KyndallTucker

Mr.Douville
3rdperiod
November21,2014
Tucker,1

JosephMcCarthyBackground:
Areyounoworhaveyoueverbeenamemberofthecommunist
party?(
"McCarthyism."
).

ThatwasoneofthefamousquotesJosephMcCarthyused
whileinvestigatingpeople.JosephMcCarthywasborninWisconsin,hewasraisedby
wealthyfarmingfamilybuthehadnointerestsinfarminganddidn'twanttospendthe
restofhislifefarming.Atage14,McCarthydroppedoutofschool,andlateroninhis
lifehewenttoMarquetteUniversity.Intheyearof1941McCarthywasenlistedinthe
Marinesandbytheyearof1940Russianspieshadalreadyinfiltratedthegovernment.
McCarthywaselectedpresidentofhislawclassandbecamemoreinterestedinbeinga
higherrankingofficial.
Finallyin1946JosephMcCarthywaselectedsenatorandbythe1950she
gainedatremendousamountofpower.TheColdWarstartedin1945afterWorldWarII
.TheUSandtheUSSRwereatanarmsracewithnuclearandatomicweapons,andin
allthatchaostheRosenbergswerecaughtandsenttobeexecutedafterstealing
informationabouttheatomicbombforRussia.Butthatsnottheonlyconflictbetween
USandUSSR,USSRwantedBerlintojointheminbeingcommunistandtheyrefused
sostalinblockedallrailwaysandwaysoftransportationandcutoffelectricityandatthat
timetherewasalotoftensionbetweenberlinandtheUSSRwasgreat.Anotherwar
thathappenedduringtheColdWaristheKoreanWarandithappenedbecausethe
NorthernpartofKoreawantedtomakeKoreawholebuttheyinordertodothatthe
southernpartofKoreahadtobecommunismandtheyrefusedandthewarstartedby

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Mr.Douville
3rdperiod
November21,2014
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havingnorthernKoreapassoverthe38parallelandthatiswhatstarteditallandalong
withthesouthkoreanmilitarytheUSandtheUN.TheKoreanWaralsoleadGeneral
Macarthurtobeingfired.Thewarendedinatruce.Thespreadofcommunismimpacted
manynationsthroughouttheworldandchangedmanycountriesaroundtheworld.
(Clayton).Although,JosephMcCarthy'sideasmadehimknowntohavegreatcourage
andleadership,healsoleftanegativeeffectonAmericabecausehespreadfalse
accusationsabouttheentertainmentindustryandgovernmentinstitutionsandsaying
Americawasfullofcommunists.
IIdeas,courageandleadership:
JosephMcCarthysideasandcouragemadehimapoliticalheroinAmerica
becausehewasaleadertomanypeopleandhehadalotofcourage.McCarthyused
hisleadershipandcouragetogetsupportersandpeopletobelievethatcommunism
wasspreadacrossAmerica.WithbothcourageandleadershipMcCarthygotalotof
peopletobelievehiscourageandideasandmakepeoplebelievehewasright.Many
peoplewerescaredthattherewasaredscareinAmerica.McCarthyhadalotof
couragetospeakoutagainstthemilitaryandentertainmentindustries.(
JosephR.
McCarthy.
History.com.)

McCarthywasabornleaderandhadamazingleadershipskillswhichmade
peoplelikehimandfollowhimandbelievehisideas.First,McCarthygotpeopleto
supporthisideas.Withallofhisleadershipintheyearof1954McCarthyhadan
immenseamountofpower.ManypeopleinAmericalookeduptohimtomakethings
betterorimprovethem.McCarthyconfrontedthemilitaryandtheentertainment

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Mr.Douville
3rdperiod
November21,2014
Tucker,3

industries,whereastheHUACdidnotcomfortoraccusethesamepeopleas
McCarthy.(
JosephR.McCarthy.
History.com.)
II
McCarthyhadanimmenseamountofcourageandhewentagainstalloddsand
spokeoutagainstthemilitaryandtheentertainmentindustries.McCarthystuckwith
whathethoughtwasrightandhewasn'tafraidtospeakoutagainstotherpeopleandhe
wasn'tafraidtospeakoutwithhisownopinionsandideas.(
"WorldBookOnlineReference
Center)
TwopeoplethatwerecommunistwhowereaccusedwereJuliusandEthel

Rosenberg,theywerespiesthatfoundoutinformationabouttheatomicweaponsthat
Americahadideasfor.(Clayton).TheRosenbergswereexecutedthesamedaythey
werearrested.AlongwiththeRosenbergs,AlgerHissagovernmentofficial,was
arrestedandputjailforthreeyearsbecausehewasrelatedtoJuliusRosenberg.When
McCarthywasinvestigatingpeoplehewasverymeanandnotafraidtospeakoutin
whathethought,andifyoupleadedthefifthlikeJuliusandEthelRosenbergdidyou
weresenttojail.Manypeoplesaidthatheusedabullyingtacticandwasnevernice
wheninvestigatingpeople.(
"WorldBookOnlineReferenceCenter)
Negativelegacy:
JosephMcCarthyspreadfalseaccusationsaboutthegovernmentarmy,ciaand
theentertainmentindustriessayingthattheywerefullofcommunists,whichleft
McCarthywithanegativelegacybecauseheconfrontedthemilitaryandthe
entertainmentindustry.First,JosephMcCarthymadefalseaccusationsaboutthearmy.
McCarthysaidthatthearmywascoddlingcommunists.(
"WorldBookOnlineReference)

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Mr.Douville
3rdperiod
November21,2014
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Center
Whenheaccusedthearmyofcoddlingcommunistshediditwhilethehearing

wasontelevisionintheyearof1954.ThewholeworldheardwhatMcCarthysaidwhich
causedfearthroughoutAmerica.(
Cayton,AndrewR.L.,ElisabethIsraels.,Perry,Allan
M.Winkle,andLindaReed.)
.
PeoplethatheaccusedwereGeneralRalphZwinkerand
JosephWelchwhowereinthearmy.
AfterthearmyhearingsMcCarthylostmanyfollowersandsupport,manypeople
didnotbelievewhatMcCarthysaidaboutthearmybuthestillcausedfearthroughout
America.AfterthearmyhearingsthegovernmentquestionedMcCarthyanddidnot
knowatthatpointiftheywantedtokeephimasenate.McCarthyrefusedtosigna
papertolimithispower.McCarthygainedalotofmistrustafterconfrontingthearmy.
Afterthehearingofthearmytheideasspreadquicklyandrapidlyandtheinfodidnot
goawayforawhileandsomepeopledidbelievehisaccusationsandothersdid
not.(
"WorldBookOnlineReferenceCenter)
EntertainmentindustryandCIAhearings:
AnothercaseofMcCarthysquestioningwashequestionedtheCIA,andthatthe
CIAwasfilledwithcommunists.TheCIAquestioninghappenedrightbeforethearmy
hearings.McCarthyclaimedthattherewasalsocommunistsintheatomicweapons
industry.Thehearingswerenottelevisedbutthewordofthehearingsspreadquickly.
theonlydifferencebetweenthearmyhearingsandtheCIAhearingswasMcCarthy
actuallyhadsupportduringthearmyhearingswhereasnobodytookMcCarthyseriously
becauseitwashisfirstandhedidnothaveaccurateinformationandnobodybelieved
him.(Markthelibrarian)

KyndallTucker
Mr.Douville
3rdperiod
November21,2014
Tucker,5

McCarthyalsomadefalseaccusationsabouttheentertainmentindustrybecause
hewasafraidthattheentertainmentindustrycouldspreadcommunistideasandalsogo
againstMcCarthysideas.Peoplewhowereapartoftheentertainmentindustrywereall
investigatedallthesamewayandMcCarthysfirstwordswheninvestigatingwhereare
younoworhaveyoueverbeenapartofthecommunistparty.(
"McCarthyism.").
McCarthytooktheinvestigationsveryseriouslyandwasverymeanandrude.Ifyou
werepartofthecommunistpartyyoulostyourjobandyouwereblacklistedandputon
theHollywoodTenlist,ifyouwereputonthelistyoucouldnotfindajoborbehired,it
ruinedyourlife.Ifanyonepleadedthefifthyouweresenttojailwithoutquestion.People
thatwereputontheblacklistwereactors,writers,filmers,etc.Oneofthepeoplethat
McCarthyaccusedintheentertainmentindustrywasPeteSeegerabanjoplayer,Pete
endedupnotbeingcommunist.(
Cayton,AndrewR.L.,ElisabethIsraels.,Perry,AllanM.
Winkle,andLindaReed.).Peopleinamericawerelivingthrougharedscare(
"Telegramfrom
SenatorJosephMcCarthytoPresidentHarryS.Truman.")

Accusations:
DuringMcCarthysaccusationsMcCarthywasveryrudeandmanypeoplesaid
thatheusedbullyliketactics.(
Cayton,AndrewR.L.,ElisabethIsraels.,Perry,AllanM.
Winkle,andLindaReed.).
AftertheaccusationsMcCarthylostalotofgovernment

support.ManypeoplearoundAmericalosttheirjobsbecausetheywereblacklistedby
McCarthy.Notonlywerepeopleblacklistedbutifyouwereapartofcommunismyou
wereputonthehollywoodtenandthenaftertheywereputontothehollywoodtenlist
theycouldn'tgettheirjobsback.Ifpeoplepleadedthefifththeywereputintojailno

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Mr.Douville
3rdperiod
November21,2014
Tucker,6

questionsasked.(Clayton)Theonlytwoaccusationsthatweretakenseriouslywerethe
entertainmentindustryandthearmyhearingsandtheCIAaccusationswerenottaken
seriouslyandnobodyreallybelievedhim.(Markthelibrarian).(Enemiesfromwithin)
Although,JosephMcCarthyhadagreatamountofcourageandleadershiphe
leftaverynegativelegacybecausehecreatedwidespreadfearthroughoutAmerica.
McCarthycreatedfearforAmericansintheireverydaylife,hehadAmericansfearing
eachother.Peoplewereafraidtospeakouttheirownopinionsandalsoafraidtospeak
toeachother,becausetheywereafraidtogetputintojailorlosetheirjobs.Nobody
wantedtospeakoutperiodbecausetheywereafraidoftheirownsenator,Joseph
McCarthy.(
"JosephMcCarthy:Biography").
Importance:
Duringhiscareerthegovernmentgrewveryfearfulofhowmuchpower
McCarthyhadgainedinjustamatterofayearortwo.Manypeoplewereinterviewedby
thegovernmenttomakesurethatnobodywascommunistorbeenapartofit.Almost
nobodywastrustedandAmericafearedasecondredscare.(
Cayton,AndrewR.L.,
ElisabethIsraels.Perry,AllanM.Winkle,andLindaReed.
America:PathwaystothePresent.
)
McCarthyismruinedpeople'slivesbecausetheywereleftwithnojobs.McCarthyand

McCarthyismchangedAmericatodaybyhavingbackgroundchecks,thefifth
amendmenthasn'tbeenbrokesoeverybodyhasthefreedomofspeech.(USsenate)
Toconclude,JosephMcCarthyhadalotofcourageandleadership,hespoke
outagainstthegovernmentandhestuckwithwhathethoughtwasright.Yethelefta

KyndallTucker
Mr.Douville
3rdperiod
November21,2014
Tucker,7

negativelegacybecauseheaccusedgovernmentinstitutionsandcreatedwidespread
fearthroughoutamerica.