In the 1950's World War II scared the public into fearing Communism. They were afraid that Communists would destroy the United States of America. The leader of the Anti-Communists was named Joseph McCarthy. He was a Republican Senator from Wisconsin. He believed that Communists along with “undesirables” were planning to overthrow the government. He decided to fight Communism by using the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
He tried to find Communists in the community by asking people to turn people who they thought were anti-American. This practice was called McCarthyism. Many people used this system to falsely accuse people who they had issues with. This turned into a big problem because people who were falsely accused named more people in order to avoid their own prosecution. McCarthyism also involved various methods of public humiliation. Among these methods was the utilization of televised public hearings. These public interrogations broadcasted intimate details of the accused person’s private life for all to see. Furthermore, the HUAC used blacklists to disrupt the lives of people they deemed “political threats”. If you were blacklisted, your accounts were frozen, you were constantly monitored, and most likely you could not leave the state.
McCarthyism eventually died out, and McCarthy died May 2, 1957. His legacy lives on in the play "The Crucible"
By Kevin and Alex
