OpenStax
Open Stax: Post War Prosperity and Cold War Fears 1945 1960: The Cold War
Examines the causes of the Cold War, America's efforts to oppose the spread of Communism, and the hunt for Communist sympathizers within the United States.
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Write Now: Case Study: Mc Carthyism and the Cold War
Students are tasked with researching and writing an informative article about McCarthy and the Cold War. The overarching concept is focused around how one person was able to influence the political and social arena during the time of the...
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Mc Carthyism, Korea and the Cold War
This article looks at McCarthyism in the context of the Korean War and the Cold War. It is supplemented by original documents and articles from that era.
Have Fun With History
Have Fun With History: The Cold War
Videos, activities and links to related resources for teachers and students learning about the Cold War. Students can find out about Joseph McCarthy, Berlin Airlift, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Sputnik and the nuclear scare through...
Digital History
Digital History: Origins of the Cold War
A look at the origins of the Cold War by examining primary sources. Questions to think about are included to check understanding.
Ducksters
Ducksters: The Cold War for Kids: Red Scare
Kids learn the history of the Red Scare during the Cold War. A fear of communism caused black lists and accusations led by Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: The Modern Era
For a brief overview of the period after World War II until the present, visit this Library of Congress resource. Learn about the Cold War and the first man to walk on the moon.
US House of Representatives
History, Art, and Archives: Legislative Interests and Achievements
Women in Congress had an impact on every critical piece of legislation during the Depression through the Cold War. Examine their impact in Congress during these decades in the following summary of legislative achievements.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Mc Carthyism
Learn detailed facts about McCarthyism, the anti-communist 'witch hunts' of Senator Joseph McCarthy (1950 - 1956) consisting of investigations and persecution of alleged communists in America in which accusations of treason or subversion...
Read Works
Read Works: Senator Joseph Mc Carthy's Speech Before the Senate on June 14, 1951
[Free Registration/Login Required] This PDF is an excerpt from Senator Joseph McCarthy's Speech before the Senate on June 14, 1951. It is part of Paired Texts (above the passage) with "Anti - Communism in the 1950s" by Wendy...
US Department of State
America.gov: Edward R. Murrow [Pdf]
Highlights the life and career of broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow. Examines his "This is London" reports during World War 11, the Senator McCarthy anti-Communist campaign in the 1950s, his critical treatment of migrant workers, and...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Anti Communism in the 1950s
[Free Registration/Login Required] An essay tracing the anti-Communist hysteria beginning in earnest at the end of World War II that resulted in Truman's federal Loyalty Security program and ending with McCarthyism in the 1950s.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois: The Legacy of Mc Carthyism
An essay addressing the ramifications of false accusations made against academics, politicians, and cultural figures during the McCarthy Era. Read about the consequences not only for the individuals but for society in general.
Digital History
Digital History: The Strange Case of Alger Hiss [Pdf]
This site is from a unit that covers the period from the Second World War up to the Cold War. It looks at the case of Alger Hiss who was accused in 1948 of belonging to the Communist Party, imprisoned, and who denied the association his...
US Senate
Senate Stories: "Have You No Sense of Decency?"
Read about the abrupt downfall of Senator Joseph McCarthy after the damage he did with his anti-Communist witch hunts.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Marshall and Mc Carthyism
Read the outlandish claims Senators Joseph McCarthy and William Jenner made about honored statesman and public servant, George Marshal during the time that came to be known as McCarthyism.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Anticommunism in the 1950s
Learn about the Rosenberg trial, HUAC, and Joseph McCarthy.
George Washington University
Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project: House Un American Activities Committee
A description of the genesis of the House Un-American Activities Committee and the bullying inquisition of those the committee accused of having Communist leanings.
Other
Behind the Scenes: The Mc Carran Internal Security Act
Read about the origins and impact of the McCarran Internal Security Act which President Harry Truman called "the greatest danger to freedom of speech, press and assembly, since the Alien and Sedition Laws of 1798." Find out how a fear of...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Mc Carthyism" by Us history.org
A learning module that begins with "McCarthyism" by USHistory.org, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and...