In the 1950s, how did the Red Scare and the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy affect the American people? Your young historians will analyze primary source documents on the Red Scare, participate in a "find the...

The Rosenbergs—executed for their role in a Soviet-era spy ring—continue the captivate the American imagination. Using a history lab format, young historians examine the trove of documents associated with the case, including photographs...

Was it all about the bananas—or the fear of a communist threat? Young historians use a history lab to examine documents from the American-led 1954 Guatemalan coup. Using graphics, government documents, and speeches, they examine the...

Understanding the historical context of Arthur Miller's The Crucible is an important part in understanding the play itself. Over 25 slides, the audience learns details of Miller's early childhood and some major events that were happening...

Students 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...

Students investigate the Sacco-Vanzetti trial and develop a basic understanding of the issues involved. Then they write an essay taking a stance on the Sacco-Vanzetti trial: was the trial fair? were the two men falsely accused? Finally,...

For this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about the achievements of Ronald Reagan. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive worksheet.

In February 1950, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy had charged that the Department of State knowingly harbored Communists. Hearings on McCarthy's accusations were held under the chairmanship of Senator Millard Tydings of Maryland. The...

[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.

This site describes what went on in Hollywood during the Red Scare of the 1950s when many actors and directors were asked to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee about possible communist activity in Hollywood.

Although brief, this article explains the McCarran Act and how it intertwined with the House Un-American Activities Committee in its anti-Communist hysteria.

Read the actions taken against a postal worker, who, as a federal worker, was subject to the vague loyalty oath. Find out what the charges where against him and what happened to him.

In May 1950, at the very moment that Senator Joseph McCarthy was beginning his crusade against communist subversion, the U.S. Senate created a special committee to investigate another "enemy within": organized crim

Find the executive order from President Harry S. Truman which outlined the loyalty review program to examine the loyalty of federal employees. This was issued in response to anti-Communist hysteria at the time.

This site from the University of Washington discusses films produced in Hollywood before, during, and after the Red Scare.

Senator Joseph McCarthy did not create the national obsession with communist subversion. It had arisen in the late 1930s, years before McCarthy had come to public notice. Angry that they had been barred from the corridors of power for 20...

Part of the official biographical guide of the U.S. Congress, this page contains a brief biography of Joseph McCarthy and his political career.

A brief description of the hunt for spies within the United States prior to McCarthyism.

In +J1105:J1113this allegorical drama, inspired by the witch hunt trials of 1692-93 and the 1950s Red Scare, the town of Salem is plagued by hysteria and accusations of witchcraft. Selected (9) reading passages (grades 8-12) to pair with...

Information on the life and work of Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957).

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...

This is the text of Senator Margaret Chase Smith's "Declaration of Conscience," a list of how Republicans and Democrats should act, delivered on June 1, 1950.

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.