Lecture Notes: The Second Red Scare in the United States

Introduction

• Continuation of Unit 8 in AP US History Curriculum.
• Focus on domestic efforts to combat communism during the Second Red Scare after WWII.

Learning Objectives

• Objective: Explain the causes and effects of the Red Scare after WWII.

The Second Red Scare

• Distinguished from the First Red Scare during WWI.
• "Red" refers to Soviet Communism.
• Efforts to root out communism domestically post-WWII.

Key Legislation and Actions

Taft-Hartley Act of 1947

• Response to massive waves of labor union strikes in the US.
• Made it more difficult for workers to strike.
• Union leaders required to pledge non-membership in the Communist Party.

Federal Employee Loyalty and Security Program

• Executive order by President Truman in 1947.
• Federal employees required to swear non-affiliation with communism or fascism.
• Allowed federal investigations into political affiliations of workers.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

• Searched for communist influence within American society, with a notable focus on Hollywood.
• Feared the film industry as a medium for spreading communist messages.

Hollywood Ten

• 1947: Ten Hollywood directors accused of communism.
• Refused to testify in Congress, leading to contempt charges and short prison sentences.
• Blacklisted, unable to find work in the industry.

Senator Joseph McCarthy

• Gained prominence in 1950 with claims of communists infiltrating the State Department.
• Initial claim of 205 communists, later reduced to 57.
• Created widespread paranoia, known as McCarthyism.
• Failed to prove claims, leading to Senate censure and decline.

The Rosenberg Case

• August 29, 1949: Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb.
• Conviction that they stole US scientific information.
• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg accused of espionage.
• Executed in 1953; subsequent evidence suggested Julius was a Soviet spy.

Effects of the Red Scare

• Federal Laws: Anti-communist legislation suppressed union freedoms.
• Hollywood Impact: Directors and workers blacklisted.
• Cold War Tensions: Heightened between the US and the Soviet Union.

Conclusion

• Summary of key points on domestic anti-communist efforts during the Second Red Scare.
• Encouragement to explore additional resources and videos for AP US History success.