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Joseph McCarthy Teacher Resources
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Students analyze documents, cartoons, speeches and articles about Joseph McCarthy and his crusade against "Un-American" activities. They guide their research with a worksheet and participate in class discussions about their findings.
Students read a flowchart and look at corresponding photos to explore the anti-communist fears in the mid-twentieth century and the impact Senator Joseph McCarthy had on those fears.
Lend a certain authenticity to a study on McCarthyism using Herb Block's bold political cartoons. There is an informational link which you can use to prepare a lecture or guide independent research. Historians analyze several cartoons and fill out a worksheet, either by hand or using an interactive online tool. Consider printing the cartoons, since explanations alongside each make the analysis less challenging. The pre-assessment quiz and streaming video links aren't reliable.
Students investigate what constitutes an "un-American" activity and why Soviet espionage was such an important issue in the 1940's and 1950's. Joseph McCarthy's impact on American anticommunism is examined in this lesson. There are three lessons in this
Students identify the primary subjects of FBI investigation on espionage charges and in particular, the Venona project, noting how it worked and the purpose it served.
Young scholars examine the McCarthy era by reading documents written from the time. They are exposed to both sides of the argument, then do a writing assignment stating their own views.
Students participate in a dramatic reading of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" and discuss scenes that affected them strongly. After discussing the motivation behind writing the book and some of the historical inaccuracies they choose a scene from Miller's play and rewrite it from the perspective of today.
Students can learn about the Red Scare, McCarthyism, and other related topics with lesson plans that focus on the 1950's and communism.
High schoolers consider the implications of the Salem Witch Trials. In this literature lesson, students read Arthur Miller's The Crucible and compare the witch trials to McCarthyism of the 1950's. High schoolers rewrite scenes from the play using a modern perspective.
Students explore the Red Scare. In this Cold War instructional activity, students read accounts of the Rosenberg trial as well as the letter written by the Rosenbergs to their children on the day of their execution. Students conduct further independent research on the trial and analyze the provided photographs of the couple.