Mc Carthyism The Crucible Senator Joseph Mc Carthy
Mc. Carthyism The Crucible
Senator Joseph Mc. Carthy Even though Mc. Carthyism started long before Mc. Carthy was in the picture, he was known for causing the biggest communist scare within the United States.
Getting Accused Mc. Carthy said he had a list of 250 communists who infiltrated the United States government. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) held public hearings to investigate and expose communist activities in government, education, entertainment, labor and other fields. (Hollywood was hit particularly hard).
Hearings People would be coerced into admitting their past involvement with the Communist party, renounce the party, and name other people who were/are associated with the party. Only these people were able to enter society as respectable citizens again. People who would not names were subjected to penalties, some so extreme as being fired from their job, losing their house, or being blacklisted.
Ridiculousness Committee practiced “guilt by association” and relied on dubious testimony by paid, anonymous informants. Witnesses could not confront their accusers, and there was no evidence. Mc. Carthy tries to take on the army and accuse them of also hosting communists within the ranks. Many people were afraid of Mc. Carthy’s bullying tactics, so they did not speak out against him.
The Aftermath Mc. Carthy finally accuses the army council’s legal assistant of being a Communist. The council responds that enough is enough, so Mc. Carthy needs to stop his accusations. Mc. Carthy was censured for “Conduct Contrary to Senatorial Tradition. ” Mc. Carthy died within three years. The FBI continued hunting potential communists until 1975.
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