First Red Scare

The Red Scare of the 1920’s was widespread panic due to the fear of the communists, anarchists, and socialist ideas rising in the United States. Immigrants and foreigners were the first to be blamed because they were believed to have brought communist ideas with them into America. To try and put an end to this mass paranoia, people within the government went out to find any known Communists and eliminate them. One man in particular made this his full-time job for the sake of the American people. Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer was born on May 4, 1872 in Moosehead, Pennsylvania.1 He was the most known anti-Communists during this time period and his goal was to wipe out any rumored Communists along the West Coast of America. To take…

In 1919 Of April, They discovered that there were two bomb plots in affect. The Members of polically and economically was mailed 36 bombs. There was also informed that there were 8 bombs going off in 8 different locations. Due to the bomb plots, it led to palmer raids. Witch was led by Attorney General A Mitchell Palmer. He then deemed it unconstitutional. By falsely predicting a communist uprising, On May 1, 1920 Palmer lost all his credibility and potency. In 1920, several states passed a law…

The Second Red Scare The Second Red Scare was a time of hysteria in American history that impacted daily life in America and contributed to the tensions of the Cold War. Senator Joseph McCarthy took advantage of the fear of communism to defeat political rivals and personal enemies. Several famous actors, composers, and directors were blacklisted and their careers destroyed under suspicion of being communist. Loyalty oaths were implemented into the workplace, and people had to testify…

Good Night and Good Luck directed by George Clooney was a dramatic film which was based off of real events that occurred during the 1950’s. During this period in America, McCarthyism was in full effect. McCarthyism itself was making accusations of disloyalty and began when senator Joseph R. McCarthy exposed communists in the United States which is also known as the “Red Scare”. The film shows the differences between the senator and a CBS television journalist named Edward R. Murrow, what also…

The Red Scare appeared directly subsequent to the closing of World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution that took place in Russia. These occurrences bolstered fear of communism, socialism, and anarchism while depleting a major component of the United States economy. The widespread trepidation settled in the hearts of many Americans. Many factors in the Red Scare would result in a massive decrease in labor leading to higher wages, violation of civil rights and decreased profits. The Red Scare…

Joseph McCarthy Few people in American history have ever plunged the country into panic as Joseph McCarthy did in the 1950s. He single-handedly fabricated a scandal he claimed reached into the highest branches of the US government. Lacking substantial evidence, he accused various senators, representatives, and officials of being communist spies. His infamous “list” of such people was comprised of information that was “either taken from other sources or misremembered or just made up” (Kelley).…

This connection speaks to the tendency in humans to latch on to fear and blindly follow those who promise to erase it. In both situations the fear is manufactured. During the witch trials it was completely made up while during the red scare it was a small issue that was blown out of proportion. The only way to stop this mentality from spreading out of control is for people to stand up against the terror. Edward Murrow was one such person during the red scare and his journalism helped to expose…

Kevin Hannaford History Term Paper 2/23/15 The Political War The so-called "Red Scare" refers to the fear of communism in the USA during the 1920s. “It is said that there were over 150,000 anarchists or communists in USA in 1920 alone and this represented only 0.1% of the overall population of the USA.” (history learning center - source 8) It is surprising looking back and seeing how the percent is so small that they scared the…

clearly embeds the story of Esther Greenwood into the political situation of the time. The Bell Jar introduces its setting by referring to the execution of the Rosenbergs. In the summer of 1953 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of and electrocuted for espionage. It was believed that they had passed secret US military information on nuclear weapons on to Soviet Intelligence. The fear of the so-called “red scare” was omnipresent, and it was believed that more and more people sympathetic with…

frenzy, yelling out all the names they claim have made pacts with the Devil despite their strict Puritan beliefs (Miller). This scene is pivotal to the story because it shows how the hysteria began growing in Salem until it exploded out of control, and the trials took over daily life. Had the girls not wanted all the attention and praise, the trials would never have taken off, and the sense of panic never would have penetrated Salem. The United States as a whole fell into a similar trap due to…