During the 1950s, America was involved in the Cold War and when US Senator Joseph McCarthy announced that there were communist spies in America, it created mass hysteria among its citizens. This led to the ruination of the lives of many innocent Americans. Similar events occurred during the Salem witch trials in 1692. During this time period, witches were thought to be infiltrating Puritan religious societies. Suspicion of witchcraft in Salem caused hysteria among the citizens, which led to the destruction of many good Christians and their families. Arthur Miller, who was arrested during the McCarthy era, wrote The Crucible, a play about the Salem witch trials of 1692, to expose the absurdities of McCarthy's "witch hunt." One of the most obvious similarities between the two time periods is McCarthy's counterpart, Abigail. Williams, the infamous antagonist of The Crucible. In February 1950, McCarthy told the public that he had "a list of 205 who have been disclosed to the Secretary of State as members of the Communist Party and who yet are still working and shaping policy in the State Department" (Wikiquote 1). McCarthy's main goal in announcing that there were communists working in the American government was to make a better name for himself so he could get re-elected, and just like Abigail he encouraged witchcraft in Salem. “I saw Sarah Good with the devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!”(Miller 1262). Abigail quickly and falsely accused others to avoid punishment and be with John Proctor. Abigail accused these innocent women of witchcraft without evidence, even though she was the one practicing witchcraft. "You drank blood, Abby... You drank a spell for k...... middle of paper......ss Voices, TimelessThemes:theAmericanExperience.UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:PearsonPrenticeHall,2003.PBS "Arthur Miller - None Without Sin |.American Masters |.PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Network. December 28, 2011. /."Who were the 10 famous people accused of being communists by Senator McCarthy? -Yahoo! Answers." Yahoo! Answers - Web. January 2012 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091231083459AAjSvVW.Wikicite "Arthur Miller Web". Yahoo! Answers: Compare the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism .?"Yahoo! Answers - Home. Web. 21. January 2012