House Un-American Activities Committee

The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was form from 1938-1975. It was created to investigate disloyalty and rebel organizations. Investigation allegations of communist activity in the U.S during early years of the Cold War (1945-91). During the hearing, the suspected Communist was grilled about his or her political beliefs and activities and then asked to provide the names of other people who had taken part in allegedly subversive activities. Any additional figures identified in this manner also received subpoenas, widening the committee’s probe. Communist were often referred as “Reds” for their alliance to the Soviet Union. The name coming from the color of the Soviet flag. The film portrayed communists going free by claiming constitutional rights. This constitutional right is the Fifth Amendment. Part of the Bill of Rights it states “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in…

The House Committee on Un- American Activities (HUAC) was an investigating committee of the United State House of Representatives that operated during the 1930s to 1970s. Martin Dies was the first chairman of the Un-American Activities, which was established in 1938. At first, the role of the HUAC was to investigate a variety of political groups as well as subversive activities. Due to the Red Scare of the 1950, many hearings were structured towards investigating whether a person is a communist…

Warren was on the fence about the whole thing. In act I, Warren states, “What 'll we do? The village is out! I just come from the farm; the whole country 's talkin ' witchcraft! They 'll be callin ' us witches, Abby! Abby, we 've got to tell.” (The Crucible). Both confessed to save themselves from a punishment (The Crucible). Kazan was expected to deny the accusations, and acquaintances states that they expected him to break the blacklist. (Westlund). Elia Kazan was later described by The New…

unrest among the American public. During the Cold War, the United States government used propaganda to combat growing social issues involving the communist threat. The United States government utilized agitprop to attack communism and defend the American way of life by promoting blacklisting, anti-Russian practices, and the desensitization of Americans. Blacklisting was a major propaganda tactic of the government used to counter the threat of communism. If a person was placed on the blacklist,…

such as the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals (MPA) were created in order to regulate the content of the film industry by censoring anti-American substance. Because the growth and evolution of the McCarthyism, or the practice of making unfair allegations against citizens suspected of being communists, many writers, actors, and directors were imprisoned under charges of Communism. Manipulated by powerful film…

Crucible to demonstrate the hysteria surrounding the American citizens and their government. By analyzing the usage of the causes of hysteria and individual rationalization of actions that are commonplace in The Crucible, a reader can see how hysteria starts in a society and what prevents and keeps hysteria from occurring. A common belief is that all evil is an individual evil; however, The Crucible demonstrates individual and systemic evils that cause…

immensely was the passage of the Hatch Act in 1939. The Hatch Act “made it illegal for the federal government to employ Communists.” (Podair, Jerald, Kimberly Louagie, Richard Fried, Edward Linenthal, Arthur Herman, Michael O'Brien, and David Oshinsky 2004) This gave McCarthy all the ammo he needed. Carol Sicherman writes that three short years later, in 1953, McCarthy was the chair of the Permanent Investigating Subcommittee of the Senate Government Operations Committee. He used this position…

Economical The VA is infamous for misappropriation of funding, which stems from two main sources: management flaws and lack of accountability. One of the most notable incidents of mismanagement causing extreme funding waste is the “$6.1 million” the House Committee on Veterans Affairs found the VA Human Resources Department (HR) wasted on two conferences in Orlando, and of this 6.1 million “$97,906” contributed to frivolous promotional items. The financial heads of the VA failed to keep a…

After liberation, my life became a whirl-wind of self-actualization. I worked as an interpreter for the Allies until the end of the war in 1945. During that time, I realized how lucky my family and I were to have escaped life, or death, in a concentration camp. The stories I heard and the things I saw with my own eyes in the aftermath of liberation shocked me to my core. I spent my days in a hotel pondering when I would have another opportunity to kiss a girl while thousands of others perished.…

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…