Curated OER
History Matters: Leon Sverdlove on the Taft Hartley Act
It's interesting to read about the anti-union sentiment that led to the Taft-Hartley Act after World War II, but even more amazing to see how that sentiment was tied to the anti-communist witch hunts of the time. Read the comments of the...
Smithsonian Institution
National Portrait Gallery: The Presidency and the Cold War: Dwight D. Eisenhower
This site from the National Portrait Gallery explores presidential actions during the Cold War. Click on Dwight D. Eisenhower to see how the Cold War was developing and being handled during his presidency. Find out about the Communist...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: American Masters Collection: Arthur Miller
This is a collection of three video lessons about Arthur Miller and his play "The Crucible." Teaching materials including handouts and discussion questions are included.
George Mason University
Blacklisting Hollywood's Communists: A Qualified Defense
This site from George Mason University describes the blacklisting of Hollywood communists during the Red Scare.
Other
Behind the Scenes: The Mc Carran Internal Security Act
Read about the origins and impact of the McCarran Internal Security Act which President Harry Truman called "the greatest danger to freedom of speech, press and assembly, since the Alien and Sedition Laws of 1798." Find out how a fear of...
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.
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.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Anticommunism in the 1950s
Looks at the paranoia of the 1950s when Americans lived in fear of communism. The House Committee on Un-American Activities created blacklists of people working in Hollywood, McCarthyism flourished, and the Rosenberg couple were tried...
University of Washington
University of Washington: The Red Scare: A Filmography
This site from the University of Washington discusses films produced in Hollywood before, during, and after the Red Scare.
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...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: The Postwar Red Scare
[Free Registration/Login Required] Read about the Red Scare at the end of World War I where people were fraudulently charged with being anti-American. See how thousands of names of supposed Communists were collected.