Throughout history, there has been no greater pair than McCarthyism and the Salem Witch Trials to see the full extent of damage that can be caused by the use of ill-founded accusations. The mob mentality of both groups of people has resulted in the loss of their livelihoods and, in some cases, lives. Additionally, both had specific similarities in their execution. Both involved a person, empowered by circumstances, with something to lose; innocent victims accused of absurd things with little or no evidence; and followers who believed that what they were doing was right. The person empowered by the particular circumstances of Salem, during the trials, was the judge who tried those accused of witchcraft. If the citizens of Salem had discovered that the "witch hunt" was a prank started by young girls for revenge, he would have been considered weak for being manipulated so easily by young girls. However, in the case of McCarthyism, the person who raised the suspicion of communism also served as the judge. What McCarthy had to lose was his social position and the ...