Witch Hunts

Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 was a kettle full of lies, hatred, jealousy, deceit, persecution, and death. Ironic enough the persecution was done by supposed friends and families. The town was using the thought of witch craft and their religion as means to accuse and hang those they didn’t like. An invisible fear encompassed the town and those who didn’t believe were scared to step up because they could be called witches and persecuted. Over time persecution changes with new technology and In 1942 Pearl Harbor was attacked. In a frantic frenzy Americans stepped back into their old ways and grouped all Asian Americans as their enemies. During this time they were taken away from their homes and jobs and put into “Internment Camps” where they were treated no better than the Jews in the Holocaust or the Blacks in slavery and definitely no better than the “Witches” during the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Hunts and the Japanese persecution post WWII show the reoccurring injustice in American history.
A huge attribute to both events were the mind sets of the people at the time. In Salem it was religion or the highway(“ A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials, History &   Archaeology, Smithsonian Magazine.”). This caused people to be close-minded and created an anti devil environment. This is why it was so easy for the citizens to believe that anyone accused of being a witch was surely a witch. In America at the time of Pearl Harbor, the country wanted to be isolated. They saw the effects of World War I and didn't want to be involved. At the time racism was still prevalent. It was a common belief that whites were the "chosen people". This bigoted mind set transcended to Asian Americans and created a malevolent era. This led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans as well as anyone who appeared Japanese American("Japanese-American Internment - UEN." Utah Education Network.).
For 300 years Americans have wondered what started the Witch Trials(“ A Brief History of...