Alger Hiss

Throughout the 1950’s, there was an ongoing political clash between conservatives and liberals. During the time, liberals approved the idea of political and social change to provide equality for all. On the opposing side, conservatives believed that political and social views should stay the same, and to limit change. Conservatives rejected change in the society and the idea of communism. As conservatives rejected this idea of change, this helped create the idea of a nuclear or ideal family and…

He denied that accusation, saying that he was a Communist but was still sent to prison. This demonstrates that the U.S. contained communism because even though Hiss said he was innocent they still sent him to prison to avoid information being given to the Communist…

the only, President to resign from office. From his poor origins, he rose to an astounding height before his equally astounding fall. In six years, he went from oblivion to fame, winning the congressional race of 1946, national preeminence in the Alger Hiss spy case of 1948, a Senate seat in 1950, vice president in 1952 and finally, after losing the presidency to John F. Kennedy in 1960, the presidency in 1969. Having attained such prominence in a very short time, Richard Nixon was and still is…

by Joseph McCarthy. His accusations began to accuse well known people and destroy their reputations. Brinkley states, “Hiss, who was now out of government, denied the charges, and most people seemed to believe him. But Chambers produced evidence that damaged Hiss’ claim of innocence” (Brinkley). The person in question, Alger Hiss, is a well known former politician at this time. Hiss denies the charges and the general population believe him. Nonetheless, the powerful people do not as…

The United States went into the Cold War with good intentions, wanting to end the spread of communism. These efforts eventually led to better relations with the Soviet Union, now Russia, as well as China. However, most of these efforts were fueled by fear, especially following the second red scare. This fear led to democratic rights being infringed upon at home and abroad, and the tearing down of the governments of other nations in order to keep communism at bay, ruining the lives of millions.…

Jennifer Layburn The Infamous Richard Nixon Although many names of the Presidents that have presided over the United States of America are well known throughout the world, there is one president in particular who has earned the title of "infamous." President Richard Nixon, the thirty-seventh president of the United States of America, is commonly noted for his association with the Watergate Scandal. President Nixon, however, lead an enriched political career both before and after his…

 In 1948, Alger Hiss was accused of being spy for the Soviet Union since many classified documents were typed up by him.  Even though he was innocent about treason, lying about the documents is what got him in jail until the discovery of Soviet wires in his office…

Every second. Every minute. Every hour. Every day. History is creating, sometimes recreating, itself. In today’s world it is common for most people to learn about history in a classroom, through a textbook and teacher. It seems silly or irrelevant to learn of the past in any other way than what we were prior taught in grade school and high school; However, there are other available sources to learn about history. One way that may not seem very familiar is through songs. Over the years many…

Americans were fearful of the communist Soviets very much so that they started to become paranoid about communist. On ushistory.org it stated that “President Truman had ordered background checks of every civilian in service to the government. When Alger Hiss, a high-ranking State Department official was convicted on espionage charges, fear of communists intensified.” (ushistory.org). That caused something called McCarthyism to storm in on…

gave our secret away and betrayed America? In the end, very little evidence for treason was found, but the effect on the American mindset was tremendous. When Whittaker Chambers testified in the case of Alger Hiss, “we were close friends, but we are caught in a tragedy of history. Mr. Hiss represents the concealed enemy against which we are all fighting, and I am fighting” (Sanction). Chambers, like many other Americans, was suspicious of the unseen evil that may be right in front of you,…