Does anyone know an example of mass hysteria in US History BESIDES the witches of salem?

Question

I have to write a paper comparing two instances of mass hysteria, but i cant find any. I already have the Witches of Salem, but need another one.

Answer 1

The 1930s radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds" was one.

This other one is interesting, though perhaps hard to research. There was a vampire "panic" in Rhode Island less than 200 years ago. People were dying left and right of consumption, and vampires were thought to be the cause. There were stories of people digging up their dead relatives and burning the corpses, to prevent the "vampire" from taking another victim in the family.

http://riroads.com/archive/rihorror.htm
http://www.ghostvillage.com/legends/2003/legends20_06142003.shtml
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2386/is_3_117/ai_n17114207/pg_13

Oh, thought of another one---the stock market crash of 1929, and the resulting "runs" on banks around the nation. If you've heard stories about older people who kept their money in their mattresses because they didn't trust banks, this was why. The banks had gone out of business before they could withdraw their savings.

Answer 2

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RE:
Does anyone know an example of mass hysteria in US History BESIDES the witches of salem?
I have to write a paper comparing two instances of mass hysteria, but i cant find any. I already have the Witches of Salem, but need another one.

Answer 3

Yes Orson Wells "The War of the Worlds" announced by Radio throughout the USA that created Mass Hysteria. It wasn't intentionally done to create the hysteria, but it most certainly did.
I also think the Sept 11 terrorism attacks created Mass Hysteria.

Answer 4

At that time there were many disputation of doctrine and who would be the Reverend. And the people had large family's and food began to get scarce. The Puritans were determined to have a theocracy despite the pressures from within and without and became frustrated. A book was circulating at the time about witches, ghosts and such I do not remember the name. When the girl first started acting strange and was found to be well, they fell upon the idea that is was the devil from the unseen world that they believed existed and took action. Because of all the disputations the populace joined in and began to accuse their neighbors to be witches and from the the fervor began. They saw themselves and others acting the way the book described, and people began to be arrested and tried.

Answer 5

The war of the worlds radio play.

Answer 6

there were also instances with the Asian americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Many were put into camps for their protection. There was a sense of mistrust and evidence of histeria at the time

Answer 7

the people after 9-11
killing muslims,
gathering their children,
landing all airplanes

meaningless violence,
masses in the streets weeping for the lost,

that is the single most massive 'hysterical' event
in modern American history

Answer 8

The mcCarthy stuff in the sixties. The fear of communism and the cold war in general.

Answer 9

the reaction to Sept 11th, your country going to war with a country that had nothing to do with it.