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The red scare joseph mccarthy
Communism in america cold war
The red scare joseph mccarthy
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The red scare joseph mccarthy
Communism in america cold war
The red scare joseph mccarthy
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Recommended: The red scare joseph mccarthy
In response to the second Red Scare, prompted by the accusations of Senator Joe McCarthy, Arthur Miller felt it necessary to express his political feelings through an author’s medium. Similarities are shown between McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials in the way Senator McCarthy gained power and control by inducing fear and hatred of communists in America, comparable to the fear and hatred of witches in the late 1600s. Miller shares that themes of paranoia and vengeance continue on even as society progresses, and presents The Crucible as an example to shed light on issues inherent with using accusations to gain power. With its ability to relate to a number of political situations in many countries, even as far as 50 years past its creation,
Can the fear of people control the way certain things and events are looked at? In 1950 a nationwide historical campaign called McCarthyism took place. The campaign was against alleged communist in the U.S government and other institutions and accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence which was carried out by Joseph McCarthy. The primary targets were usually union activist, government employees, educators, and entertainment industry. Many people people lost their trust in others, causing a new outlook on life while relationships were destroyed. McCarthyism was caused by the fear of the people due to past events.
For this book project we were asked to make a group presentation covering Senator Joe McCarthy, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations circa 1950, Communism, and The Salem Witch Trials. The purpose of the assignment was to achieve a better understanding of the concepts and motivation behind Arthur Miller's book, The Crucible. For this group project I researched and presented on the sub-topic Joe McCarthy. Our requirements included having a minimum of one illustration on each slide, three accurate facts relating to our sub-topic, and a minimum of two references to The Crucible with page numbers and an explanation of how it relates to our sub-topic. It was expected that each person had two to three slides of information, a minimum
In the 1940 's and 1950 's, an anti-Communist movement swept the United States of America. Fueled by the anti-Communist actions of Congress, particularly a Senator from Wisconsin by the name of Joseph McCarthy, the movement escalated and many people lost their jobs as a result of various blacklists. Congressional hearings, both in front of HUAC and McCarthy Senate committee were a study in organized persecution. The actions taken during the "Red Scare" were eventually given the general name McCarthyism. McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence.
President Harry Truman signed the Executive Order 9835, the document established a loyalty program, designed to eliminate communist influence in the United States. According to this order, citizens entering employment would undergo a loyalty investigation to further prove loyalties to the Nation and disprove communist ties. Joseph McCarthy soon jumped on this idea of a loyalty program and took it a step further. Soon after the rise of McCarthy, Henry Steele Commager arose; he was not a fan of the loyalty order or the push for anti-communist beliefs. Joseph R. McCarthy was a U.S. senator who believed that there were a vast number of communists working for the State Department.
On August 6, 1945, the first of two atomic bombs was dropped on Japan, sparking the start of what is now known as the Cold War. Two large military powers, the Soviet communists and the United States of America, pitted their wits and defense against each other, using any means necessary to find cracks in the others’ defenses. Three days later, the second atom bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, which shook the world with its deafening death toll. The world immediately took up arms in the following years, sparking some of the most controversial years in history. Suspicion turned brothers against sisters, neighbors against neighbors, and caused many lives to be ruined.
Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem,¨ written by Rosalyn Schanzer, starts off with a group of Puritans from Europe who have come to settle in Salem, Massachusetts. This religion is very different from modern-day Christianity. People started being accused as witches in the 1640s. However, witch hunts aren 't as rare as people might think; there have been a few witch hunts since the 1690s.
What a Horrible World In today 's day and age we have more technological, medicinal, societal, and worldly advancements than we did in either 1692 or 1947, but we are still just as easily corrupted by jealousy, power, and paranoia. The years 1692 and 1947 are perfect examples of prospering societies that became undermined through very similar processes. In 1629 the Salem Witch Trials and in 1947 the McCarthy Communist Trials- were both held unjustly, involving condemnation based on unfair trial practices. People desperately admitted to being a witch (1692) or to being a communist (1947) only because they didn’t want to die. Even if you were found innocent your life was virtually over because your career and livelihood had been destroyed
People were terrified of communism spreading to the United States, so when accusations started floating around everyone would believe them. McCarthy accused people of communist behavior, although many were falsely accused, no one knew better than to think they were guilty because of how scared they were of communism spreading. This resembles how certain characters were accused of witchcraft in The Crucible. The Red Scare caused nationwide hysteria just how the Salem Witch Trials caused hysteria to the people of Salem.
In a news article published during the Red Scare, the author describes the Communist red flag as symbolizing “defiance of law, order, and constitutional government. It is an insult to the stars and stripes.” It also states, “There is no room in this country for any flag but our own.” (source) The article goes on to say that the federal government must do whatever it takes to eradicate any forms of communism.
Mass hysteria was present in both The Crucible and McCarthyism. Mass hysteria is when people went crazy because people were accused of being communists and or witches. Mass hysteria was however started by specific people in both scenarios. In Mccarthyism Joseph Mccarthy a United States Senator and in The Crucible Abigail Williams who was accused of having an affair with John Proctor her employer were the specific ones who accused people of being communists and witches. Even though the Salem witch trials happened in the late 1690s and McCarthyism in the 1950s they paralleled each other.
February Non-Fiction Book Report Fried, Richard M. Nightmare In Red. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. Print. The book, Nightmare In Red, is about the McCarthyism era and the upcoming of the House Un-American Activities Committee.
In a time of economic prosperity, a rise in the standard of living and rock and roll, also known as the “happy days”, the 1950s were a time looked back on with nostalgia. On the other hand, the 1950s were also met with many problems involving civil rights, the Cold War and McCarthyism. After the end of World War II, Americans came home to jobs available and a period of consensus. Consensus meaning there wasn’t much debate in politics. However tensions quickly rose throughout the nation when Joseph McCarthy made serious accusations about the State Department.
During the McCarthyism era, Arthur Miller was a man of great integrity, and decided he would not fall to the ideals of Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism. Arthur stuck to his word and would not change it to get out of a courtroom. He had his own thoughts on why people were reacting as they were and he wasn’t afraid to say them. Steinbeck was defending Arthur in an article when he said, “If I agree, I have outraged one of our basic codes of conduct, and if I refuse, I am guilty of contempt of Congress, sentenced to prison and fined” (Steinbeck). There was no way for someone to prove themselves innocent in court without lying to everyone that was watching since the people would rather hear lies than have the truth brought forward.
Response to Senator McCarthy’s “Enemies From Within Speech” With anti-communism being the dominant political issue during the Cold War, hysteria and paranoia spread throughout the minds of Americans. The “Enemies From Within Speech” delivered at Wheeling, West Virginia in 1950 by Senator Joseph McCarthy focused on worsening that national fear. Senator McCarthy used ethos, metaphor, and hyperbole to create the notion of disloyalty within the federal government. In order to persuade the American public in a convincing way, Senator McCarthy appeals to their ethics.