The Red Scare (1950s)

1. HUAC
HUAC investigated people that were suspected of being Communists. The organization was most famous for investigating the movie industry and Hollywood 10.

2. Blacklist
The Blacklist was a list of people created by the government of people who had a communist background.

3. Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss a man accused of being a Soviet spy.He was not able to be covicted of espoinage because of the time frame but was convicted of purgery. This was important because Nixon uesd this case to gain popularity with the American People.

4. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg
Ethel and Julius were minor activists in the Communist Party in the United States and were sentenced to death for giving the Soviets information about the Atomic bomb.

5. Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy was a Senator who accused many people of being Communists, and started many witch hunts to find and kill the communists. He believed that they were trying to take over the government.

6. McCarthyism
McCarthyism was when people were accused of being communists without evidence.

7. In a paragraph, describe the motivations and actions of Joseph McCarthy during the 1950s. What prompted his actions? What did he do? What happened as a result of his actions?
McCarthy's actions were prompted by his desire to retain his place in the Senate, and he wanted to use the people fear of the communists to gain support.He also saw communism as very dangerous to us, and so he started witch hunts and accusing people of being communists. He started the concept of Mcarthyism and also insulted people on in the senate so that he wasnt accused of slander. The result was that people rallied behind him because of their fear, and promoted the idea of anti-communism.