A Liberal
Dose
October 14,
2021
Troy D.
Smith
“Witch
Hunts in America”
It’s October, and many of us have Halloween on our minds.
When I drive around town, I seem to see toy ghosts and witches in every yard.
Many of us also have our minds on politics, which sometimes doesn’t seem much
different. I am reminded, particularly, of the term “witch hunt” -which has
been tossed around quite a bit the past few years. In the modern sense, of
course, it doesn’t mean hunting for literal witches. It means raising a hew and
cry of a different sort; warning the public of a nonexistent or negligible
danger as a cover for persecuting your political enemies. This type of behavior
is a time-honored American tradition, but seems to come in cycles. During the
first Red Scare in the late 1910s-1920s, and the even larger one in the late
1940s-1950s, the “witch” was communism (or just the accusation of it). During
WWII it was Japanese-Americans. After 9/11 it was terrorism; in the lead-up to
the invasion of Iraq in 2003, it was not only Muslims but even French words
(since many conservatives viewed France as traitorous for not jumping
wholeheartedly into a war with us).
More recently, in my opinion, critical race theory has
become a witch hunt. Just as in Salem in the 1690s, the mere accusation of
teaching CRT can lead to serious repercussions (admittedly with no executions, knock
on wood).
It could be argued that it’s all in one’s point of view
-that the mere perception of being persecuted makes one feel like the object of
a witch hunt. Trump has been throwing the term around since shortly after he
was elected, doubling down since he was defeated. Every piece of new evidence
that comes to light about his corruption and even illegal activities leads to
fresh cries of “witch hunt!” This from the man who, while in the White House,
presided loudly over countless witch hunts of his own. Just to clarify, by the way,
it is only a witch hunt if the charges are exaggerated or false. Trump himself
has been the object, not of witch hunts, but of legitimate legal investigations.
For a little context, I am going to give some background
information about the actual Salem witch trials in Massachusetts in 1692-93.
You probably all know that some young girls were accused of consorting with
Satan in the woods, which led to broader accusations and hysteria in the
community. Before all was said and done, several people were dead (nineteen by
hanging, one by being crushed to death by rocks in an attempt to make him
confess) and 150 people had been arrested and tried (several dying in jail).
Finally, the community started to calm down and realize what they had done.
Here’s what you probably don’t know -or didn’t connect with
Salem. Puritan communities, of course, had no separation of church and state;
their church WAS the state, and no one else was allowed in. Quakers and
Baptists could be hanged for preaching in Massachusetts. And yet, when William
and Mary ascended the English throne in the Glorious Revolution in 1689, they
put an end to those practices with the Religious Toleration Act. Puritans could
no longer force everyone to be Puritans. At the same time, (Catholic) France had
started attacking New England settlements with their Native American allies.
To the Puritans, it seemed like the Devil was winning. Some
thought it was the signs of the last days. They were very, vey scared on an
existential level -and very paranoid. It was a short step to hysteria.
Just as Americans were terrified after the first Soviet
atomic bomb. And 9/11. And many are scared today of recent rapid social
changes, with more seemingly on the horizon. Witch hunts, then, come from fear.
When you have politicians willing to stoke that fear for
their own benefit, bad things happen (see also: Hitler).
And THAT’S scary.
--Troy D.
Smith, a White County native, is a novelist and a history professor at
Tennessee Tech. His words do not necessarily represent TTU.
A complete list of Liberal Dose columns can be found HERE
A list of other historical essays that have appeared on this blog can be found HERE
Author's website: www.troyduanesmith.com
The author's historical lectures on youtube can be found HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment