Imagine what it would be like to be thrown into an underground prison awaiting your death. Throughout history, groups of people have been persecuted just for being who they are, or who they are assumed to be. In the 1600s, witch trials took place in Salem, falsely accusing many innocent people. Also in the 1940s, the Holocaust became one of the most notorious genocides known to man. While the two circumstances have numerous differences, the amount of similarities is extremely shocking. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Eerie Similarities Between Two Events In the play The Crucible, Abigail Williams has the ability to speak and be heard: "I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil!" (Miller 48). With that said, arrest warrants were immediately issued to the accused. A functional society cannot exist without stability in power. If the president had all the power, then he would be able to do whatever he wanted and try to take advantage of it. Abigail had enough power to decide who should receive a witchcraft warrant. When an irresponsible girl has enough power to do such a thing, she will definitely take advantage of it, and she did. Over time, history has shown that, through conflict, it can be very painless to place all the blame on someone. Adolf Hitler was able to blame people, such as the Jews, because he believed they were the cause of all the world's problems. Hitler had the power to kill over six million Jews. He could do anything because he sympathized with the German people and had them on his side. Abigail did the same thing when she spread rumors about witches and asked others to support her accusations. Abigail just had to lead the way for others to follow. He had complete control over many people. Adolf Hitler and Abigail Williams both had something in common; they had the ability to trick others into believing false statements. Whether it was having someone executed, putting them on trial, or making people believe the nonsense they said, they both experienced chaos that unfortunately cost many lives. In addition to sharing similar traits, Adolf Hitler and Abigail both discriminated against people who did not. conform to the norms of society. The people who were victims of each event were blamed because they were strangers. Hitler attempted to exterminate the Jewish people because they had different religious beliefs than his own. Before the Holocaust, he preyed on crippled and mentally challenged children. He felt that because they had disabilities, they were not worthy of living. Salem residents accused of witchcraft were singled out because they lived their lives differently than the townspeople. For example, Goody Good and Goody Osburn were both accused of being witches, and neither had a positive reputation in the town. When Elizabeth Proctor was accused of being a witch, she claimed that she was not a "good old lady that sleeps in ditches, nor Osburn, drunk and half-witted" (Miller 61). Those two women were highlighted for their different lifestyles. In both cases, people who lived their lives outside the standards found themselves persecuted. During the Salem witch trials, more than two hundred people were accused and twenty were executed. Families were divided and changed for eternity. What happened in one year completely changed people's lives. Keep in mind: this is just one example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In both cases, the victims were innocent of any crime. The witch trials.