HUAC Informative Essay
Informative Essay: How did the Accusations of the HUAC reflect the effects of the Cold War in the United States? The House Un-american Activities Committee, or HUAC, was one of the defining points of McCarthyism and the Cold War. Fueled by suspicion and distrust, the HUAC was formed to investigated private individuals and public figures who were suspected of engaging in subversive activities or having Communist ties (House Un-American Activities Committee). While it was established far before the Cold War, the HUAC reached it’s peak during the Red Scares of the Cold War, and represented the attitudes of many Americans during this time. The accusations of the HUAC were symptomatic of the culture of fear, particularly fear of being different, that the Cold War caused in the United States. HUAC investigations during this time targeted primarily at those …show more content…
In the transcript of a HUAC hearing, it can be seen that many were forced to self-incriminate, as if they pleaded the fifth amendment they would be unable to return to their jobs and their families, while pleading the first amendment would cause them to be sent to prison in contempt of the court (Lithwick). Terrence Hallinan, an eyewitness to HUAC trials, said in a statement that if anyone incriminated themselves as being Communist, the HUAC would investigate their close relations for Communist ties (Carlsson, Hallinan, and Jenkins). Active in Marxist circles as a youth, and close to many confirmed Communists and Marxists, Betty Fredian’s associations and relationships also caused her to become a target of the HUAC in this way (Boucher). This too embodies the extreme prejudice of individuals in the United States of people who identified as Marxist, Communist, or were otherwise far left leaning, to the extent that those around them were incriminated by
The Parallels Between The Crucible And Mccarthyism
1088 Words | 5 PagesDuring the red scare, many people feared communists and wanted those people to be gone. People have been questioned by the HUAC. One of those people was a famous Hollywood director named Ella Kazan. He was
A Decade Of Fear By Sam Roberts
1094 Words | 5 PagesSam Roberts in the article A Decade of Fear argues that McCarthyism turned Americans against each other. Roberts supports his claim by illustrating fear, describing betrayal, and comparing it to other United States internal conflicts. The author’s purpose is to point out a vulnerable period of American history in order to demonstrate that Americans felt prey to McCarthy’s negative propaganda. The author writes in a cynical tone for an educated audience. I strongly agree with Robert’s claim.
Compare And Contrast The Red Scare And Joseph Mccarthyism
347 Words | 2 PagesIn the 1940 's and 1950 's, an anti-Communist movement swept the United States of America. Fueled by the anti-Communist actions of Congress, particularly a Senator from Wisconsin by the name of Joseph McCarthy, the movement escalated and many people lost their jobs as a result of various blacklists. Congressional hearings, both in front of HUAC and McCarthy Senate committee were a study in organized persecution. The actions taken during the "Red Scare" were eventually given the general name McCarthyism. McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence.
Examples Of Primary Sources Of Mccarthy
1284 Words | 6 PagesThis primary source edited by Jesse G. Cunningham and Laura K. Egendorf is a series of articles written by eyewitnesses who were called to testify in some relation to the McCarthy Trials or other court cases. The book goes into great depth to analyze McCarthy’s methods and to assess McCarthy and McCarthyism. This source was fantastic for providing more than enough eyewitness testimonies and first hand insight to the trauma caused by McCarthy in the government and society. This source added the project because it highlighted McCarthy’s tactics and gave direct insite to the court cases that went on during that time period.
The Controversy Of The Rosenberg Trial During The Mccarthy Era
692 Words | 3 PagesThese years are often referred to as the “McCarthy era”, named after a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin who blamed many of his colleagues of Communist subversion. In many cases, defendants were pitted against their own friends, whose only evidence were their words. Cultural and racial bias ran rampant, and often those accused of a crime against the country, such as espionage or conspiracy of espionage, were not given fair trials. In one such case, a husband
How Did The Cold War Affect Politics Between 1900 And 2000
1387 Words | 6 PagesThe 1900’s and early 2000’s were a very hard time for America. WWII was coming to an end, the Cold War was starting, and we experienced our first terror attack. These three historical events brought on many fears to America; two of which, were the fear of communism, and the fear of terror attacks. These events affected the politics then, and they continue to affect politics today. As a result of these fears, the Truman Doctrine was established and brought into effect, the 1948 election was impacted, the HUAC committee was established, along with the first terror attack, and the PATRIOTS Act I and II.
Cold War DBQ
703 Words | 3 PagesIn the beginning of the Cold War, President Truman signed an executive order to investigate all employment of the Federal Government(Document 1). Audience for this order was not only people who hire people for Federal Government jobs, but also citizens. Even though the United States officially tried to ban communism, the President suggested eliminating communist ideas from society which instilled fear of communism. HUAC established in 1938 also increased the fear of communism by investigating communist(Document 2). This picture shows that HUAC uses its power to accuse people and spread the fear of “being communist”.
What Impact Did Mccarthyism Have On America
224 Words | 1 PagesWhat is more important to humans, national security or individual rights? This question has been asked and brought up many times throughout our nation’s history. One of the most memorable times when this became an issue was the McCarthy era. Did Communism threaten America’s internal security in the 1940’s and early 1950’s or did McCarthy and the HUAAC create a Red Scare and abuse their powers? The answer is yes to both parts.
For Justice In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, And On The Waterfront
720 Words | 3 PagesImagine the wicked House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) arrest an innocent man. The HUAC does not arrest the man because he has committed a murder, but because he is a communist. Many communists became victims of HUAC in the Red Scare crisis of the 1950s. These communists made the right decision to speak out for their freedom and against injustice. These communists also spoke out for their freedom of different beliefs.
Cold War Domestic Policy
146 Words | 1 PagesThe U.S. formed the House of Un-American Activities, which checked just about every foreign person for them being a spy. This action made every foreigner a suspect. On top of that the HUAC would attack anyone in their way and claim it was justified because they feared the Communists invading their nation. So domestic wise the
Civil Rights During The Cold War Essay
756 Words | 4 PagesFrom 1939 to 1975, chaotic battles transpired in the United States (U.S.), such as World War II, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, many people felt they were losing their liberty due to the draft system. Throughout the Civil Rights movement, minority groups questioned equality in the U.S. since they experienced discrimination and had limited voting rights. Amid the Cold War, many Americans felt the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) violated American justice. America did not adhere to and promote the democratic values upon which it was founded because the draft system took away liberty from citizens, minority groups suffered from inequality, and HUAC ignored the justice of American citizens.
Impact Of The Hollywood Ten
1412 Words | 6 PagesThe 1950s saw the blacklisting of The Hollywood Ten, a group of screenwriters and filmmakers who were thought to have connections to communism. In 1947, they were summoned to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) regarding their political affiliations and ideas. They were accused of contempt of Congress and given prison sentences for refusing to respond. The Hollywood Ten came to represent the nation's anti-communist hysteria during the Cold War. The HUAC hearings and the Hollywood Ten's blacklisting had a long-lasting chilling impact on free speech and creative expression in the film business.
Essay On Political Realignments
521 Words | 3 PagesFor example, Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist crusades and the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) hearings helped to create a political climate of fear and suspicion that shaped American politics for decades. In the primary source, Joseph McCarthy on Communism (1950), McCarthy states, “At war’s end we were physically the strongest nation on Earth and, at least potentially, the most powerful intellectually and morally. Ours could have been the honor of being a beacon in the desert of destruction, a shining, living proof that civilization was not yet ready to destroy
The Crucible Dbq Essay
608 Words | 3 PagesMcCarthyism was a vociferous campaign against alleged communists in the US government. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, although most did not in fact belong to the Communist Party. In these two events, many similarities
The Crucible Pros And Cons Essay
462 Words | 2 PagesThe main accuser during this time was Joseph McCarthy. The people who were accused were just everyday people. Joseph McCarthy said that he knew people who are members of the communist party working for the government, he may have done this because he didn’t like those people. This scared everyone, primarily because during the years that followed WWII everyone feared communist. So after McCarthy made these statements, it almost made like a ripple effect by having everyday people, being accused of people that “suspected” that they were communists as well.
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