival, there are far more insidious examples such as the Holocaust, the Salem Witch trials, and Bacon’s Rebellion. In the realm of human behavior, each of these â€Å"events† is representational of what psychology defines as a mob or herd mentality and this group behavior has been an intrinsic quality of human civilizations throughout history. As such, this writer believes that Bacon’s Rebellion is a prime example of the negative implications mob mentalities are capable of generating. However theShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1001 Words   |  5 PagesToday there are kids and adults that wonder why the events of the Salem witch trials actually happened because everyone was blamed for no reason and all people did was make excuses. Those types of people also wonder how the people back then were tricked into believing that witches existed and they had to deal with everything that happened in a harsh manner because everyone was in a  "I can’t get in trouble let me blame someone else† type of attitude. There are many beliefs today that witches likeRead MoreEssay about McCarthyism versus the Salem Witch Trials1198 Words   |  5 Pagesaccused of crimes so absurd that when put to trial, they name others of the same crime to redirect the focus from them to others like it happens in the actual day, every year, with minor cases. McCarthyism was one of those cases that changed history, likewise the Salem Witch Trials. McCarthyism had the same effect on people, people who were accused of communism blame others to lessen their penalty like in the Salem Witch Trials, so how the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Era can connects althoughRead MoreSalem Witch Trials And Religious Superstition1411 Words   |  6 Pagesseventeenth century in colonial Salem, Massachusetts, two girls began acting in an uncanny manner. These girls then accused two woman and a slave for being witches; which caused the town of Sal em to emerge into a period of witch cleansing. Mostly, the people of Salem were Puritans who found many different reasons to accuse one of being a witch. The start of the witch trials began in 1692 and ended in 1693 by Governor Phips; whose wife was prosecuted as a witch. These Salem Witch Trials began by religious superstitionRead MoreRed Scare, KKK, Civil War Brought Fear to America1717 Words   |  7 PagesAfrican-American activist using tactics of intimidation and violence. After staying relatively quiet during the late 1800’s the KKK began to gain power and influence in the early 1900s. This second era of the Klan came about because of the civil rights movements and the release of the 1915 movie â€Å"Birth of a Nation. This movie portrayed African-Americans as unintelligent misogynists. The â€Å"second era† KKK was not only anti African-Americans. The KKK were also anti Catholics, Jews, immigrants. TheyRead MoreThe Crucible : An Allegory For The Red Scare2011 Words   |  9 Pagesalso feared the threat of Black Americans being equal in status to White Americans during the Civil Rights movement. Although the crucible takes place in 1692, Salem, it reflects the concerns of 1950?s American life and is an allegory for the Red Scare, and Homosexuality. [2: Wall, Wendy. Anti-Communism in the 1950s. www.gilderlehrman.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .] The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, which was a puritan town.[endnoteRef:3] Reverend Parris is praying over hisRead MoreLiterary Analysis : The Crucible 1195 Words   |  5 Pageshave been categorized, discriminated against, and treated according to their class, financial status, and race. Many concrete and obvious examples of this have appeared throughout the years, ranging from the Salem witch trials in the late 1600’s, all the way to the recent civil rights movements in the 1950’s and 60’s. Social history uses personal stories to show how class/status and race played a part in the way people were treated in America. In â€Å"The Crucible†, a play about people being accused ofRead MoreThe Litany Of Atlanta By Du Bois874 Words   |  4 PagesOn September 22, 1906, the most heinous and ambiguous racial riot occurred in Atlanta, Georgia. Unbeknownst to many Atlanta natives, an actual civil movement presented itself in the center of Georgia capitol. It is still in question whether or not the over exaggerated news articles or the growing traction between two the races resulted in the riot but consequently the tension between the blacks and whites led to the murder of African American men and women and some white. Thus W.E.B. Du Bois, founderRead MoreHistorical Steps Toward Religious Liberty824 Words   |  4 PagesWhat follows is a skimpy sketch of some things you should know. There were three types of colonies: Charter: The king grants a license to run a colony on â€Å"his† land in America. Proprietary: The king gives land and all rights to run a colony to an individual or a group. The colony then belongs to the proprietor(s). Royal: The king owns the colony. Though religious freedom is often cited as the reason for people migrating from England to America, it is too simplistic. It is more accurate to sayRead MoreSlavery, Abolition and the South2526 Words   |  10 Pagesown European culture in this land. The Blacks were stripped of their culture and their land. The main political developments for this time period affected the Blacks in a negative way. They were not to be considered human so they had no legal or civil rights. There were laws created to enforce cruel and sometimes deadly punishments on slaves that resisted the harsh treatment put upon them; laws that had an effect on the Black slaves like the ones started in Virginia, that declared that all White menRead MoreHow Does Literature Shape American Culture?968 Words   |  4 PagesThe Scarlet Letter, The Narrative of the Life of Fredric Douglass and various other works of literature are all pieces of American literature that have helped shape American society. The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in the sixteen hundreds. Hester Prynne is accused of committing adultery in her small puritan settlement but little does the town know that the father is in fact Reverend Dismmesdale. Having sent his wife ahead of him two years before