Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Witch Hunt or Red Menace? Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945-1954

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Witch Hunt or Red Menace? Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945-1954

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the goals and methods of the House Un-American Activities Committee and offer an opinion regarding whether their investigation of Hollywood was justifiable.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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.
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Consumer Culture in the 1950s: New Shopping Centers and Advertising trends

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders analyze the cultural and social aspects of the 1950s. Using primary source documents, they work together to determine what society was like. They use that information to write an essay about how their information...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945 1954

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this Curriculum Unit, students will consider "Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945-1954: Witch Hunt or Red Menace?" in 3 Lessons. The unit also includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Anticommunism in the 1950s

For Students 9th - 10th
Looks at the paranoia of the 1950s when Americans lived in fear of communism. The House Committee on Un-American Activities created blacklists of people working in Hollywood, McCarthyism flourished, and the Rosenberg couple were tried...
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Anticommunism in the 1950s

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the Rosenberg trial, HUAC, and Joseph McCarthy.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Lesson 3: The Rise and Fall of Joseph Mc Carthy

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will learn about McCarthy's crusade against communism, from his bombshell pronouncements in 1950 to his ultimate censure and disgrace in 1954. Through an examination of documents and political cartoons they will study key points...
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Civil Rights Congress (1946 1956)

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia entry talks about the Civil Rights Congress, a group that gave legal defense for blacks, but was hampered by its support of the Communist Party during the Cold War.
Unknown Type
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: The Cold War (1945 1980)

For Students 9th - 10th
A quick comprehension check over the Cold War.
Unknown Type
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: The Red Scare

For Students 9th - 10th
A quick comprehension check over the Red Scare.
Handout
Digital History

Digital History: Before the American War

For Students 9th - 10th
Before Vietnam became the stage for an American war against international communism, it was a war between France and Indochina. France, concerned about losing their colonial holdings in Indochina and therefore losing international...