Joseph McCarthy
McCarthyism refers to the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term takes its name from Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, who was the figurehead of the Second Red Scare from 1950 to 1954. This time was marked by heightened fear of communist influence on American institutions and infiltration of government agencies.
McCarthy was born in Wisconsin and received a law degree from Marquette University in 1935. He was elected to the Senate in 1947 and served until his death in 1957. His period in office was undistinguished until he was catapulted to national fame in 1950 after giving a speech about Communists infiltrating the State Department. Though his charges were never proven, McCarthy went on to accuse the Truman Administration, Voice of America, and the United States Army of Communist infiltration. He also leveled similar charges at rival politicians and citizens outside the government. Following the highly publicized Army-McCarthy hearings of 1954, where army legal representative Joseph Welch famously decried "You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?," McCarthy's popularity quickly faded. He was censured by the Senate in 1954 and died in Bethesda, Maryland in 1957.
The below clip shows a portion of McCarthy's 1050 speech on Communists in the State Department.
McCarthy was born in Wisconsin and received a law degree from Marquette University in 1935. He was elected to the Senate in 1947 and served until his death in 1957. His period in office was undistinguished until he was catapulted to national fame in 1950 after giving a speech about Communists infiltrating the State Department. Though his charges were never proven, McCarthy went on to accuse the Truman Administration, Voice of America, and the United States Army of Communist infiltration. He also leveled similar charges at rival politicians and citizens outside the government. Following the highly publicized Army-McCarthy hearings of 1954, where army legal representative Joseph Welch famously decried "You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?," McCarthy's popularity quickly faded. He was censured by the Senate in 1954 and died in Bethesda, Maryland in 1957.
The below clip shows a portion of McCarthy's 1050 speech on Communists in the State Department.
HUAC
McCarthy's hearings are often connected with those of the House Un-American Activities Committee. This conflation is not technically correct as the HUAC was a House committee and had no formal connection with McCarthy's senatorial hearings. The rise and fall of the HUAC were tied to the fleeting popularity of McCarthy and his fiery anti-communism rhetoric, but the connection ends there. The HUAC was a similar but unconnected committee that acted concurrently but independently of McCarthy and his hearings.
The HUAC became a permanent committee in 1945. Under law passed by the 79th Congress, nine representatives investigated suspected threats of subversion or propaganda that attacked the Constitution. In 1947 the committee began focusing on Hollywood for accusations of communist propaganda. This led to the creation of a blacklist that barred entrants from work in the industry. By the time the committee was finished, more than 300 actors, directors, and screenwriters became boycotted by the studios. While McCarthy became endemic of the fear and distrust of the times, it was this committee that found Arthur Miller in contempt of Congress in 1957, not Joseph McCarthy.
The HUAC became a permanent committee in 1945. Under law passed by the 79th Congress, nine representatives investigated suspected threats of subversion or propaganda that attacked the Constitution. In 1947 the committee began focusing on Hollywood for accusations of communist propaganda. This led to the creation of a blacklist that barred entrants from work in the industry. By the time the committee was finished, more than 300 actors, directors, and screenwriters became boycotted by the studios. While McCarthy became endemic of the fear and distrust of the times, it was this committee that found Arthur Miller in contempt of Congress in 1957, not Joseph McCarthy.