The Red Scare

AP US History· difficulty 4/5

"I have here in my hand a list of 205 — a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party..." — Joseph McCarthy, Wheeling, WV, February 1950

A 1954 Editorial Cartoon Senator LIST OF "REDS" IN STATE DEPT. (blank pages) "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" — Joseph Welch, Army-McCarthy hearings Censured by Senate, December 2, 1954 (67-22) Ed Murrow's "See It Now" had aired March 1954 "WAVING THE LIST" McCarthy (R-WI)

The cartoon and quotations above are best understood in the context of which broader phenomenon?

  • A

    The Espionage Act's enforcement during World War I

  • B

    The Palmer Raids targeting anarchist immigrants

  • C

    The Second Red Scare's culture of accusation and fear of communist infiltration

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  • D

    The HUAC investigation of fascist sympathizers in the 1930s

Explanation

McCarthy's accusations during 1950-1954 epitomized the Second Red Scare. The Army-McCarthy hearings, where Joseph Welch's rebuke became famous, marked the beginning of McCarthy's downfall.

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