The Fear of Communism in The United States: Joseph McCarthy Era

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America has endured many difficult times throughout history. One such time is known as the McCarthy era. During the early 1950's, "witch hunts" occurred of suspected communists. One only needed to be suspected of communism to be accused. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, in order to gain political power, capitalized on the fear of communism in the United States in the early 1950's by falsely accusing innocent citizens of political corruption, thus creating a lasting impact on the government, entertainment industry, and history of America. Joseph Raymond McCarthy was born on a farm in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, on November 15, 1908. His parents, Timothy McCarthy and Bridget Tierney, were devout Roman Catholics. The Catholic faith places great emphasis on love, kindness, and charity; ideals that would soon be forgotten by a power-hungry Joseph. As the fifth child of nine children, expectations for Joseph were high. Sibling rivalries instilled in him a great desire to be the center of attention that would carry through his adult life. No one would expect such a historical impact from such simple roots. Joseph attended the Underhill School, a one-room schoolhouse, where he completed eighth grade at age 14. He left scholarly life and invested in his own chicken farm. Years later, when disease wiped out his flock, McCarthy began work as a grocery store clerk. He quickly became manager; he decided to go back to school. Joseph completed the four year curriculum at Little Wolf High School in just nine months. Accepted because of his good grades, Marquette University began his career in law. Joseph graduated as president of his class in 1935 and started his own law firm in Waupaca. Later, he joined a law firm. Before Joseph was even ... ... middle of paper ... ...://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/venona/1951/11oct_gomer.pdf 5. http://www.hanford.gov/c.cfm/oci/ci_spy.cfm?dossier=90 6. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/mccarthy/blacklist.html 7. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/mccarthy/telegram.htm 8. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/mccarthy/navasky.htm 9. http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/2007-08/communism-computing-china/ 10. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmccarthy.htm 11. http://www.apl.org/community/hist/mccarthy 12. http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/haynes-venona.html 13. Anderson, Jack, and James Boyd. Confessions of a Muckraker: The inside Story of Life in Washington during the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson Years. New York: Random House, 1979. Print. 14. David Oshinksy, A Conspiracy So Immense: The World of Joe McCarthy (New York: The Free Press, 1983), passim.

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