Curated OER
The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy
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.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy
"I have here in my hand . . ." The war against Communism and Joseph McCarthy’s place in it are the focus of a series of lessons examining postwar America from 1945-1954. Joseph McCarthy takes center stage in this, the final lesson of the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Soviet Espionage in America
The war against Communism and Joseph McCarthy’s place in it are the focus of a series of three lessons examining postwar America from 1945-1950. This first lesson asks groups to read an introduction that describes the Verona Project and...
Curated OER
McCarthyism: The Effects of the Anti-Communism Fear
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.
Curated OER
Telegram from Senator Joseph McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
Young scholars research Senator Joseph McCarthy's February 9, 1950 speech, given at Wheeling, West Virginia, in which he claimed more than 200 State Department employees were members of the Communist Party.
Curated OER
Witch Hunt or Red Menace? Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945-1954
Young scholars 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...
National First Ladies' Library
Red Hunts, Black Lists, and Communists
Pupils research and examine the unsavory history of the hunt for communists in the United States during the 1950s. They divide up into groups to review the Red Scare of the 1920s as a backdrop to the McCarthy era and write a short essay...
Curated OER
The Berlin Airlift
Students examine a document from the Berlin Airlift in order to research his important event in World History.
University of California
Anti-Communism at Home
Have you ever been accused of something without cause? The sixth installment of an eight-part series asks scholars to create a museum exhibit on the anti-communist activities in the United States at the start of the Cold War. To make...
Curated OER
McCarthyism: The Political Cartoons of Herb Block
Students examine McCarthyism. In this Cold War lesson, students analyze 6 political cartoons by Herb Block that capture the essence of the Red Scare. Students discuss the cartoons and the fear of communism that permeated America.
Curated OER
The Cold War: Anti-Communism at Home
Eleventh graders take a closer look at the Red Scare. In this Cold War lesson, 11th graders read the provided literature about anti-communism in the United States and then respond to the provided discussion questions that accompany the...
Curated OER
Social Studies: The Declaration of Conscience
Pupils examine Margaret Chase Smith's Declaration of Conscience and discuss its impact on Maine politics. After reading it, they discuss their opinions and write short responses about them. As a follow-up activity, students write their...
Curated OER
Immigrants Welcome?
Ninth graders examine the world after the end of World War II. In groups, they complete a Naturalization Review Board activity and discuss how immigrants changed the United States. As a class, they discover how the immigration policies...