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The Truman Red Scare

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The Red Scare was a terrifying time for most Americans. It was the 1950’s, the atomic bomb had just been born. Communism was currently taking over Russia, and was threatening to take America next. The American people had grown accustomed to their rights and freedoms and the idea of communism scared them. Communism is the idea everyone gets a fair amount in a community. Everyone gets the same amount meaning, a doctor earns the same as a cashier, and the rich, lose all their money, to balance everything out. Americans did not like this idea. It felt more like a dictatorship to them, especially with the leader they had in Russia—Stalin a horrible man and leader—it was a dictatorship. The government was put in a rough spot. Everyone lived in fear …show more content…

Of course the government had to do something to calm the people, show them there was nothing to worry about. That is what President Harry Truman attempted to do. The article states, “President Harry S. Truman established a program to investigate federal government employees. Employees who were suspected of harboring Communist party loyalties were tried by a Loyalty Board. The purpose of these investigations was to ensure loyalty to the United States, but the system was not without flaws. The proceedings were often leaked to the media and an anxious public.” (Case Against the Rosenbergs) The government tried to make sure that all members of the communist party would be unable to secure government or important jobs. The article states, “There was no penalty for perjury. While the board did not have the authority to imprison people it found guilty, some were fired when they could not prove their loyalty. Their names were often publicized, and they were denied other jobs.” (Case Against the Rosenbergs) This was the government’s method of trying to calm and pacify the public and it for the most part worked. The Red Scare, where Americans feared Communism’s rise in our country, was a terrible time for most. Americans were constantly terrified of Russia’s fall to Communism, happening to them. The government was forced to take action in order to convince the public they were indeed safe. It was a time of distrust and fear, but the American people pulled through, as they always

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