Contemporary Crucibles?

In the early pages of The Crucible, Arthur Miller writes:

“[O]ne can only pity them all, just as we shall be pitied someday. It is still impossible for man to organize his social life without repressions, and the balance has yet to be struck between order and freedom.”

Your task is to research a contemporary issue that could be considered a potential parallel to the “witch hunts” of Salem and/or the McCarthy era, and evaluate whether the comparison is appropriate. Follow these steps:

1. Choose a topic below and click to enter the web quest.
   
2. Go to the links provided and view or listen to the material you find there. Take good notes on the information you find and answer the questions on the worksheet. Remember, you’ll be writing a paper on the subject of the contemporary relevance of the play.
   
3. You may choose to do your own additional web research on this topic; just be sure to use reliable sources in your investigation. (Tips: Do not use Wikipedia as a cited source; do use Media Center databases; do ask if you have questions.)
4. For extra credit, go to the databases available through the Media Center or the public library, and find at least one relevant and interesting article from The New York Times, The Boston Globe, or another nationally recognized, reputable publication on your topic to read, print, and attach to your notes. See below for links and instructions.
   

Click one of the issues below to enter the web quest. You may want to explore a few topics before settling on one to research in more depth.

Freedom vs. Security: The Patriot Act
Some feel that in the “war against terror” our government has gone too far in trading the freedoms of its citizens for increased security. Do the Patriot Act and related measures cross the line?

National Security and Guantánamo Bay Detainees
Is it ever acceptable to violate the rights of the individual in the name of safety for the masses? Does the “war against terror” change the rules of the game? Or has the detention of terrorist suspects at Guantánamo Bay become a modern witch hunt?

School Security and Students’ Rights
In a post-Columbine world, school administrations have to walk the delicate balance between the safety of their students and staff, and infringing on the rights of the people they are charged with protecting. Are their decisions justified? As on the national level, schools struggle with the difficult balance between freedom and privacy, on the one hand, and security and order, on the other.

Academic Free Speech
Are there limits to what people should and should not be able to say on university campuses? In McCarthyism and in The Crucible we see the dangers people can get into for speaking their minds. Do those cautionary tales still apply?

Day Care “Satanic Abuse” Trials
The 1980s saw strange headlines about horrible, unthinkable cases of child abuse. Court trials showcased small children describing nightmarish acts of sexual abuse. However, it turned out that many of these allegations were ultimately false or misguided, raising dark questions about mob mentality, the believability of children, and the demands of revenge.

Caution: As you might suspect, the topic of these trials is very upsetting to many people. Please do not pursue this avenue of inquiry if it conflicts with your religious or cultural views, or if it makes you uncomfortable.

Just For Fun!
If you have some extra time, why not “experience the trials” at the National Geographic witch hunt website, with historically accurate information about the real Salem Witch Trials! Click here:
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/salem/

Extra Credit: Minuteman Regional Library Database
For extra credit, go to the Media Center or Minuteman Regional Library databases and search the archives of The New York Times or The Boston Globe for an article relevant to your topic. Print and attach to your webquest. You will need a library card account number to access the MMRLS site. If you don't have a public library card, you can use the access number on the password sheet from the Media Center. These are terrific archives for research in this class, history class, or anything you're just curious about:

Minuteman Regional Library Databases
Media Center Databases