An Overview Of Mc Carthyism And The Mc Carthy Era

1308 words - 5 pages

An Overview of McCarthyism and the McCarthy Era

This is the first definition ever of the word McCarthyism, first published in 1954. The basis of this definition is the life of lawyer, judge, and senator of the United States of America, Joseph R. McCarthy. If one takes a look at the actions of this man, it is not very hard to understand where this definition comes from.

Joeseph McCarthy was a master of media and public manipulation for the purpose of his own notoriety. Throughout his career as a politician, he used many issues to gain him attention, the most well known, of course, being his anti-communist crusade/witch hunt during the early 1950, of which he was the leading spokesperson. McCarthy’s record at every stagae of his life and career has been one of failure and ridicule, of lies and half-truths, yet somehow he managed to pull enough media strings to gain him a positive reputation with the American people through his antics.

McCarthy’s first political position was as judge of the tenth circuit court. While he was in this position, he was cited numerous times for “highly improper” behavior, such as destroying records and rushing through cases just to clear the backlog, with no particular regard to seeing that actual justice was done. He also destroyed records of cases that could show him as negligent for the purpose of destroying evidence that could be used against him. Ironically enough, the slogan under which McCarthy won this position was “Justice is Truth in Action.” The next step for Joseph was his short war career. Although he saw almost no real battle time, he did not allow this to keep him out of the media. He went so far to attract attention as to unnecessarily fire off 4,700 rounds of ammunition. When he returned home, he told the paper that he had been wounded during the war. This was completely untrue and furthered the pattern of dishonesty for which he would eventually be known.

McCarthy’s next stage of politics and lies was his term as Senator. This is the beginning of the famed anti-communist accusations which have defined McCarthyism. In order to win the senatorship, he accused his partner of having communist inclinations and a mouthpiece for the communist party. This was not a new tool to be used by republicans, but it is one which he would take to a new level. During the early part of his term, Joseph often irritated the Republican party by showing blatant disregard for rules and for backing unusual platforms. He was also known by this time for bending the truth as it fit his needs and for turning any serious discussion into a personal, usually false, attack on his opponent. Because largely of these views of him, his population was dwindling. He knew that he needed a new platform from which he could attract the support and attention of the media. That issue was the manipulation of the red scare. On February 9, 1950, he launched his crusade that would...

Arthur Miller's Comparing of Similarities in The McCarthy Era and The Salem Witch Trials Illustrated in The Crucible

1002 words - 4 pages and Terminer on October 29. Eventually by May of 1693 Phipps forgave all who were in prison on witchcraft charges. The Crucible and The McCarthy Era despite the fact that they took place at different points of time have several similarities. They both had people being accused for actions they did not commit. If the person was not found to be guilty in both McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials, they would have a hard time rebuilding their images

The Rise and Fall of McCarthyism

2866 words - 11 pages . Eisenhower. The activities of McCarthy and his followers gave birth to the term McCarthyism. This term is used in reference to 'sensational and highly publicized personal attacks, usually based on unsubstantiated charges, as a means of discrediting people thought to be subversive.'(Grolier, 1996)McCarthy, before February of 1950, was by no means a distinguished legislator. He held the attention of the United States by arguing that the State Department

The crucible and mccarthyism

1007 words - 4 pages history it is possible to retrace events and see where society has repeated their mistakes. Two of these events that are different in some ways, but similar in more, are the witch hunts that took place in Salem during 1692 and the era of McCarthyism brought on by an anti-Communist movement led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. Among the many similarities between the two events are the way in which it effected the lives of those who participated, the

The Causes of McCarthyism

1228 words - 5 pages The Causes of McCarthyism As an individual in the middle of Twentieth century Joseph McCarthy had a rather intense effect on society. He started the movement that bears his name. McCarthyism was the movement that caused many changes in the lives of the people of the 1950's. McCarthy headed the charge against communism in the United States after the second World War. Through his actions many people were accused of being

McCarthyism and the Media

2468 words - 10 pages McCarthyism and the Media The Cold War ushered in a new era in the American society that would change the way in which everyday life was carried on by the public. Men, women and children were convinced to fit the “average” mold that was promoted through propaganda issued from the American government and media. Events, such as the McCarthy hearings and Hollywood Blacklisting, contributed to the overwhelming fear of nonconformity. The American

The Fear of Communism in The United States: Joseph McCarthy Era

1704 words - 7 pages , Anderson would confess: "At my prompting he (McCarthy) would phone fellow senators to ask what had transpired this morning behind closed doors or what strategy was planned for the morrow. While I listened in on an extension he would pump even a Robert Taft or a William Knowland with the handwritten questions I passed him." (Anderson 115). In return, Anderson provided McCarthy with information about politicians and state officials he suspected of

Compare and Contrast Essay: Salem Witch Trials and The McCarthy Era

646 words - 3 pages Trials are so similar to the McCarthy Era.During the McCarthy Era, communism was one of the great atrocities inlife. Many people feared and hated it, so when people started being accused of being communist, it caused a major hysteria. People all over did not know what to think, and just wanted it to go away; as in the Salem Witch Trials. This could have been the reason so many peolpe were executed. People probably thought that being accused was more

Connecting McCarthyism and The Crucible

1361 words - 5 pages children like Shirley Temple, people began doubting his credibility, especially with the lack of evidence (“The Red Scare: McCarthyism” 1). Although the periods that Abigail and McCarthy controlled people’s fear was frightening and had many negative effects, they were eventually seen for what they really were: greedy, power-hungry liars. Abigail and McCarthy were not the only ones who lied during these dark times. If someone was accused of

McCarthyism and the Conservative Political Climate of Today

6146 words - 25 pages confront those who are trying to dig up the stinking corpse of Joe McCarthy and breath new life into it. Anticommunist hysteria in the 1940s and 1950s In one sense, what we call "McCarthyism" represented the 1950s version of the antiradical campaigns waged by the U.S. government since its founding. An earlier period of anticommunist paranoia immediately followed the Russian Revolution. In 1919, President Woodrow

An Analysis of the Populist and Progressive Era

1945 words - 8 pages the minds and hearts of the Populist’s, and became the center and the driving force of the Progressive era. During the gilded age railroads were being built, Industrialization was rising, the population of United States was increasing dramatically; and corporate businesses were becoming extremely powerful. The gilded age was known for its corruption and business domination, it wasn’t until the Populist movement when people started to fight back and

An Overview of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"

1310 words - 5 pages significance of the cracking of the Stone Table, and the role playing of prophecies. It will discuss how this story is a supposal, an example of symbolism, and how it could be called "just magic." There were several significant characters in this story: Aslan- a lion, Edmund - a little boy, The Emperor-Beyond- The- Sea, Father Christmas, and The White Witch. The story begins when a group of siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy discover Narnia from

How The Crucible Is An Allegory For The Mc Carthy Era

1243 words - 5 pages it more relevant to the current situation. The book ultimately became an allegory devoted solely to McCarthyism. In The Crucible it uses situations such as the actual trials; direct comparisons of the characters in the book to those that participated in the McCarthy trials and, the atmosphere of the two events were almost identical. One example of The Crucible being an allegory to the McCarthy Era is the similarity in the way people were accused

Arthur Miller's The Crucible And The Mc Carthy Era

1110 words - 4 pages reputations were put on the line in both The Crucible and throughout Second Red Scare. The similarities between the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Era are evident throughout the play such as the common theme of revenge. “Naturally, the best proof of your sincerity of your confession was your naming other whom you had seen in the Devil’s company – an invitation to private vengeance” (Why I Wrote). In both trials, the accused had to list names that

Perspectives On Fear: The Crucible And The Mc Carthy Era

1194 words - 5 pages McCarthy era fear ruled the people and even now in present time America we are constantly living in fear. The people in Salem were ruled by the fear being killed. All the lying that occurred in Salem began the build of fear. Abigail is the main character that caused the lying. Her first lie starts in the beginning of the book after being caught dancing with other girls in the woods. Abigail herself feared the consequences she would face if the

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 And Communism In The Mc Carthy Era

1102 words - 4 pages In Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist Guy Montag, an ordinary fireman trained to burn books containing offensive matter in order to develop a community of similar values and covert extremists, comes to the realization that the world he prospers in is unjust and ill-mannered due to the present censorship. Similar motifs can be found within the 1950’s McCarthy Era. McCarthyism was the practice of subjecting Americans to