senator would seek out new targets by going through files. Over the years, his targets ranged from state employees to foreign libraries with books linked to communism to“Voice of America, the official broadcasting service of the United States government”, (Senator Joe McCarthy and the Red Scare). He would then begin the relentless investigation into these individuals and organizations. While examining suspects, McCarthy always displayed extreme determination and stubbornness, and very rarely admitted he was wrong about his suspicions. For example, while questioning ex-communist editor James A. Wechsler, McCarthy asked blunt, contentious questions, and refused to give up ground. Since Wechsler was an ex-communist, and and he didn’t approve …show more content…
His accusations ended up posing a real danger to American values. One important value McCarthy degraded was the right to remain silent, because, as he once stated, “a witness’s refusal to answer whether or not he is a Communist on the ground that his answer would tend to incriminate him is the most positive proof obtainable that the witness is a Communist” (Schrecker 69). The rights of LGBT members were also threatened, since some of the people on McCarthy’s lists got there just for being “sexual deviants” (Cunningham 90). And of course, McCarthy’s techniques threatened free speech, as anyone who expressed radical liberal views in public could be a target. Even with all these problems, McCarthy remained in power for years, by capitalizing on the tense, frenzic atmosphere among the American people. As Charles Potter described it, the debate over what McCarthy was “emotional nonsense”, where “sanity seemed to go into hiding, opinions whirled around the outer edges of human thought” (Cunningham 27). Eventually, it came to a point when “each citizen found he must declare himself… either ‘for’ McCarthy or ‘against’ him” (Cunningham 28). The problem was, at this point, McCarthy was seen as an American hero and protector. As McCarthy said himself stated, “McCarthyism is Americanism with its sleeves rolled" (McCarthy). Therefore, while those in support of him could claim to be “red-blooded patriots”, and anyone who dared to oppose McCarthy ran the risk of being called a “commie lover” (Cunningham 28). As a result of the way McCarthyism was equated with patriotism McCarthy was able to get away with some blatant violations of civil
McCarthy turned Americans against each other by developing the fear of communism. During the time in America, the Cold war was rampant so the idea of communism was present around the war against Russia.The idea of indicting fellow Americans as communist during the Red Scare was very common due to McCarthy’s allegations. According to the article, McCarthy announced “I have here in hand a list of 205- a list of names” this shows that he was willing to announce names of people that were alleged communists. McCarthy also accused members of power for example, the article claims “he has alleged 57 communist worked in the state department” this shows he was willing to create chaos among those that were suppose to be trusted by civilians. McCarthyism
Joseph McCarthy did not become well known until 1950. He was a senator from Wisconsin. The reason why he became well known was because he supposedly had a list of people who were Communists but living and working in the United States. He was determined to make it his mission to find and deport or destroy these people. This time in American history became known as the Red Scare. He was chairman of the Senate Permanent Investigation Subcommittee. He destroyed many innocent people lives with his witch hunt. After much debate and investigation, there was no such list and there were no Communists living amongst American citizens. He was ostracized by many. The tactics he used to try and find the so called Communists living amongst American
Senator Joseph McCarthy wildly raged that Soviet spies had infiltrated the State Department and were re-directing it to support Communism abroad. A multitude of these allegations were false. The lives and reputation of hundreds were ruined by McCarthy’s verbal attacks. He led a craze through government to root out suspected communists. As more and more people were accused, the hysteria increased. The government was powerless to stop the rampant forces of McCarthyism, as government officials feared that criticizing McCarthy’s tactics would result in their being accused. As a result of the senators’ unscrupulous statements, “McCarthyism” is defined as “the political practice of publicizing accusations of disloyalty or subversion with insufficient regard to evidence.” He also contributed the Second Red Scare occurring in the 1950, after his crusade created massive hysteria. His downfall occurred after going too far in his communist witch hunt, and soon there was a backlash against him. Ultimately, McCarthy alleged Communist influence in
Violation of Civil Liberties: McCarthyism resulted in the violation of civil liberties, including freedom of speech and association. People were blacklisted, fired from their jobs, or ostracized simply for their political beliefs or associations, without due process. McCarthyism resulted in the violation of civil liberties, including freedom of speech and association. People were blacklisted, fired from their jobs, or ostracized simply for their political beliefs or associations, without due process. While the threat of communism was real, McCarthyism exaggerated its extent and painted all leftist or progressive movements as subversive and dangerous.
McCarthy scared Americans into thinking they were next to be convicted of being a communist. Many Americans turned against each other by believing their next door neighbor was a communist. According to the article, “Thousands of alleged Communist in the U.S. were arrested and deported during what became known as the Red Scare. Neighbors did not trust one another after this event, imagine living next to a suspected Communist. The article states, “ McCarthy dropped a bombshell:The State Department is infested with Communist.” McCarthy shocked the media and the American people, McCarthy gained instant fame as this accusation sent shock waves through the nation. The tension that was already between America and the Soviet Union made
McCarthy ruined lives with the power of paranoia and blacklisting. A blacklist was a list of people who were condemned for having a Communist background. If one was on a blacklist, it was almost impossible to get a job because employers feared accusation of being a "Red" by association. A "Red" was a short term used for Communist. A fair amount of the blacklisting came from the Hollywood industry as a result of the House of Un-American Activities Committee. The HUAC developed from a congressional committee created to search out disloyalty before World War II. The power of the HUAC grew in the late 1940s and during the 1950s because of the Cold War and the "Red Scare." The "Red Scare" was the hysteria and fear of the American government and public during the Cold War that the Communist may infiltrate and take over the United States (Martine, Politics 67). The Cold War was a period of hostility developed between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II. This period did not include much direct military conflict though it did include a battle upon Communism and the use of spies.
During the 1950s there was a rise in the fear of communism called “The Red Scare”. Senator Joseph McCarthy was one of the many people who contributed to people’s fear by making a list of people who he said were communists even though there was no proof in most cases. In an article by Alan Brinkley called “The 1950s Part One: McCarthy and The Red Scare”, it informs, “McCarthy was only one of many who helped create the great fear. The Red Scare was visible in almost every area of American life” (Brinkley). This quote tell us that in the 1950s even though Senator Joseph McCarthy was a huge contributor to The Red Scare. His list of suspected communists made rumors spread and the people on the list get questioned and even go to jail when in some cases they were innocent. It also says in the article by USHistory.org called “McCarthyism: Witch Hunting and Blacklisting in America”, that, “In the 1950s anyone who was considered a communist could be questioned and thrown in jail” (USHistory.org). Which means that his allegations could have easily put people in prison.
McCarthy was the senator of Wisconsin and he makes no name for himself. It is a list of 200 members of the Department of State that are referred to as Communists. The punishments of being accused of being a Communist is it could lead to “loss of employment and destroyed reputation, could be jailed.” (McCarthy’s List). The people could lose their jobs and be jailed if they do not confess or release information on former Communists. If they refuse they would be punished with a series of false accusations that could not be justified. It did many damage to peoples lives and careers. The people felt threatened because if they do not release the information their careers would be over and they would have no life. The people did not known what to do. Finally, McCarthy did not find any communists and his “personal power collapsed in 1954 when he accused the Army of coddling known Communists.” His false accusations resulted in his downfall. The people were threatened because their lives could have been taken away from them with no concrete
Joseph McCarthy is a desperate and unlikeable U.S senator who uses fear against others, which leads to the use of the horrific use of McCarthyism. Mccarthy is not a supporter of communists, “Thus he spread terror among his peers. His Republican colleagues were torn between fear of his prowess and willingness to use his attacks on President Harry Truman” (“Joseph”). McCarthy claims that people working within the U.S government are communists and that they should be exposed. Mccarthy blames others so people see him as a hero for saving the country from communist. His desperateness causes him to accuse his peers of being communists. For that reason people do not want to be around him because of the “terror” he causes and “spreads”. Mccarthy wants to do everything to address the problem of communism. Therefore, to prove that there is a problem going on, “McCarthy claimed to have in hand a list of 205 people in the U.S. State Department
He also strongly believed the greater enemy is within our own nation. McCarthy stated, “It has not been the less fortunate or members of the minority group who have been selling this nation out, but rather those who have had all the benefits that the wealthiest nations on the earth has had to offer…” This shows our bigger enemy was within the government, such as the inside people that would sell out our information. One of the accused, John Service, had a report to kill Chiang Kai-shek (the leader fighting against communism in China). His reasoning behind this was he thought China’s best chance to survive economically is to be communist. After this report, he was called a communist and was singled out. After Service, the American people got more sensitive about the issue, seeing the possibilities. The whole country was ruled by fear. Ronald Reagan said, “I never as a citizen want to see our country become urged , by either fear or resentment of this group.” He knew what was going to happen if these unfair trials
McCarthyism has a lot to do with America 's history, even still today examples of McCarthyism are seen in america . Most victims of mccarthyism are hollywood actors and famous people because they impact american society more than regular people. Famous people such as Helen Keller, Leonard Bernstein , Burl Ives, Pete Seeger, Artie Shaw, Zero Mostel, Charlie Chaplin, Langston Hughes, Orson Welles, and Dolores del Rio were blamed for supposedly being part of the communist party. But that was not all, there was also another 205 average people that were blamed for being a part of the communist party as well. McCarthy’s committee then started investigating the United States Army. His charges kept affecting more and more powerful people.
The Second Red Scare took place during the Cold War. It arose largely due to widespread fear of the Communistic Soviet Union, but also due to strong opposition to Truman’s New Deal, mostly by conservative Republicans who equated the Deal’s labor unions and social programs to Communism (“The Second”). McCarthy began his hearings in order to identify what he believed was a Communist conspiracy, and stop the supposed Communist infiltration into the government. He has often been criticized for the methods he used in these hearings. For example, his “executive sessions,” a term which usually was synonymous with “closed,” were, as John G. Adams, the army’s counsel at many hearings, put it, neither closed nor secret, essentially boiling down to that “Joe could do whatever he wanted” (U.S. Senate xix). McCarthy’s harsh methods were often criticized, and in 1954, the Senate censured him for “his non-cooperation with and abuse of the Subcommittee on Privileges and Elections” and
“I have here in my hand a list of 205 people that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department” (Joseph McCarthy). Joseph R. Mccarthy was junior senator of Wisconsin from 1947-1957. He quickly took it upon himself to “rid” the United States of all communists that had any association with the Soviet Union in the midst of the Cold War. McCarthy accused thousands of people as being “communists”. Once accused, these people lost their jobs, their homes, their friends and, in extreme cases, their lives. The country turned itself inside out with fear. But how did McCarthy gain so much power? McCarthy ruled through tactics of fear, manipulation and punishment.
Even if McCarthy’s influence was unintentional, his actions and accusations were very much talked about, ultimately because of his power over the American public at the
McCarthy uses a nostalgic strategy to persuade the perusers that being in a position that obliges intensely does not mean changing the personality. When McCarthy first started her college as a medical student, the only thing she concentrate is about to get knowledge. Doing well was very imperative for her than anything else. McCarthy needed to do the lab on the grounds that she believed is going to help her with her profession. Later when she consider the thought of doing the lab she felt that she was doing something incorrectly. She felt she should be the individual she was some time recently. Toward the end, she felt that doing the lab was incorrect idea. According to McCarthy, “ when I started medical school I felt that not only did