Throughout history, there has been no better pairing than McCarthyism and the Salem Witch Trials to see the full extent of the damage that can be caused by the use of unfounded accusations. The mob mentality of both groups of people has resulted in the loss of livelihoods and, in some cases, lives. Furthermore, both had specific similarities in their execution. Both were about a person, empowered by circumstance, with something to lose; innocent victims accused of absurd things with little or no evidence; and followers who believed what they were doing was right. The person authorized by the peculiar 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 farce started by young girls as a tool for revenge, he would have been considered weak for being so easily manipulated by girls of the caliber of. In the case of McCarthyism, however, the person who had raised the suspicion of communism also acted as judge. What McCarthy had to lose was his social standing and the ...