The horrors of history are passed down from generation to generation in the hope that they will never happen again. People look back on these times and are shocked at how awful they were; yet, in the 1950s, history repeated itself. During this time, Joseph McCarthy, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, began accusing people of being communists or communist sympathizers, which parallels the Salem witch trials in the late 1690s, when innocent people were accused of practicing witchcraft. witchcraft. One of the people McCarthy accused was author and playwright Arthur Miller. To express his outrage at McCarthy's actions, Miller wrote The Crucible, intentionally drawing similarities between the McCarthy hearings and the Salem witch trials. Miller takes direct aim at McCarthy through the character Abigail Williams in The Crucible. Abigail is portrayed as a devious and manipulative girl, not unlike McCarthy. Abigail desperately wanted John Proctor, begging him to "give her a word... a sweet word", but when John rejected her and told her "that's enough", Abigail felt that the only way she could have John all to herself was to accusing his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, of practicing witchcraft (Miller 1246). Although Abigail had no evidence that the people she accused practiced witchcraft, the court took her accusations seriously because Abigail had credibility. Abigail accused Tituba of witchcraft, and when Tituba confessed that she had actually conversed with the devil, she proved to the citizens that Abigail had told the truth (1262). Similarly, McCarthy accused innocent people of being communists to get what he wanted: popularity in the political race for re-election as senator from Wisconsin (“Persecution” 1). McCarthy Gaine...... middle of paper ......heb. December 27, 2011. “McCarthyism: The Consequences.” Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts. Network. December 29, 2011. .Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Kate Kinsella, etc. Al, New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2002. 1233-1334. Print."Persecution." Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts. Network. 29 December 2011. "The Red Scare: McCarthyism". Assorted Items: Free online articles on health, science, education and more... Web. December 29, 2011. "Whittaker Chambers." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Network. December 29. 2011. .