National First Ladies' Library
Red Hunts, Black Lists, and Communists
Students research and examine the unsavory history of the hunt for communists in the United States during the 1950s. They divide up into groups to review the Red Scare of the 1920s as a backdrop to the McCarthy era and write a short...
University of California
University of California, Irvine: War Within: Dissent During Crisis in America
View works created by eight artists in response to war and its consequences.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society: Mc Carthyism, Korea and the Cold War
This article looks at McCarthyism in the context of the Korean War and the Cold War. It is supplemented by original documents and articles from that era.
Curated OER
History Matters: "National Suicide"
Joseph McCarthy's initial attacks against the State Department and his all-out hunt for Communists in hiding in the government was met by Senator Margaret Chase Smith's Declaration of Conscience advocating for the protection of...
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania: The Politics of Scholarship
This article contrasts the political versus the cultural anti-communist actions of the McCarthy Era.
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania: Senator Joe Mc Carthy
An excerpt from a book on Senator Joseph McCarthy. Includes a description of his life and career and details the impact his actions and ideas had on America in the 1950's.
University of Pennsylvania
Univ. Of Penn: Hysteria and Ideology in "The Crucible"
This website, which is provided for by the University of Pennsylvania, reproduces an article by Richard Hayes from "Commonweal" in 1953. A good opportunity to see a review of "The Crucible" from the time the play originally appeared.
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania: The Hollywood Blacklist
This site describes what went on in Hollywood during the Red Scare of the 1950s when many actors and directors were asked to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee about possible communist activity in Hollywood.
PBS
Pbs: American Masters: Paul Robeson
PBS profiles the life of African American actor, athlete, singer, author, and political activist, Paul Robeson. Click on the timeline to see highlights of his often turbulent career.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Mc Carthyism
Read about the dangers of paranoia when exercised by people of power. The witch-hunting of the McCarthy era made rash and false accusations against supposed Communist sympathizers that affected many lives.
The History Cat
The History Cat: Red Scare America
Describes the events that took place during the McCarthy Era and actions of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Ordinary Americans feared being identified as a Communist sympathizer and libraries removed books from their shelves...
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College: Mc Carthyism: Victims of Mc Carthyism
Describes the experiences of Owen Lattimore and Val Lorwin, two individuals accused of being Communist sympathizers during the McCarthy error.