During the 1950’s, many innocent people in America were accused of Communist ideals. Joseph McCarthy was in charge of the bulk of the accusations by convicting members of the government, Hollywood actors, authors, and publishers. Many people lost their jobs and reputation from these events. Because of McCarthy's accusations against particular groups of people, and existing high tensions from the ongoing Cold War in America, people were arrested and blacklisted by others for communism.
Joseph McCarthy made wild accusations about people in America that had a lasting impact on people’s lives and reputations. During the 1950s, Joseph McCarthy spent his time trying to identify Americans who were said to be Communist, which was known as a dangerous …show more content…
The country was in the middle of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, so people were more prone to be scared of the ideas of Communism. The accusations from McCarthy made him famous (Roberts 16). McCarthy exploited the fear the people of the United States of America had about Communism in order to be elected as a Senator. The ongoing fear was a danger for the rest of the government and McCarthy used the government and the fear of the American people as an advantage for personal gain. The most recent example of questioning loyalty of Americans amid a war, was during the McCarthyism era (Roberts 16). Even though it has been nearly 60 years since these accusations, the American people have learned that witch hunts are dangerous. People realized after this happened that they need to be more careful about picking out a certain group of people for personal gain. America has not seen witch hunts during a major war since this time. During the Cold War, Americans during this era were facing many hardships. Roberts asked “When else in American history has the government questioned the loyalty of Americans during wartime?” (16). McCarthy’s Accusations were the first time something of this nature had been seen in America and the solution to solve these issues were unknown. The reason why it occurred for so long was because everyone was confused with how to handle the
Joseph McCarthy made wild accusations about people in America that had a lasting impact on people’s lives and reputations. During the 1950s, Joseph McCarthy spent his time trying to identify Americans who were said to be Communist, which was known as a dangerous …show more content…
The country was in the middle of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, so people were more prone to be scared of the ideas of Communism. The accusations from McCarthy made him famous (Roberts 16). McCarthy exploited the fear the people of the United States of America had about Communism in order to be elected as a Senator. The ongoing fear was a danger for the rest of the government and McCarthy used the government and the fear of the American people as an advantage for personal gain. The most recent example of questioning loyalty of Americans amid a war, was during the McCarthyism era (Roberts 16). Even though it has been nearly 60 years since these accusations, the American people have learned that witch hunts are dangerous. People realized after this happened that they need to be more careful about picking out a certain group of people for personal gain. America has not seen witch hunts during a major war since this time. During the Cold War, Americans during this era were facing many hardships. Roberts asked “When else in American history has the government questioned the loyalty of Americans during wartime?” (16). McCarthy’s Accusations were the first time something of this nature had been seen in America and the solution to solve these issues were unknown. The reason why it occurred for so long was because everyone was confused with how to handle the