Historical Significance of The Crucible Regarding the Salem Witch Trials

The Crucible & History Essay
The Crucible is a work tied to history. To begin with, it's based on the true and tragic events of the Salem Witch Trials. Moving forward in time, it was inspired by the communist "witch hunts" of the 1950's. Finally, the term "witch hunt" is often used in the media today to denounce a range of both legitimate and illegitimate investigations.
For the purpose of our final essay, you will write about all three of these historical contexts while relating them back to The Crucible.
Details
Word count: minimum of 700 words, maximum of 900
Submission types: .doc & .docx files
Format: MLA
Assignment Criteria
You will write about the historical significance of The Crucible regarding:
The Salem With Trials it is based on
The 1950's communism trials that inspired it
A contemporary and/or potential scenario that the term "witch hunt" is already applied to or might be applied to in the near future
Assignment Steps
First: Describe the Salem Witch Trials that The Crucible is based on in your own words. Make sure to CLEARLY EXPLAIN WHAT A WITCH HUNT IS, citing specific examples from The Crucible.
Next: Describe the communist trials that inspired Miller to write The Crucible. In what ways were they like the story of The Crucible? In what ways were they unlike the story of The Crucible?
Then: Bring things back around to your thesis: Tell your audience why it is important to understand what a "witch hunt" is and how The Crucible makes the meaning of this term clear.
Finally: Point to something that has happened in recent history (preferably after the year 2000) and/or something that could happen in the near future that folks would/could/should refer to as a "witch hunt". Either agree or disagree that your chosen target is a "witch hunt" based on the case you've built theretofore.
Your paper should include
There are more requirements for this paper than the last one, but they're all shorter. Is that better or worse? You be the judge!
Honestly though: The reason I do this is so that you know EXACTLY what you have to do to write this essay, leaving very little room for ambiguity. If you follow these steps closely, the paper should practically write itself. It's work, but that's life for you.
At least 3 sources: One source will obviously be The Crucible. Another should be pulled from the college library's database. Others can come from elsewhere, but they can't be absolute garbage. If you have doubts about sources, just ask me, a reference librarian, or some other legitimate research authority.
A Good title. Not "The Crucible & History Essay". Please get creative while staying true to your paper's purpose.
An introduction with a clear thesis statement. Your thesis should essentially be a claim about what a "witch hunt" is and how The Crucible makes this clear. The following template should give you a good idea of how your thesis statement should read. It doesn't have to be exactly like this, but it should be in the same neighborhood:
"The story presented in the famous play The Crucible makes it clear that a "witch hunt" is _________________."
Your account of the Salem Witch Trials. Citing The Crucible, explain the Salem Witch Trials in a way that supports your thesis.
Your account of the communist trials of the 1950's. Link the narrative of The Crucible to the communist trials of the 1950's. How are these events the same? How are they different? As ever, answer these questions in a way that supports your thesis as you go.
An example of a contemporary or potential "witch hunt". Identify a contemporary or potential scenario people might identify as a "witch hunt". Either agree or disagree that this scenario is actually a witch hunt based on what you have discovered during your research.
A warning to your audience. Warn your audience about the dangers of witch hunts and/or calling something a witch hunt when it isn't. You essentially want to answer these two questions: (1) Who Cares? (2) So what? Basically, explain who the notion of "witch hunts" should matter to. Then, explain why it matters, tying these notion of "witch hunts" to at least one other issue that your audience can relate to (this "issue" can be the same scenario you outline in Step 6).
A meaningful conclusion. Bring things back around to your thesis, reexplain whatever you have to, and offer your audience some eloquent and thoughtful form of closure.
A works cited page. This is MLA after all.
Paragraphs. That's just normal college-level writing for you.
Very few fragment and/or run-on sentences. Be sure to revise and edit your work for fragments and run-ons in particular.