Joseph R. McCarthy

Joseph R. McCarthy • Born in Wisconsin• Served in WWII• Ran for that senate in 1946– Accused his opponent of being “communistically

inclined”• Never provided any proof of this

– Made very intense speeches• Won the election• Used the same method to gain popularity in

the senate

McCarthyism• Accused many high ranking officials of either

being a communist or covering up communists–Secretary of State Dean Acheson and former army chief and sec. of state George Marshall

• Most Americans believed his accusations–Still did not provide any proof

• McCarran Act was passed out of fear–Required all Communist organizations to register with the attorney general and report their records• Truman vetoed, but congress overrode the vote

McCarthyism

• McCarthy gained more power and became the leader of the Senate subcommittee of investigations– Allowed him to bring communists to court and testify

• He used flimsy evidence and irrational fears – Created a witch hunt

• His tactics became known as McCarthyism– Would badger witnesses and not allow them to answer

• People allowed this to happen in fear of being accused themselves

McCarthyism

• In 1954 McCarthy started to target the US Army in his Witch hunt

• The army instead did their own investigation and found no communists

• Unhappy with these results, McCarthy took the US army to court– The trials were televised so all America could see

• Army Lawyer Joseph Welch went up against McCarthy

Army-McCarthy hearings

• McCarthyism was on full display for all of America to see

• After McCarthy accused one of Welch’s employees, Welch had had enough– Welch attacked McCarthy and his tactics

• America was fed up • McCarthy was censured and denied any real

power in the senate• McCarthyism had ended

Political Cartoons• What big problem is this cartoon concerned

with? • What are the key symbols in the cartoon and

how are they distorted? • How do the distortions help the cartoon make

its point? • Use your background knowledge of the topic• Are there any words?• How would the opposing view see this

cartoon?

Today’s Assignment

• You will be creating a political cartoon that deals with an aspect of chapter 21.

• You can choose from The Red Scare, McCarthy, or popular culture during the Cold War.

• It must be neat, colored and explained on the back of the paper. Remember, political cartoons tell people what YOU think of an issue.

• Have fun!

Tips for Making an Awesome Political Cartoon

• Exaggerated expressions• Symbols• Labels, titles, and captions help the viewer

understand what is going on• Relationships of the objects in the picture• Analogies