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What Impact Did Mccarthyism Have On American Society During The Early 1950

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The purpose of this investigation is to answer the following question, “What impact did McCarthyism have on American society during the early 1950’s?” The main body of evidence will investigate on what events lead up the practice of McCarthyism, and why it holds negative connotations of government accusations on the society. Evidence will include eyewitness accounts of this practice such as journal articles and speeches from the time. Documents will be analyzed in regards to their origin, purpose, value, and limitations in order to properly evaluate the evidence. Documents include a list containing the false accusations Senator Joseph McCarthy made under his own reasoning as well as President Harry S. Truman’s response according to this practice. …show more content…

• USSR made it clear to the community of nations that they would expand their Communist ideology across the globe.

Espionage-
• Communists spies penetrated the U.S. government
• Spies stole the documents so that they can publish them
• With the help of a former Soviet agent, U.S. government was able to expose numerous spies loyal to the Soviet Union.
• Soviet Union built an atomic bomb, which led the HUAC to another spy hunt.
• Many spies were present within the American government.

Fear-
• Truman and his administration were getting attacked by many conservative Republicans for being too soft on the espionage
• Truman established an anti-Communist loyalty-security program in March of 1947 and set up the Central Intelligence Agency in November.
• Republican, Joseph McCarthy- o Took the act to the full effect o Installed fear in the U.S. citizens
♣ People feared their jobs would be lost
♣ Their political afflictions would reflect on their status o Challenged the Bill of Rights
♣ First and Fifth Amendment rights were suspended when on trail o Turned an anti-Communist nation o Claimed that he had a list of 205 members of the Communist Party of the …show more content…

McCarthy constantly repeats his accusations that he has of the fifty-seven Communists who are working in the government, and suggests to the President that an action must be made. The purpose of this primary, private document is to see the interaction between the government’s relation in examining the nation’s security and acts that may be determined to be treason. The values of this document is to emphasize how times of intense fear and tension allowed leaders to rise to national fame and “push for restriction civil liberties in the name of national security.” It also shows a candid glimpse into the inner-workings of the government. The limitations of this document can effectively allow the government to take control of what the public needs to know. McCarthy sent this telegram in order to conceal his illegal maneuverings, or to maintain the image of the government

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McCarthy used this to further his career and public standing by dragging people’s names through the mud and ending their careers. Needless to say that the issue McCarthy addresses is a highly emotional subject and needs to broach with great care. McCarthy uses good and sometimes logical fallacies to argue his point, however he also uses strong bold statements to encourage the president to give him the records he wants to continue his witch hunt in America. After listing his demands McCarthy states, “Failure on your part will label the Democratic Party of being the bedfellow of international communism.

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10. Styles Bridges Styles Bridges, a Republican Senator from New Hampshire from 1937 until his death in 1961, was an uncommonly ardent anticommunist, and a steadfast defender of the more famous Joseph McCarthy. He is one of the few to have voted against McCarthy’s censure in 1954, and supported the “witch hunts” which took place during the Second Red Scare, as well as the persecution of gay civil servants during the so-called “lavender scare.” These actions alone would convince many that he was a rather unsavory character, but his infamy lies in his treatment of Senator Lester Hunt of Wyoming, a Democrat, in 1953-4. Hunt’s son was gay, and had been arrested for trying to solicit sex from an undercover policeman.

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In Roberts’ view, “At the height of his power in 1953, McCarthy became chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and used the platform to make further charges of Communist spying.” (Roberts 21). Particularly, this shows the secrets the government has been hiding which leads to Americans questioning their loyalty. Moreover, this ties into Americans betraying each other because it goes to show how McCarthyism held the power to enact this action. The government 's mischievous actions led everyone not to trust them.

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Arushi Patil ILS 200, Discussion Section 307 Essay 1 19 March 2023 Essay 2 Senator Joseph McCarthy is famous for initiating the Red Scare, which made people question whether or not the US government was safe and trustworthy. McCarthy gave several speeches ranging from 1950 to 1953 addressing the existence of communism in America and its threatening consequences. His powerful rhetoric and compelling speaking style allowed McCarthy to gain and maintain an immense group of followers. Through the use of several rhetorical devices such as repetition and extreme language, McCarthy convinces his audience—a wide range of Americans—of the dangers of Communists and their presence in the US government, overall generating a sense of fear, urgency, and

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The first example of McCarthy’s failure, was his exploitation of a nation’s widespread paranoia. The paranoia was the result of the remains of World War II, and the ongoing Cold War (History.com Staff, 2009). The possibility that there were communists invading and corrupting the U.S government became a daunting reality to many people and “for many Americans, the most enduring symbol of this “Red Scare” was Republican Senator Joseph P.

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During the Red Scare there was an enormous amount of McCarthyism, accusing people with no evidence; this explained best, “Joseph McCarthy thought that it was his duty to get rid of communists in Washington”(Kraine).”Worries that the Soviet Union 's communist ways would infiltrate the United States led to a significant amount of paranoia within the American government” (“Why”).Senator Joseph McCarthy was

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Senator McCarthy developed his power based on the fears of Americans, demonstrating the growing concern that was overpowering the country. However, many of these fears were exaggerated, as many of these accusations were false. Though some of the fears of Americans were valid, many were inflated and led only to more

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McCarthy manipulated the media, told outrageous stories about the communist conspiracy in the United States, and used his power and America’s fear to besmirch any opponents as “communist sympathizers” to make sure he remained at the top. Actually, most conservative members of Congress supported McCarthy because it helped them gain votes during elections. The majority of McCarthy 's movement attacked liberals and members of the Democratic Party and this aided anyone who was not part of those topics and organizations. Then McCarthy began to target the Army because they wouldn’t favor David Schine, one of his former investigators, who had been drafted in. “Senator Joseph McCarthy began hearings investigating the United States Army, which he charged with being ‘soft’ on communism.

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Sam Roberts in the article A Decade of Fear argues that Americans turned against each other because of McCarthyism. Roberts supports his argument by explaining and describing the many occurences of paranoia caused by McCarthyism. The author’s purpose is to persuade the reader that McCarthy’s gross grab at power caused tension between Americans. It is clear that the author is directing his claims to an older and more educated audience, due to his cynical tone. I strongly agree with Roberts’ claim.

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Many people supported the CIA and covert missions during the Cold War, knowing that the deception and espionage were keeping the army from having to fight in an actual war like World War II, which they had just endured. The first way fear justified CIA covert action through fear was that secrecy inflicted fear among the people. By this, the CIA was able to control a large population and decide what information they would receive about what was happening. Because all of the CIA action was classified, citizens rarely knew what was going on, and therefore felt threatened because they weren’t fully informed of what their nation was doing and if it was moral to be supporting the secret decisions of their nation. By keeping most information secret, people were forced to choose sides; either siding with the CIA and backing the CIA’s decisions of covert work, or opposing the CIA because the people were being left in the dark about what was happening to their nation regarding the CIA’s choices.

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The Soviet Union was on the verge of a nuclear war, so McCarthy put fear in everyone because no one had any idea who was a communist and who was not. He made everyone afraid to trust people, even the friends other had. They were afraid that they would be accused

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When people are placed under an intense feeling of fear, they begin to commit actions they never thought they were capable over. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a young group of girls commit witchcraft which eventually leads to the arrest of over 100 women. This is similar to a time in the 1950s when Joseph McCarthy accuses government officials of communism and that ultimately leads to hundreds of citizens losing their jobs. The Crucible reveals the similarities between The Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s and McCarthyism of the 1950s because it demonstrates how a society can be tremendously impacted by the feeling the fear.

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As time has passed, throughout history, during different periods of time there are parallels. There are three eras that we are focussed on, where there are three types of people during each era. The three different eras that we’re focusing on, are The Salem Witch Trials (1600s), The McCarthy Era (1950s), and Today (2000s); the three types of people are the people who are the reasons why there’s accusations towards the accused, the accused, and finally the accusers.     In The Crucible, or during the Salem Witch Trials, the person that’s the reason why characters were accused is John Proctor. The accuser in the play, who decides to point fingers at everyone, is Abigail Williams.

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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.

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Senator Joseph McCarthy was a merciless politician who would be censured by the Senate in 1954 for his false accusations. However, his political journey throughout the country had a significant impact on the American public. Americans let fear override their conscious and allowed a bully to insert panic into their minds. McCarthy’s crusade was powerful and convinced the naive public during a time of war to question their own government without sufficient

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