Joseph McCarthy to President Harry Truman, February 11, 1950 In 1946 Joseph McCarthy a Wisconsin Republican won an election to the Senate after an extensive anti-communist campaign that preyed on the fears of a nation. After the Republicans victories President Truman a Democrat launched his own anti-communist campaign with an extensive loyalty program for federal employees. Even after the conviction of communist spy Alger Hess a state department employee McCarthy was not satisfied what followed was a witch hunt that mirrored the Salem Witch trials. In his letter to President Truman, McCarthy uses extremely bold but logical language and statements to our president in order to receive information and clout to continue his witch hunt and rise …show more content…
McCarthy used this to further his career and public standing by dragging people’s names through the mud and ending their careers. Needless to say that the issue McCarthy addresses is a highly emotional subject and needs to broach with great care. McCarthy uses good and sometimes logical fallacies to argue his point, however he also uses strong bold statements to encourage the president to give him the records he wants to continue his witch hunt in America. After listing his demands McCarthy states, “Failure on your part will label the Democratic Party of being the bedfellow of international communism. Certainly this label is not deserved by the hundreds of thousands of loyal American Democrats throughout the Nation, and by the sizable number of able loyal Democrats in both the Senate and the House” (McCarthy Par. 3). McCarthy after an entitre letter full with logical arguments hits the president with a powerful statement, “Failure on your part will label the Democratic Party of being the bedfellow of international communism” this statement of powerful emotion demands the President gives McCarthy the reports in fear of being perceived as sympathizing with the enemy. McCarthy brilliantly mention that even though that would be the perception in order not to appear over emotional he state that would be a disservice to hundreds of thousands loyal Democrats. McCarthy navigates an emotional subject with shrewd and flawed logical, but also with one resounding emotional statement as the final attempt to gain more information for his famous witch
McCarthyism was a made up theory that only caused hysteria and had no real benefit to the United States. Government officials and people in power did not agree with McCarthy’s actions. The hunt for communists was like an impossible witch hunt. The lives of many were flipped upside down because of the accusations made by Joseph McCarthy. Government officials and people in power did not agree with McCarthy’s actions.
Senator Joseph McCarthy was a far right politcian that thought any american, rich, poor, democrat, rebublican, conservative, liberal and hollywood elites that didn’t agree with his views were communists. Joseph McCarthy let everyone know that there was communism in a local newspaper that the state department was infested with communists. McCarthy rhethoric it repeats to a massive audience in the coming months as he grew the power in fame as a Senator, people believed him just as the very same of The Crucibles they all beleved the one girl and accuse half the town for being witches. Joseph McCarthy was a witch hunter because he believed they are a communist if a person was on a payphone he would accuse for being a communist and they you are
After being censured by the United States Senate in 1954, Joseph Raymond McCarthy died in 1957. Admittedly Senator McCarthy led a very successful political career as Senator and chairman of the Committee on Government Operations and its Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Sadly he left a trail of damaged individual reputations and a red stain in the history books known as McCarthyism. McCarthyism today is the term used to refer to the time when the nation faced persecution and is a reference to any mistreatment of any group. But even though a small percentage of American citizen lost jobs and two people lost their lives, the damaged reputations of thousands even millions of people who were labeled communist was the actual terrible legacy left behind.
Enemies from Within On February 20th, 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy delivered a speech on his views of the communists 'invading' the American government. This famous speech started what's known as McCarthyism, which was the campaign that endorses unfair allegations and investigations. He believes the American democracy is being ruined by communist spies, so he uses his platform to scare the citizens into action. Paragraph 7 further details this with the quote, ''When a great democracy is destroyed, it will not be because of the enemies without, but rather enemies within.'' The quote in paragraph 7 reveals that McCarthy believes the American democracy is being undermined by communists within the government and is served to scare the
Sam 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.
The speech made McCarthy famous and led Congress to begin investigating supposed communists in the government. McCarthy later gave Congress the names of State Department employees he claimed were traitors. Those individuals lost their jobs, even though McCarthy never supplied evidence to prove their guilt” (Joseph McCarthy). McCarthy used a list he made up to gain notoriety with
In 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.
When the Red Scare was taking place, an abundant number of individuals feared the idea of growing communism. Similar to the events in The Crucible, there were those who blatantly pointed fingers to benefit themselves. During the Red Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy added on to the state of paranoia with dishonest charges against people. During a speech, McCarthy claimed to possess a list of Communist members that work for the U.S government (“McCarthyism”). As a result, many people started to view McCarthy as courageous.
Sam Roberts in the article, A Decade of Fear, argues that Americans turned against each other because of McCarthyism. Roberts supports his claim by explaining, contrasting, and demonstrating. The author’s purpose is to persuade the audience in order to assure Americans that McCarthyism was extremely impactful. The author writes in a speculative tone. I strongly agree with Roberts claim.
Sarah Paroya D period I hate MUSH The end of World War II should have marked a period of relief in America but instead, it lead America into a completely different type of war called the Cold War. The Cold War was an ongoing state of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. This constant state of tension and fear had been embedded deep in the American public.
With all of the accusations going around, people were forgetting that everyone can have their own opinion. Edward R Murrow, a television host of See It Now bashed McCarthy by saying “’We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty’” (Roberts, 2). Murrow was saying that just because a person disagrees with what the president or a government official says, does not mean they are a communist. The United States has freedom of speech, and citizens can say whatever they want about the government.
The Early Rhetorical Tactics of a Demagogue: Joseph McCarthy Successfully finds a foothold in the political world Joseph McCarthy was man who exploited popular beliefs and predigests to rise to the status of a political demagogue who became feared by many. He strategically used fear and manipulation of facts to climb his way to the top. It seemed for a period McCarthy was untouchable. Historians rarely answer the question of how he became the notorious man that is recorded in history. How does Joseph McCarthy use propaganda, hasty generalizations, and the new age of media to gain his power?
McCarthy manipulated the media, told outrageous stories about the communist conspiracy in the United States, and used his power and America’s fear to besmirch any opponents as “communist sympathizers” to make sure he remained at the top. Actually, most conservative members of Congress supported McCarthy because it helped them gain votes during elections. The majority of McCarthy 's movement attacked liberals and members of the Democratic Party and this aided anyone who was not part of those topics and organizations. Then McCarthy began to target the Army because they wouldn’t favor David Schine, one of his former investigators, who had been drafted in. “Senator Joseph McCarthy began hearings investigating the United States Army, which he charged with being ‘soft’ on communism.
Arthur Miller used his storytelling to discretely show the US leadership that decisions made in fear were dangerous. Miller in his story had a quote about how “Until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven.” stating the the Americans may like how the situation is being dealt with but it will eventually cause terrible trouble. McCarthy was making decisions made in fear and it was hurting the US and in fact made it so that if Miller wrote his opinion without hiding it behind a story he too would have been punished and arrested. It can be assured that Miller would have just written his opinion in its raw form if McCarthyism wasn’t a factor.
He said that at least 205 members of the State Department were members of the communist party. This was after it was released to the public that a couple named Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were secretly communist spies who were staying in the U.S., stealing nuclear weapon secrets. With McCarthy’s remarks such as “They [a communist spy] could even be your neighbor!’ scarring the American public’s mind, many were on edge.