McCarthyism essays

McCarthyism essays McCarthyism gets its name from United States Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, a Republican of Wisconsin. He became front-page news in 1950, when he publicly charged that more than two hundred secret Communists had infiltrated the Department of State. While conducting a militant anti-Communist campaign, communist advances in Eastern Europe and China,Senator McCarthy pursued an investigation of communist subversion in all walks of life. His usually baseless accusations ruined the careers of many distinguished citizens. This is similar in comparison with the Salem witch trials that took place back in 1692. Witchcraft was a big deal to the people back then. If you were accused of it and did not confess, it was your own death bed. In 1954, he brought charges of subversion against the U.S. Army. When the Army responded by charging Senator McCarthy with improper conduct, his breath taking tactics were revealed on national television during a thirty-six day hearing. In the same year, with his influence lessening, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy's fellow senators censured him for behavior contrary to Senate traditions. "McCarthyism" now refers to any witch hunt, or to the persecution of people accused without proper cause, who are forced to conform in order to avoid public condemnation. Just like the Salem witch trials. People were accused for crimes they didn't commit just because they were around or near a strange event or they had a very thin red line with their neighbors. Some accused others for profits, others just to get rid of their "awful" neighbors. In 1950 the United States was concerned with the threat of communism. Hatred of communist influences within the country increased as FBI director J. Edgar Hoover announced that there were 55,000 party members and 500,000 sympathizers active within the U.S. the Senate appointed a special committee to investigate charges of communist activity in the Sta ...