Term paper on McCarthyism

McCarthyism (1950–1954)

term paper RESOURCE GUIDE

The cold war brought widespread fear that a communist threat existed from inside the United States as well as from without. Looking for an issue to boost his reelection chances, Joseph R. McCarthy, a Republican senator from Wisconsin , announced in a speech on February 9, 1950, that he had a list containing the names of 205 communists in the State Department. The senator never publicly showed the list, but over the next several years his sensationalistic investigations and hearings intensified the red scare. While some critics spoke out against his tactics and his anti-Democratic political partisanship, he remained popular and powerful until 1954, when his accusations of widespread communism in the U.S. Army backfired, leading to his censure by the Senate.
Suggestions for Term Papers

1. Analyze the origins of McCarthyism.

2. Discuss HUAC’s investigation of Hollywood .

3. Analyze the effects of McCarthyism on teachers and professors.

4. How real was the threat of domestic communism at this time?

5. Compare McCarthyism to the Red Scare after World War I.

Suggested Sources : See entries 52, 56, and 57 for related items.

REFERENCE SOURCES

Encyclopedia of the McCarthy Era . William K. Klingaman. NY: Facts on File, 1996. Unique and comprehensive reference of those who were blacklisted as a result of the Senate hearings in the early 1950s.

GENERAL SOURCES

Ewald, William B., Jr. McCarthyism and Consensus ? Washington , DC : University Press, 1986. Important book on the role of consensus and media treatment.

Fariello, Griffin . Red Scare: Memories of the American Inquisition . New York : Norton, 1995. Testimonies of those personally affected by the era of the ‘‘second red scare,” including persecutors and ‘‘friendly” witnesses.

Fried, Richard. Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective . New York : Oxford University Press, 1990. An examination of the anticommunist crusade, as well as a close analysis of Hiss.

Heale, M. J. McCarthy’s Americans: Red Scare Politics in State and Nation, 1935–1965 . Washington , DC : University Press, 1998. Informative history examines the anticommunist movement in the United States from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s.

Zeinert, Karen. McCarthy and the Fear of Communism in American History . Springfield , NJ : Enslow Publishers, 1998. An account of the fear of communism and its impact in propelling McCarthy to the forefront of American politics.

SPECIALIZED SOURCES

Buckley, William F. McCarthy and His Enemies: The Record and Its Meaning . (1954). Reprint. Washington , DC : Regnery, 1995. Contemporary account of McCarthy and his battle against subversive activities of communists in the United States .

Cohn, Roy M. McCarthy: The Answer to ‘‘Tail Gunner Joe.” New York : Manor Books, 1977. The story of Joe McCarthy and his fight with communism, written by his close associate.

Landis, Mark. Joe McCarthy: The Politics of Chaos . Selinsgrove , PA : Susque hanna University Press, 1987. Challenges McCarthy’s character and style through a conceptual analysis derived from the social sciences.

McCarthy, Joseph. McCarthyism: The Fight for America . (1952). Reprint. North Stratford , NH : Ayer, 1977. A personal account illustrating McCarthy’s debts to his intellectual predecessors and his own contributions to the anticommunist movement.

Rorty, James. McCarthy and the Communists . (1954) Reprint. Westport , CT : Greenwood , 1972. Examination of McCarthy and his role in seeking a vendetta against the Communist party of the United States .

Tuck, Jim. McCarthyism and New York’s Hearst Press: A Study of Roles in the Witch Hunt . Washington , DC : University Press, 1995. Recent analysis that examines the role of the sensationalistic newspaper during the McCarthy era.

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

Flynn, John T. McCarthy . New York : Gordon, 1987. Informative and revealing biography of the late senator.

O’Brien, Michael. McCarthy and McCarthyism in Wisconsin . Columbia , MO : University of Missouri Press, 1980. Good biography of the senator from Wisconsin and an analysis of Wisconsin politics at the time.

Oshinsky, David M. A Conspiracy So Immense: The World of Joe McCarthy . New York : Free Press, 1983. Carefully drawn biography that places McCarthyism in broader context.

Robeson, Paul. Here I Stand . (1958). Reprint. Boston : Beacon, 1998. A concise autobiography that celebrates the life of the popular singer who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era. Reissued on the hundredth anniversary of Robeson’s birth.

AUDIOVISUAL SOURCES

The McCarthy Years . Beverly Hills, CA: Fox/CBS Video, 1993. Part of the Edward R. Murrow collection, narrated by Walter Cronkrite about the late senator from Wisconsin. 113 minutes.

WORLD WIDE WEB

Schrecker, Ellen. The Impact of McCarthyism . December 1997. http://www.crocker.com/ blklist/biblio3final.html A clear and comprehensible evaluation of the effects of McCarthyism on the American cha racter.