Curated OER
The Palmer "Red Raids"
Students explore how Americans reacted to communism. In this Red Scare instructional activity, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of the Palmer "Red Raids" and its implications. Students respond...
US National Archives
Nara: Prologue Magazine: Prelude to Mc Carthyism: The Making of a Blacklist
This lengthy article in the Prologue Magazine, a publication from the National Archives, details the operations of the Attorney General's List of Subversive Organizations, or AGLOSO, which was used in compiling information based on...
Other
Cpsu: J. Edgar Hoover Huac Testimony
Read the testimony of J. Edgar Hoover before the House Un-American Activities Committee where he explains the destructive nature of Communists in the United States.
New York Times
New York Times: On This Day: J. Edgar Hoover
Features an obituary for J. Edgar Hoover detailing his life in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (May, 1972)
OpenStax
Open Stax: The Great War 1914 1919: Demobilization and Its Difficult Aftermath
Looks at the demobilization of the American war effort and the impact it had on people's lives, accompanied by the flu pandemic and fears of contagion, race riots, and the Red Scare. Also looks at the 1920 presidential election which was...
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation: History of the Fbi
This official FBI site offers an illustrated history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from the years of its first director, J. Edgar Hoover, to the present and is suitable for student research.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation: J. Edgar Hoover, May 10, 1924 May 2, 1972
Presents a detailed biographical profile of John Edgar Hoover, the director of the FBI for 48 years.
Michigan State University
Michigan State University: Msu Libraries: Digital Collections: Hollywood Ten
Primary source documents related to the Hollywood Ten, a group of writers, directors, and producers who were blacklisted for purported un-American activities and ties to Communism. All materials can be downloaded.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Roads to Memphis
An insightful documentary [1:21:00] of the events leading up to the assassination of Martin L. King by James Earl Ray, and the escape and arrest of the killer. The turbulent political and social background of the time is made clear as is...
Discovery Education
Discovery Education: Civil Rights: An Investigation
Through the lesson provided here, students will not only learn about civil rights and civil liberty but also understand the key roles played by President Johnson and Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement. The detailed...
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Lampooning Injustice: Paul Conrad and Civil Rights
In this instructional activity, 11th graders look at the work of Paul Conrad, a political cartoonist, who often explored issues around civil rights, including Brown v. Board of Education and school desegregation. Includes background...
US National Archives
Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum: Civil Rights: The Emmett Till Case
This is a fascinating look into the governmental response to the killing of Emmett Till. Read the many pieces of correspondence, including a telegram from Emmett Till's mother to President Eisenhower, and several letters from J. Edgar...
University of Pennsylvania
The American 50s: Mc Carran Act or Internal Security Act of 1950
Although brief, this article explains the McCarran Act and how it intertwined with the House Un-American Activities Committee in its anti-Communist hysteria.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Public Enemy #1
Companion website for the PBS documentary on the crime spree of John Dillinger, an infamous gangster. Included are a transcript of the film, biographies of people in the film, pictures of gangsters of the era, and a teacher's guide for...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Red Scare
A dark side to the Jazz Age was the increase in the fear of Communism. Read about the federal government's actions to stem anything that was thought to threaten American security.
Thurgood Marshall Website
Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary: Thurgood Marshall on J. Edgar Hoover
Thurgood Marshall, as Justice of the Supreme Court, battled with law enforcement officials over recognizing the civil rights of black Americans, particularly in the South. This site has a short interview with Marshall about his...
Google Cultural Institute
Google Cultural Institute: J. Edgar Hoover
This visual website from Google Cultural Institute shares background information and photos about J. Edgar Hoover.