Joseph McCarthy
Senator Joseph McCarthy's actions during the Cold War with the Soviet Union led to a change in American life, and thus it changed the future. Joe McCarthy had a very strong presence, this played an important role in his political life. McCarthy was able to manipulate the media into supporting him and his cause. His tactics of basing his campaign upon the fear people had of Communists was highly effective. McCarthy's accusations against the government of allowing subversive activities and individuals to proceed with their actions against America was highly effective because of the common Communist fear in that particular era. McCarthy's campaign against the Communists in America affected many aspects of American life, and to this day, it has indirect effects on our contemporary society. His continuous campaign to stop Communist beliefs brought about reforms in many aspects of American life; this has made him the subject of a debate of politics and morality that continues even today(O'Brien, Pg. 107 ). Perhaps McCarthy recklessly attacked innocent people in the midst of it all to grasp some popularity, but what was clear at the time was that he was a moral crusader against the Communists, although
The spread of insecurities and fear brought about the desire to reform to prevent the further spread of Communist beliefs. The foundations of this reform began with education. Children were instructed in school to fear Communists, and the "Pledge of Allegiance" was recited without hesitation to show signs of loyalty to America (Reeves, Pg.156). Teachers were also required to pledge their loyalty to the US, and they were instructed to promote American ideals to raise responsible individuals that would not be prepense to succumb to "evil" Communist ideals. Liberal books were being banned from bookshelves, and students were warned to keep a look-out for Communist because they were "everywhere, intending to sabotage the American government" (O'Brien, Pg.111). The fear caused by the very thought that Communists might be inside the government, and the accusations made by McCarthy, promoted the education of children who were vulnerable to Communists. These beliefs which arose during the 1950s helped prolong the Cold War into the early 1990s. McCarthy's accusations and subpoenas promoted the hatred and distrust of Communists, and to some extent, it eventually led to the intensification of anti-Communist efforts, and eventually to the containment policy (Crosby, Pg.301). through the whole course of his campaign he failed to produce any names of Communist officials, he capitalized on the hysteria that Americans had because of the Korean War, and encroachments from China and East European countries were imminent. His influences affected many aspects of everyday life, from education to laws established, and even the questioning of basic structural government agencies such as the US Army. Eventually, after the televising of one of his hearings, it was clear that he was reckless in his accusations, and his popular support suffered a major blow. Senator Joseph McCarthy had a great influence on American history because his anti-Communist campaign, along with the hysteria surrounding Communist threats undermined the
Some common words found in the essay are:
War McCarthy, Communists America, Joe McCarthy, Security Act, Crosby Pg205, Joseph McCarthy, Pg156 Teachers, Pg260 Truman, Cold War, Reeves Pg, cold war, american life, american public, joe mccarthy, establishment concentration, establishment concentration camps, senator joseph, concentration camps, insecurities average american, american history, entertainment industry, security act 1950, communist beliefs, cold war mccarthy, internal security act,
Approximate Word count = 1360
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
